Court upholds fair’s parking, wetlands restoration plan

A judge has ruled against the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club in a lawsuit seeking to overturn two permits issued by the Coastal Commission for wetland restoration work near the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The Sierra Club lawsuit argues that the permits violate the state’s Coastal Act because they allow the fairgrounds to continue to park cars and hold temporary events on an area known as the east overflow lot and golf driving range.

In exchange, the fairgrounds agreed to restore a 9.5-acre portion of the what had previously been the venue’s south overflow lot to wetlands.

“We are pleased that the courts properly upheld the two coastal development permits approved by the Coastal Commission,” said Frederick Schenk, president of the 22nd District Agricultural Association board, which oversees the fairgrounds.

Representatives for the Sierra Club could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant upheld the California Coastal Commission’s approval of coastal development permits for the fairgrounds.

For years, the association used several pieces of land near the mouth of the San Dieguito River for overflow parking without the approval of the Coastal Commission.

When the situation came to light, a bitter dispute began between the two state agencies, with the fairgrounds arguing it didn’t need a permit to continue the long-standing practice.

In 2012, the two groups reached a settlement that called on the fairgrounds to return some of the parking lots back to wetlands.

The Sierra Club argued the east overflow lot also should be preserved.