Carmel-by-the-Sea seeks $244,000 to include county stretch of Ocean Avenue in $3 million paving project; library and street-address meetings set

Carmel-by-the-Sea city officials said they are seeking roughly $244,000 in additional funding to include the county-owned stretch of Ocean Avenue from State Highway 1 to the city line in a consolidated paving project that totals more than $3 million. Officials also announced upcoming community meetings on renovations to Harrison Memorial Library and a street-address workshop, and described a pilot parking shuttle during Car Week as a success.

City official Speaker 1 said the paving item will appear on the September agenda, after the council shifted its meeting dates because of Labor Day. Speaker 1 said the Ocean Avenue segment is technically in Monterey County and that staff are coordinating with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County; Todd Muck, the agency’s executive director and a local resident, is helping search for the additional funds. “That’s a really important project,” Speaker 1 said.

Why it matters: the roadwork covers a corridor used by visitors and residents and is part of a larger program to address degraded pavement across the city. According to remarks on the record, the consolidated paving work exceeds $3 million in total cost; the city reported a gap of about $244,000 to add the county-owned segment. Officials said they had sought support from Supervisor Daniels but did not secure a $100,000 contribution.

City scheduling and outreach: Speaker 1 said the council adjusted its September meeting schedule because of the Labor Day holiday and that the paving item would appear on the agendas for meetings on Sept. 8 and 9 (dates announced by the speakers during the session). The official also encouraged residents to provide input on event impacts and said the Community Activities Commission will conduct a postmortem review of recent events.

Library and addressing meetings: Officials announced a community meeting on the Harrison Memorial Library renovation planned for the 26th of the month at Carpenter Hall; the organizers described the session as an early, interactive design-phase meeting with tables and map-based feedback. Speaker 1 said the exact start time was still being set but expected the session to be in the late afternoon. Separately, the Street Address Committee will hold a workshop on Aug. 27 at 1 p.m. at Carpenter Hall and an evening session in early September; organizers asked residents to submit questions in advance, and a flyer was published in the Pine Cone newspaper.

Events and parking shuttle: City official Speaker 2 praised the city’s Car Week operations and credited public works, police, volunteers and partner organizations for running a free parking shuttle from Larson Field to downtown. Speaker 2 said the shuttle reduced traffic pressure downtown—citing about “300 and some odd cars” parked at Larson Field on Tuesday—and that the city paid for the shuttle from its operating budget, which officials said is largely supplemented this week by permit revenues from events. “It was great,” Speaker 2 said of the shuttle pilot.

Planning guidance: Officials said a steering committee on design traditions will present draft design guidelines to the Planning Commission and then to the City Council for feedback; the Planning Commission was described as a main user of the guidelines and is expected to advise whether the draft operates as intended for future reviews.

Next steps and public comment: Officials urged residents with comments on events or impacts from increased visitation to call or write the city; they noted additional meetings and public-review steps for the paving project, library renovation and design guidelines. No formal votes or motions on the paving project, library renovation, street addressing, or design guidelines were recorded during the session.