This is a story about public transportation and how two communities dealt with a train station.
Solana Beach is a laid back coastal community of about 13,000 residents, 23 miles north of San Diego right on the coast. It’s just north of Del Mar, home of the famed Del Mar Race Track that’s been a favorite of Hollywood stars for generations, including Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante and Frank SInatra. Del Mar has always been the wealthier town, more formal and with costlier homes. Solana Beach is more laid back, less formal with less expensive housing.
Del Mar built a railroad station in 1910, the first stop out of San Diego on what now is the Amtrack Surfliner route to LA and Santa Barbara County. It was a natural location for a station, minutes from the racetrack and the beach.
By the 1990s, outgrowing the old station, a decision was needed about where to establish a new, more modern train station to serve the growing area. Del Mar was the natural location, giving precedence to the coastal town that was home for the station for more than eighty years. But, given the nature of Del Mar that had grown in wealth, many Del Mar residents were concerned that a train station would lead to increased tourism, traffic, and noise, which they felt could disrupt the town’s quiet, upscale character. The town also feared that a station could lead to more aggressive infrastructure projects and ruin its character. Del Mar residents successfully organized to oppose the station, leading regional planners to seek an alternative location.
Solana Beach looked at it differently. They embraced the idea for locating the new station in its town. Solana Beach leaders and residents were proactive in advocating for the station, recognizing the benefits of increased accessibility and reduced traffic congestion. The city committed to providing and funding the necessary infrastructure and addressing environmental concerns.
Solana Beach offered a suitable site for the station, including space for parking and safe pedestrian access. It was adjacent to the Cedros Design District, at the time a fledging strip of small businesses selling home furnishings, flooring, appliances, along with art gallaries, a coffee shop and restaurant. They looked like a strip of quansett huts built during World War 2 and commonly found in the area as greenhouse sheds.
The Solana Beach Transit Station opened in 1994 and immediately became a success story for regional transit. Its proximity to the Cedros Design District made it a hub for both commuters and tourists. The design area has grown in size and became a destination for visitors to the area. Del Mar, meanwhile, remained connected by train tracks, but passengers can only view its scenic coastline as they pass through.
When visitors travel by train to visit the Del Mar Track during racing season or for other events held there, they embark in Solana Beach, often eat and shop in its design district, before taking a shuttle bus to the track.
The Solana Beach Transit Station includes the rail station and a large free parking area a short walk from stores, restaurants and entertainment. The result is a beautiful building that carries the theme of the quansett huts. Several years after being built, the second planned phase was completed, lowering the tracks by 25 feet to reduce noise and eliminate the railroad crossing gates.
The difference in outcomes reflects the contrasting priorities of the two communities: Solana Beach sought to embrace a modern transit infrastructure, while Del Mar prioritized preserving its character and natural environment.