Planning commission approves Carmel Valley Ranch permit for 27 additional visitor-serving units

The Monterey County Planning Commission voted unanimously July 9 to approve PLN220169, a combined development permit for work at Carmel Valley Ranch that will demolish seven lodge buildings and replace them with seven new buildings, yielding a net gain of 27 visitor-serving units.

Staff planner Steve Mason presented the project, describing the permit as an administrative permit and design approval for a one-story parking structure with 34 parking spaces, demolition of seven lodge buildings containing 29 units and construction of seven replacement buildings with 56 units. Mason said the change would bring the ranch to the 208 visitor-serving-unit limit established in the specific plan. "This concludes staff's presentation. I'm available to answer any questions," Mason said.

The project also includes use permits to allow development on slopes exceeding 25% and to remove seven oak trees, including three identified as landmark oaks; staff said the trees will be replaced at a 1:1 ratio. Mason told commissioners that the proposed additional units would use existing unconditioned floor space beneath current buildings, avoiding new development in undeveloped portions of the ranch.

Why it matters: The ranch's specific plan already allows up to 208 visitor-serving units. Commissioners sought clarification about how the proposed units relate to that cap and whether the proposal would trigger other allocations or housing fees. Staff and the applicant said the project does not exceed the specific-plan allowance and therefore does not require housing in-lieu fees, which apply to residential units, not visitor-serving units.

Project details and findings: Mason summarized the environmental reviews on record, including the 1975 specific plan EIR, a 1996 negative declaration related to the 208-unit allowance, and the 2010 general-plan EIR. He also cited CEQA section 15183 as the basis for limiting environmental review to impacts not previously analyzed in the prior EIR for the applicable plan. The project proposes to remove seven oak trees for which staff found no feasible alternative that would avoid additional tree removal. Staff recommended adding a new condition (condition 17) to require formal height verification to ensure buildings do not exceed the 30-foot maximum in the specific plan; one planned sheet initially cited a 30-foot-6-inch elevation for a building, and the applicant submitted a letter stating the structures will be below 30 feet.

Applicant remarks: Anthony Lombardo, speaking for the applicant, described prior similar work at the ranch and explained that the existing buildings have large underfloor areas that allow conversion into additional guest units without expanding the resort footprint. "This would be the build out of the visitor serving allowed under the specific plan," Lombardo said.

Commission deliberations and outcome: Commissioners asked about the visitor-serving unit accounting, the historic record of prior amendments, slope development, and the corrected oak-tree count (staff noted nine trees was an error in one figure and confirmed seven protected oak removals). Commissioner Deal moved to approve the item "as recommended by staff and amended here in this hearing," Commissioner Work seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.

Next steps and conditions: Approval includes the administrative and design permits, use permits for slope development and oak-tree removal, the parking structure, and the demolition/construction described above. Staff will implement the added height-verification condition and the other standard mitigation and monitoring conditions noted in the staff report.

Provenance: Staff presentation and project description, applicant presentation, commissioner questions, and the vote occurred during the portion of the commission meeting devoted to PLN220169 (project introduction at the staff presentation through the motion and vote).