S.D. Council Approves $1.3 Million on Cost of Regional Park Land

Plans to purchase a key 109 acres of potential regional parkland next to the Del Mar Fairgrounds moved forward Monday when the San Diego City Council appropriated $1.3 million toward its purchase.

The money, from the city’s wetlands acquisition fund, was earmarked by the City Council for the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Park, a joint-powers authority spearheaded by the city and county of San Diego. The goal is development of a 43-mile-long park from Del Mar to the foothills near Julian.

The park authority itself has virtually no money and is relying on its member cities, the county, private donations and state grants for funds to purchase the land for the open-space park and wilderness preserve.

The single most coveted piece of land, park officials say, is the 109 acres next to the fairgrounds at Del Mar--a small piece of which falls along the east side of Interstate 5--because it would serve as the park’s western gateway.

But park officials and the owner of the so-called Birtcher/Del Mar 88 property have been unable to agree on a sale price.

The last offer made by the park authority--$1,345,000--was rejected by the owner, Sam Langberg, two months ago.

That offer represented the $1.3 million in San Diego city funds that, on Monday, was formally extended to the park authority toward the parkland acquisition. The council’s vote was unanimous and came without discussion.

Park officials say they are looking for other sources of money to swell the kitty to buy the Birtcher property, but they were unwilling to discuss what the next offer to Langberg will be.

For his part, Langberg said Monday that he has effectively been denied use of the property for commercial development because of a variety of conditions and restrictions placed on it by the San Diego and Del Mar City Councils, which govern the land’s use because it falls two-thirds within the city limits of San Diego and one third within Del Mar.

“The property would be worth millions and millions if it weren’t for the extraordinary restrictions placed on it,” he said. Because of the wetlands’ environmental value, the land is effectively set aside by the two city councils as open space, even though Langberg had previously hoped to develop a hotel and other commercial uses there.

Langberg said he doesn’t expect the park authority to come up with an offer attractive enough for a voluntary sale.