Trustees approve Carmel Del Mar modernization plans, opt for smaller MUR opening; CEQA notices and contractor RFPs also cleared

Del Mar Union School District trustees voted unanimously to clear environmental review and seek a contractor for two school modernizations — Carmel Del Mar and Ashley Falls — while limiting scope changes at Carmel Del Mar to a widened rear opening and a Library Innovation Center modernization rather than a larger, more costly expansion into the campus courtyard.

The decision follows a multi-month design and community-engagement process for Carmel Del Mar. District facilities staff presented comparative cost estimates and design options, and trustees weighed community concerns about preserving the school’s amphitheater and library character.

Why the board’s action matters: the approvals allow the district to file California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) notices of exemption and to issue a request for proposals for a lease–leaseback contractor. Bringing a contractor on early for preconstruction work, staff said, helps refine schedules and find cost efficiencies before construction begins in 2026.

District project manager Nathan Wolf told the board Del Mar Hills Academy’s modernization — completed this summer — is now in warranty and only has “a few, lingering punch items.” He framed Carmel Del Mar’s options around two trade-offs: (1) a lower-cost…