MONTEREY — The Monterey City Council voted unanimously to send a letter to the county, listing out the challenges and impacts that a proposed 11-story building would cause to the city. Vice Mayor Ed Smith was absent.
The proposal is a 239-unit multi-family residential project at 711 Viejo Road in Monterey County. The space is part of unincorporated Monterey County, but is adjacent to the city of Monterey. This large-scale project is being proposed under the state’s Builder’s Remedy provision, under the Housing Accountability Act — it allows developers to bypass local zoning and planning restrictions for projects with significant affordable housing. Builder’s Remedy can only be used in cities or counties that have not adopted a housing element, which Monterey County has not.
The letter from the council details the challenges that would ultimately create obstacles for Monterey and its residents.
Community Development Director Kimberly Cole said the project was concerning and the size was inappropriate for the placement.
“As a land use planner, I’m extremely concerned about this proposed project,” Cole said. “It raises a number of health and safety issues.”
Cole said the developer had no plan for water or septic and refused to give these reports to the county until the California Environmental Quality Act report or CEQA was done.
In addition, the city listed strains to public safety, environmental impact, wildlife safety, earthquake hazards and routes for evacuation during natural disasters, and a disruption to Native American land and resources as other issues in the letter.
Several public commenters said they believe the developer was trying to shake down the county, starting off with a large scale project that is nearly impossible to create, then settling for a smaller project or being bought out of the property.
Cole mentioned that the developer had proposed at least two other projects to the county, on the same lot of land but smaller in scope.
Council members Kim Barber and Jean Rasch questioned if there was any way to push back against the development, but city staff said there was little jurisdiction for Monterey and even the county when encountering a Builder’s Remedy project.
District 5 Supervisor Kate Daniels listened in to public comment and encouraged the council to list out every obstacle and issue the city would face because of the project, noting that it was likely an uphill battle for the county.
“I believe it will be difficult for the county to oppose a builder’s remedy project, but that does not mean that this project does not have to go through proper environmental analysis, and I know that the county will be very thorough,” Daniels said.
