Seaside, county have no current agreements on Monterey Downs annexation.

Opponents of Monterey Downs, a proposed housing and horse racetrack development on 550 acres of the former Fort Ord, may have just stumbled on gold.

The city of Seaside has been handling the planning for Monterey Downs, even though the project would straddle land belonging to both the city and Monterey County.

In January 2012, city and county officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that the two jurisdictions would work together to process Monterey Downs' applications, according to a staff report for next Monday's meeting of the county's Fort Ord Committee.

That changed when the city decided to annex the entire site and handle the project application on its own. As a result, Monterey Downs didn't submit an application to the county, and the city and county haven't implemented the agreement. "Accordingly," the report states, "the MOU may have expired."

In September 2012, the Seaside City Council terminated the MOU when the state dissolved all local redevelopment agencies.

As anti-Downs activists see it, that means the county and Seaside are now operating without an agreement to transfer the county land in the Monterey Downs footprint.

In an April 23 letter to County Supervisor Jane Parker, activist Chris Mack wrote:

The previous  agreements made concerning the Parker Flats land in Fort Ord (ENA with Monterey Downs-May of 2010 and MOU with Seaside-Jan. of 2012) have now been expired for approximately three years.

I request the future use of this land (approx. 562 acres), to be discussed in an open and transparent public forum with the Board of Supervisors. The public has a right to be included in this important decision. We need a public process on a piece of land worth $90 million according to FORA  price per acre calculations.

The land where Monterey Downs is proposing their development is too important not to have a complete public discussion.  The public has an interest in the future development of this area of Fort Ord. This area is approximately the size of Carmel, and it's future use will have a regional impact.

The adherence  to the Land Swap of 2003 is paramount. The Land Swap agreement was implemented because the Army said this land should not have any residential on it due to reasons of safety.

The Parker Flats area has become a major recreation destination for Monterey Co. residents as well as visitors to Monterey.  It is important to consider that this area could be zoned for public recreational open space.

Items of Concern:

Why has Monterey County allowed Seaside to negotiate with Monterey Downs while not in a valid contract?

The public continues to voice their opinion without representation at Seaside meetings, encounter hostility while voicing thoughts concerning Monterey Downs and are told this is strictly a Seaside matter. This should change.

This area should be put out for a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Possibility propose the Monterey County Regional Park District take over this land.

If this land is transferred to Seaside, what will the tax sharing ratio be? What will sale proceeds be to Mo. County be?

The County Fort Ord Committee will meet to discuss the issue at 11am Monday, April 27, in the Monterey Room of the Monterey County Government Center.

The headline of this story was edited for clarification on April 27, 2015.