The Salinas City Council on Oct. 14 voted unanimously to approve a resolution vacating the northerly 124 feet of New Street right-of-way to allow the Monterey County rail extension project to proceed to its next phase.

City Engineer Adriana Robles told the council the vacation affects a 50-foot-wide strip north of West Market and is tied to a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC). "The vacation of approximately 6,200 square feet of right-of-way will allow package 2 to move forward," Robles said.

The action follows earlier council approvals related to the rail extension; Robles noted the city signed an MOU with TAMC in February 2017 and approved package 1 of the project in July 2025. During public comment, a nearby resident identified as Ahmed said he learned about the change from the notice posted at the site and asked for more transparent, timely outreach to adjacent property owners. "How is it that we're holding a public hearing without this information?" he asked. Robles and staff responded that required notifications were posted at the site and published in the newspaper, and staff offered to follow up with residents to answer outstanding questions.

Council members moved and seconded the resolution and voted by roll call. The council recorded affirmative votes from Council members Barajas, Barrera, Dirigo, De La Rosa, Salazar and Sandoval, and Mayor Donahue. City staff said TAMC will present more detail on package 2 at a future meeting (Robles indicated a related presentation is scheduled for the Oct. 28 council meeting).

Why it matters: the vacation clears municipal right-of-way that county transportation officials say is needed to complete engineering and construction for the rail extension’s second package. Supporters said the action removes a local hurdle to advancing the regional project; nearby residents asked for more direct outreach and details about future construction impacts.

What happened next: the council approved the resolution and directed staff to continue outreach to affected residents and to coordinate with TAMC as package 2 proceeds.