Development is a long, slow road—and recent projects in Monterey County are examples of it.

David Schmalz here. I’ve reported a lot about land-use issues in the 10 years I’ve worked at the Weekly, and one reason I find them interesting is that development represents change. 

To paint it in broad strokes, some people don't want change, and would love to see the built environment remain as it is, more or less, for as long as they live. Others, meanwhile, see change as necessary—buildings and infrastructure grow old, and the existing built environment is lacking in critical ways, most notably its shortage of housing. 

And even among those who see change as necessary, there is much disagreement about what that change should look like: where to build, at what size and in what way. In that sense, every proposed development provides a window into the values of the surrounding community. 

For those reasons, I always look forward to reading my colleague Pam Marino’s reports about proposed developments in Carmel, a city where, I think it’s fair to say, the majority of residents would largely prefer the status quo to remain. And to the extent that’s true, I can understand why—the city is more-or-less built out, and many residents don’t want to risk doing anything that might detract from the city’s unique charm. 

It is in that environment that Monaco-based developer Patrice Pastor—a name I’ve read countless times in Marino’s stories—has been trying to push various projects through in recent years, and unsurprisingly, he’s found it tough sledding. 

But as Marino reports in a news story in this week’s paper—which I encourage you to check out if you haven’t already—Pastor scored a victory recently for a proposed infill development in downtown Carmel that would be a mix of retail and eight apartments. 

Pastor has been working on the project for six years. Meanwhile, my colleague Katie Rodriguez recently reported on the revival of the proposed Harper Canyon development near Toro Park, which was first proposed 24 years ago. (A planned vote earlier this week was delayed.) And just over a week ago, I reported on the groundbreaking for Campus Town in Seaside, a development at least a decade in the making. 

Development, no matter the outcome or how much support it has in the community, is a slow, painstaking process, and building ourselves out of the housing crisis, if that’s even possible, is going to be a long, challenging road.