Carmel Planning Commission votes to move away from wood-burning fireplaces.

Come November, homeowners in San Francisco Bay Area won't be allowed to put fireplaces in new homes. When they sell homes with existing fireplaces, they'll be required to notify buyers of the potential health hazards that come with burning wood—exposure to virtually all the nasty stuff in cigarettes that can irritate lungs, as well as cause long-lasting health problems. 

Carmel-by-the-Sea is following suit. After a contentious, years-long battle to ban wood-burning beach fires, the Carmel Planning Commission took up the matter of wood-burning fireplaces for the first time Wednesday night. 

They voted 3-2 to recommend City Council approve an ordinance that would allow only gas fireplaces or hyper-efficient wood stoves certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in new construction, as well as remodels when more than 50 percent of the surface area of a home is demolished. 

City Council is expected to vote on the recommended ordinance in April—just before election day, April 12. 

“The purpose of this ordinance is to improve air quality in the city,” said Planning Director Marc Weiner. 

There wasn't any data presented to that effect. "It's being driven by new technology, and a better understanding of the harmful effects of smoke inhalation," Weiner said. "It's true that it's not being driven by air quality data."

There was substantial debate over whether Carmel actually has an air quality problem. But what commissioners and members of the public did agree on is that fireplaces can have an immediate negative impact on neighbors, if not the region overall.  

Richard Kreitman, a gallery owner who is running for City Council, said he doesn't see an air quality problem in the regional overall, but described a recent scenario when a neighbor, who lives in Fresno and occasionally uses his Carmel home, was in town for a week.

He burned wet wood for three days straight, creating a plume of thick smoke that wafted into neighbors' windows. When Kreitman ran into him, the neighbor immediately apologized—the heater was down, and he and his wife would spend the next few days in a hotel.

"Wood-burning fireplaces do cause problems in the neighborhood," said Barbara Livingston, president of the Carmel Residents Association. 

Planning commissioners agreed, but they grappled with what to do about it.

"I’m very concerned about the look of these," said Commissioner Keith Paterson, referring to EPA-certified stoves. "I think they’re totally anti to what we would consider to be a Carmel residence. There’s a great charm to having a wood-burning fire."

Carmel real estate agent Ben Beesley asked commissioners not to compare Carmel to the Bay Area—which has a bugger problem with air quality, and also isn't as homey as Carmel. 

"They’re not known for their fireplaces," Beesley said. "It’s really part of our culture. What are we doing to our character?" 

Ultimately, the commission was divided—they debated whether to delay the issue, perhaps issuing a year-long moratorium on fireplaces in new construction while they deliberated—but approved the recommendation to City Council. 

That came over protests from several residents active on the issue of beach fires, including Jeanne McCulloch, who said he plans to initiate a referendum on fires. 

"[City Council members] are trying to substantiate their false claim that Carmel has an air quality issue," McCulloch said. "They are trying to manipulate the Coastal Commission." 

McCulloch told the planning commissioners they were just the next stage of that manipulation, and Chair Don Goodhue shot her down, repeatedly interrupting her remarks and asking her to step away from the podium. Since she spoke about beach fires, he said she was off topic. 

Planning Commissioner Ian Martin urged commissioner to separate beach fires and fireplaces: "I think it’s important we draw a bright line. They are distinct issues, and they should not be merged together. It just makes things difficult and contentious unnecessarily."