Monterey County planning staff report rezoning, water-allocation steps and more housing approvals

Monterey County planning officials described recent milestones intended to move housing projects forward while underscoring the complexity of approvals.

Craig Spencer, director of Housing and Community Development, said the county moved forward with four general-plan amendments and highlighted the rezoning of the September Ranch site in Carmel Valley to accommodate up to 22 affordable housing units in phase one. "That will accommodate up to 22 new affordable housing units in that subdivision," Spencer said.

Spencer also said the county is developing a water-allocation policy for the KAM service area of the Monterey Peninsula because new water is now available; the planning commission discussed the policy and the item will return on May 13 so the county can suballocate water for new housing and other development.

On approvals, Spencer reported the planning commission approved the county's first builder's-remedy application under Senate Bill 330 on a housing opportunity site tied to the draft housing element. Staff told the briefing the approval includes affordable units, though the total unit count was stated imprecisely during the presentation and was not confirmed in the briefing record.

Fiona Jensen, a principal planner, said staff invested roughly 18 months to prepare projects for recommendation and urged patience given environmental review, traffic and drainage studies, and other technical requirements. Jensen said the September Ranch project (22 units) plus an additional roughly 15 affordable units associated with another site off Valverde will add meaningful affordable housing to the county.

Jensen also addressed vacation- and short-term-rental permitting: "We have had over 200 applications for various types of vacation rentals," she said. She described three permit categories — commercial vacation rentals requiring discretionary hearings, homestays where an occupant remains on site, and limited permits (home use up to three times per year) — and noted about 40 commercial vacation rentals have been permitted through the hearing process; dozens of homestays and limited permits are processed over the counter. Staff maintain a public map with pins and approval details on the county's vacation-rental website.

Planning staff asked residents seeking permits or information to consult the county website or contact the permit center for application requirements. The water-allocation policy will return to the planning commission on May 13; staff said those decisions will determine how newly available water is suballocated to property owners and projects.

County staff emphasized that even where builder's-remedy provisions apply, environmental review and public input remain part of the process.