CEQA Summary of The Collection at Monterey Bay Resort

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Image 1. Aerial photo of proposed location of development.

Project Summary

The proposed resort development project site is located in Sand City on the Monterey Bay coastline, west of State Route 1, north of Tioga Avenue. The proposed development includes a coastal resort on the 15.5 acre property, commonly referred to as the "McDonald Site", consisting of 235 visitor rooms, 3 restaurants, conference and meeting facilitites, a spa and health/wellness center, parking, and other ancillary and related improvements. The resort will consists of approximately 80 units. In addition, the applicants propose develop on the adjacent seven (7) acre property, commonly referred to as the "Sterling/Calabrese" site, with a 115-unit condominium hotel. This combined resort project would have a total of approximately 350 visitor lodging units. Primary access will be from Playa Avenue and Sand Dunes Drive. The project may be constructed in two dinstinct phases; Phase I involving up to 115 units on the "Sterling/Calabrese" site, and Phase II involving the build-out of the remainder of the project on the "McDonald" property. The approximately 2.31 acre property owned by the Granite Construction company, adjacent to the "McDonal Site", may also be used for additional project parking overflow and general public parking purposes. [1]

The proposed resort development project site is located in Sand City on the Monterey Bay coastline, west of State Route 1, north of Tioga Avenue. The project is described in two phases. The first phase would be a 139-room hotel and parking garage; the second phase would include a 203-room hotel, two restaurants, a 19,700 square foot restaurant and a Tapas Bar, a 16,800 square foot conference center, a 14,000 square foot spa as well as a juice bar, wine center and parking. [2] This combined resort project would have a total of approximately 350 visitor lodging units. Primary access will be from Playa Avenue and Sand Dunes Drive.

Image 2. View of proposed site area from the eastern boundary.


CEQA Documents

This project is still a proposal and has not been approved. Listed below are the CEQA documents that have been submitted to date:

Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

Project Issues

Potential issues identified in the Draft EIR include: Population/Housing Balance, Traffic/Circulation, Water Quality, Geologic/Seismic, Biological Resources, Air Quality, Aesthetic/Visual, Noise, Toxic/Hazardous, Public Services, Other Issues (Cultural Resources, Energy Resources) [3] Select specific impacts and proposed mitigation strategies are outlined below.

Visual and Aesthetic Resources

The proposed project would block portions of the designated view corridors on the site identified in the City’s Local Coastal Program, which would be a significant visual impact.

Transportation

The proposed project would result in significant impacts to line of sight at Fremont Boulevard, State Route 1, Monterey Road, Ord Avenue, and significant traffic impacts to Northbound and Southbound State Route 1.

Hydrology and Water Quality

The Collections at Monterey project will be subject to wave run-up and coastal flooding over the lifetime of the development.

Geology and Soils

Coastal erosion and recession will significantly impact elements of the project located seaward of the 50-year coastal erosion setback line. Wind erosion and sand deposition would likely result in project amenities being unusable over the life of the project.

Biological Resources

The project would result in the loss of several Monterey spineflower plants. Although the removal of these plants would not affect the survival of the species, the loss of the individual plants of this threatened species is a significant impact. The project could result in the removal of habitat for western snowy plover and, therefore, would have a significant impact on the species. The removal of seacliff and coast buckwheat plants as a result of the project would result in significant impacts to Smith’s blue butterflies and their dispersal. The project will remove potential habitat for the black legless lizard and could result in the loss of individual black legless lizards.

Air Quality

Construction activities, such as, clearing, excavation, and grading operations, construction vehicle traffic, and wind blowing over exposed earth would generate fugitive particulate matter emissions that would temporarily affect local air quality.

Noise

Interior noise levels would exceed the City’s adopted General Plan and California Building Code standards for hotel units using standard construction methods.

Utilities and Service Systems

The proposed project would not result in the need for additional wastewater treatment facilities; however, the proposed public restrooms on Tioga Avenue would conflict with water supply facilities.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The project would result in a net increase in carbon dioxide emissions annually. The project proposes a TDM program to reduce the number of vehicle trips and associated greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the project. Based on the estimated emissions from construction and operation of the proposed development, the project would result in substantial new greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to cumulative global climate change impacts. The proposed project would experience flooding due to expected sea level rise by the year 2100.

Cumulative Impacts

The proposed project would result in a cumulatively considerable contribution to scenic resource impacts from resort development along the Sand City coast. The proposed project will contribute to cumulative impacts at four intersections. The proposed project will contribute to cumulative impacts on five roadway segments. The proposed project may result in impacts to buried archaeological resources during construction of a traffic signal to mitigate cumulative traffic impacts.

In the News

Monterey Herald - Seaside Calls for Revised EIR on Proposed Sand City Resort

Santa Cruz Sentinel - Latest Sand City Coastal Resort Project Releases Draft EIR

[http://ventana.sierraclub.org/conservation/local/index.shtml Chapter Submits Comments on Collections at Monterey Bay Proposed Mega Hotel Complex in Sand City]

Agencies

  • Lead Agency: Sand City [4]
  • Reviewing Agencies: Resources Agency; California Coastal Commission; Department of Fish and Wildlife, Region 4; Department of Parks and Recreation; Department of Water Resources; Caltrans, Division of Aeronautics; California Highway Patrol; Caltrans, District 5; Regional Water Quality Control Board, Region 3; Native American Heritage Commission; State Lands Commission [4]

References

  1. [1]
  2. [http://ventana.sierraclub.org/conservation/local/index.shtml Chapter Submits Comments on Collections at Monterey Bay Proposed Mega Hotel Complex in Sand City]
  3. [2]
  4. [3]

Links

Disclaimer

This page may contain students's work completed as part of assigned coursework. It may not be accurate. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of CSUMB, its staff, or students.