The City of Del Mar and Spurlock Landscape Architects have received the 2020 Implementation: Small Jurisdiction Award from the San Diego Section of the American Planning Association on behalf of their exceptional work on the Del Mar Civic Center. The City of Del Mar and Spurlock Landscape Architects exemplified fundamental planning practices and principals with their outstanding job in incorporating sustainable and context-sensitive design, accessibility, underground parking and creative use to secure funding for the project.
The new Del Mar Civic Center is comprised of a 3,000 square foot town hall for various city meetings, a 9,000 square foot city hall that houses an array of city departments and a 13,000 square foot plaza used for event space and public space with panoramic ocean views. The development has replaced the outdated civic center that was a remodeled 1950’s-era school, in 1973. In 2018, the project fit into the budget which has led to a space that is capable of hosting everything from farmers markets and art shows to watching the sunset over the Pacific. Its location, nestled in the coastal slopes of Del Mar with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean creates an ideal space for social gatherings including a small rooftop deck and a larger trellised deck that includes seating overlooking the horizon, synthetic turf and local coastal plants that surround the terrace, adding to the ambiance.
Additional amenities include an underground parking garage beneath the plaza. The underground parking and rear surface lot together hold 140 parking spaces which can be used for city hall meetings during the daytime and for the public during the night and weekends. The City Hall building, and exterior landscape courts sit right on top the two parking structures which create a podium for them. Additionally, large trees and seat walls were constructed despite the technically challenging conditions the underground parking created.
Spurlock Landscape Architects and the City of Del Mar achieved great success with the Civic Center due to the multiple uses and compatibility with the quaint, neighborhood charm of Del Mar. The efficiency of the structure and sustainability of the design are characteristics to applaud as the Del Mar Civic Center sits naturally on the sloped coastline overlooking the ocean.