Council approves 0.081 acre-feet water allocation for dealership expansion; resident questions gallons and equity

The Seaside City Council approved a resolution on Jan. 24 allocating 0.081 acre-feet of water per year from the city's reserve to support an expansion at 1721 Del Monte Boulevard, the location tied to the Lexus and Aldridge auto dealers.

During public comment, resident Ray Reardon said neighbors have been denied water allocation credits for residential additions and asked how many gallons 0.081 acre-feet represents and whether the dealership request was appropriate. "How many gallons is 0.081 acre feet per year?" Reardon asked, and he expressed concern that the city appeared to be giving a "freebie" to a business while residents face limits.

Community planning/economic development staffer Andrew Meyer responded that water is available for qualified residential additions and that allocations are necessary for projects because the water district calculates required water based on square footage rather than actual use. Meyer provided a conversion: "0.081 acre feet is equal to 26,393.926 gallons," and he said the allocation would slightly reduce the auto-center category in the city's water set-asides (from roughly 3.6 to 3.52 acre-feet). He encouraged residents with pending ADU or addition requests to consult planning staff; he noted staff approved water allocations for three ADUs earlier the same day.

Council discussed the item and then voted to approve the allocation; the motion passed unanimously on roll call. Staff framed the allocation as a small change within previously established water set-asides for residential, Broadway and auto center categories and reiterated that qualifying residential additions can still obtain water allocations through the planning process.

The council did not place dollar amounts or cost obligations on the allocation at the meeting; staff answered procedural and technical questions but did not promise any preference in pricing for the business.