Monterey County Land Use & Development Digest

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

Carmel Unified School District provided an update on the progress it has made on mitigating potential impacts the high school’s stadium improvements project will have on neighboring communities and habitats.

A tiny parcel of land was recently donated to Sand City which could have future implications for the flow of traffic between two big-box shopping centers and a transit center in the city’s busy retail district.

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Richmond Ranch in south San Jose may be preserved as open space if multiple government entities succeed in a quest to buy its thousands of acres, public documents show.

Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. But in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum—one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

The Seaside City Council is scheduled to receive a presentation of the project and construction schedule for the Grand Hyatt Seaside Resort Hotel, the four-star property proposed for the Bayonet and Blackhorse Golf Course in Seaside.

An application will be considered by the Sand City Council for a conditional use permit for a multi-room boutique hotel near the West End artists’ district.

“The original concept that was selected was the Treehouse. After reviewing the conceptual cost estimates, it became apparent that the original concept was going to be too expensive.”

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

The California Rangeland Trust announced the 9,400-acre Silacci Ranch's conservation was finalized, preserving the family's 140-year ranching legacy on land in Monterey and San Benito counties.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.

After two years of legal back-and-forth, the Monterey County Superior Court has ruled that Monterey Peninsula Unified’s environmental review of its high school stadium project is complete and legally compliant.
But opponents have filed an appeal.

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.

A design-build-development company based in Santa Cruz, which has an established track record providing accessory dwelling unit plans for Central Coast cities, is doing it again, this time for Monterey County.

Work on a new annex, visitors center and underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project. Plans have been on hold since early 2021.

The irrigation bill, which aims to force businesses and institutions to remove their lawns, now goes to the governor.

A June budget deal required community colleges to raise their own money to build affordable student housing. Some campuses said that plan prevented them from building the dorms, even with help from the state to pay the debt.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks proposed legislation to help get around a court's rejection of a UC Berkeley housing plan. But even if the law is approved, its fate is in the hands of the state Supreme Court.

Some 7,000 square miles of ocean on California’s Central Coast could soon become the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental U.S. It could also make history as one of the first federal sanctuaries to be spearheaded by a Native American tribe.

Environmentalists and project proponents agree: Infrastructure bills crafted by legislators and Newsom are a good compromise to streamline development. The package aims to speed up lawsuits for solar farms, reservoirs and other infrastructure, and relax protection of some species.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 341 into law, reinstating a moratorium on the expansion of cardrooms in the state.

The city said its decision to deny the Welcome Center's request to expand the use of the freight depot building for additional exhibits is based upon a current tenant's wish to continue to use the space.

In September, California State University, Monterey Bay’s Campus Planning and Development team proposed the 2nd Avenue project, which aimed to provide needed housing and services for the campus and community. This proposal called for multifamily rental housing with campus-serving amenities.