The City Council on Nov. 24 approved direction to proceed with a consultant‑drafted RFQ/RFP for the city‑owned 2212 Beach Boulevard site and created a two‑member ad hoc subcommittee to advise staff during key milestones.

Assistant City Manager Yuli(a) Carter and Cosmont Companies consultant Ken Herro described the RFQP approach: a two‑phase process of qualifications followed by proposals, a proposed schedule to issue the RFQP after the new year with shortlisting in February–March 2026, and evaluation criteria that prioritize financial capacity, coastal entitlement experience, design and resilience. The consultants said fee‑simple sale is likely to attract more market interest than a ground lease in the current market, and advised building performance‑based ENA (exclusive negotiating agreements) with developer deposits to offset city costs during negotiation.

Public commenters requested clarity about the state Surplus Land Act outreach and asked the city to require hotel proposals to include affordable or publicly accessible amenities. Council members discussed Coastal Commission constraints, parking and the pump station, and the timing and costs of due diligence and environmental review. Mayor Beckmeyer moved to form an ad hoc subcommittee to review the city vision and community language in the RFQ, participate in developer interviews and review RFP results; the motion passed 5–0 and Vice Mayor Bowles and Council member Greg Wright were named to the ad hoc.

Cosmont will draft the RFQP with staff and post it publicly; the ad hoc will be available to review the RFQ vision language and provide input before issuance. Next steps: staff and Cosmont will prepare the RFQP and return to council with short‑list recommendations during the RFQ/RFP process.