Historic Preservation Commission adopts report for Pacific Biological Laboratories, clearing path for accessibility work

The Monterey Historic Preservation Commission on Feb. 12 voted unanimously to adopt a historic preservation report for the Pacific Biological Laboratories (800 Cannery Row), clearing a required procedural step before the city may seek construction or a historic permit to install accessibility upgrades.

Principal Planner Fernanda Rovere told the commission the Pacific Biological Laboratories (PBL) is an H‑1 city historic landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is significant as the home and workplace of marine biologist Ed Ricketts and for its cultural links to author John Steinbeck and the development of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Rovere said the adoption the commission approved is the report required by city code; specific construction work and permit approvals would return to the commission after final design drawings and a standards compliance analysis are prepared.

Rovere summarized previous work on the site: an ARG (Architectural Resources Group) preservation report adopted in 2010, a 2019 accessibility study, and a 2025 update that evaluated accessibility options using the coastal public path on the south side of the property. ARG prepared a high‑level memo in January 2026 examining how 'Option A' fits the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Rovere said a full standards compliance analysis will follow once detailed drawings are available.

The report lays out two conceptual accessibility approaches. Option A focuses work on the exterior and uses a new platform lift, new exterior stairs and ramps to provide an accessible path from Cannery Row to the rear yard and into the building. Option B includes more extensive modifications to the building and therefore carries a higher estimated construction cost. Rovere told commissioners the city anticipates pursuing funding, including from the Western Flyer Foundation, for design and construction of the accessibility upgrades.

Commissioners pressed staff on cost terminology and estimates. One commissioner noted the report’s executive construction cost summary lists a 'present value' of roughly $1,847,839 for Option A and about $2,015,078 for Option B; staff and a staff‑referenced consultant (KPJ Consulting, cited in the packet) explained that the figures reflect estimated total construction costs as of 2025 and that the report also shows a two‑year escalation scenario that raises the Option B estimate under escalation assumptions. Commissioners asked staff to clarify the 'present value' label and other terms and to provide clearer east/west schematic labeling and wording corrections in the report.

Brian Edwards, the city’s library and museums director and operator of PBL tours, urged keeping the front façade and public interpretation intact while using a rear route and lift to provide accessible entry and improve emergency egress. Edwards said tours currently start from the front but that starting at the rear lab area would better support interpretation of Ricketts’ work and later layers of the building’s history.

After discussion and a short period for commissioners to suggest editorial fixes and schematic clarifications (definition of terms such as ESC, schematic orientation clarity, and several typographical corrections), a commissioner moved to adopt the historic preservation report for Pacific Biological Laboratories subject to the suggested edits; another commissioner seconded. The chair called the vote and the motion passed by unanimous voice vote with no abstentions. Staff said the suggested edits would be incorporated as a condition prior to signing the resolution.

The commission’s adoption authorizes the city to use the report as the required historic‑resource documentation for future permit applications; it does not authorize construction. Staff said that once the city secures design funding and produces final drawings, ARG will prepare a standard compliance analysis and the commission will review proposed work and permits at a future meeting. Planning staff added tentative agenda items for the March 12 meeting, including the CLG annual report and noted upcoming PBL public tours and a February fundraiser.

What’s next: the city will pursue funding and prepare detailed design drawings; a standards compliance analysis and any proposed permit application will return to the Historic Preservation Commission for review.