Planners report 2025 housing progress and seek input on 2026‑27 priorities; commissioners urge elevating Pajaro/Chular community plans

Monterey County planning staff presented the 2025 General Plan Implementation and Housing Element annual progress reports and the proposed long‑range work program priorities on March 11. The staff presentation summarized 2025 accomplishments, including adoption and Coastal Commission certification of the coastal ADU ordinance, progress on the noise ordinance and vacation‑rental regulations in the coastal zone, a wildfire protection pilot and corrections to zoning inconsistencies.

Housing production and permits: Housing staff reported 193 units for 2025 across income categories (including four low, four moderate, six moderate, and 179 above‑moderate — staff provided these counts as the jurisdiction’s units for RHNA reporting) and 121 building permits issued in the same year. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) increased, with 61 ADU conversions noted in the reporting year. Staff also said the Laguna Place multifamily project accounted for large multifamily permitting and that those units are income‑restricted and intended for permanent residency, not seasonal or employer‑sponsored housing.

Commissioners sought more granular data, including coastal vs inland breakdowns of ADUs, which permits were associated with farmworker or seasonal housing versus year‑round housing, and counts of conversions or losses (units converted to other uses or demolished and not replaced). Housing program manager Darby Marshall said the department can provide the loss/conversion data that is submitted in state reports and can put that material before the commission in a future briefing.

Work‑program priorities and community‑plan debate: Staff outlined the top 12 priorities for 2026–27 (housing element implementation and rezoning for opportunity sites; board referrals such as whether to create a battery energy storage system ordinance and vacation rental amendments; wildfire preparedness and defensible‑space programs; Chular community plan; water allocation work tied to Monterey Peninsula Water Management District; safety element update; environmental justice and conservation element updates; Fort habitat resource tasks; Big Sur land‑use updates; Moss Landing and Castroville community plan work; and continued work on CRE projects). Several commissioners argued that community plans that the 2010 general plan designated as priorities (notably Pajaro/Paharo and Chular) should be elevated in the work‑program ranking because communities without adopted plans lack the baseline needed to guide investments and resiliency work.

Public comments and procedural items: Tom Rowley (Fisherman Flats Homeowners and Residents Association) returned during the work‑program item to oppose development at "Site 52 / Tarpy Flats," citing insufficient water, transport and fire‑evacuation risk. Commissioners requested staff prepare a clear memo to the Board showing which tasks are deferred from the 2010 general plan priorities and asked staff to provide context on staffing and resources required for top priorities. Several commissioners indicated they would bring a motion recommending that the Board of Supervisors elevate Pajaro (Paharo) and Chular community plans (and the development evaluation system) in the 2026–27 priorities.

Ending: Staff will post the APRs and the work‑program materials and said they will carry the Commission’s direction to the Board of Supervisors. The Planning Commission recommended receipt of the annual reports and asked staff to draft a clearer prioritization memo for Board consideration.