Carmel council remands Esperanza’s JB Pastor project over parking and landscaping; three split on key legal findings

The Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council voted Sept. 8 to remand Esperanza Carmel’s proposed JB Pastor mixed‑use development to the Planning Commission for further consideration focused on parking and landscaping, after a lengthy public hearing and debate over historic‑resource review and procedural fairness.

The action resolves several outstanding issues from earlier hearings but leaves other legal questions open: the council voted 2–1 to adopt motions finding the project complies with the municipal code’s maximum floor‑area requirement and that it is categorically exempt from CEQA under Class 31 (historical restoration/rehabilitation). The council split 2–1 on a separate motion to reaffirm a 2023 city council finding that the project is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards; two council members supported reaffirmation and one dissented.

Why this matters: The five‑figure redevelopment would add retail and roughly eight rental units in downtown Carmel and has been under intermittent review for more than six years. Opponents argued the project exceeds size limits, does not provide required ground‑level landscaping, and improperly seeks to rely on a 2023 historic assessment that, they say, does not evaluate the current design. Supporters said years of staff and Planning Commission review and city policy tools such as the in‑lieu parking program justify approval and that continued delay threatens investment and housing supply in the village.

Staff presentation and council questions

City staff told the council the proposal is a two‑story, 12,971‑square‑foot mixed‑use building in the Service Commercial zoning district at Dolores Street and Seventh Avenue. Staff summarized a draft resolution and motions prepared after the Aug. 4 hearing that would (1) remand the project to the Planning Commission for further consideration of parking…