How a sleepy office park came to be on prime real estate in Monterey.

David Schmalz here. This week’s cover story is about a place right in the middle of it all, yet it somehow seems invisible.

The place is Heritage Harbor, an office park in Monterey by the Rec Trail, just past the Wharf toward Cannery Row, that countless people pass by every day—on foot or on bike—without even a glance of curiosity. 

I have often wondered about how Heritage Harbor came to be, given that it appears almost comically mismatched with the real estate—why is a sleepy office park located on prime, coastal real estate?

Over the past year, a couple of things I heard from a few people about Heritage Harbor encouraged me to take a closer look at how it came to be, and I was shocked at what I found: lower-income residents losing their homes and businesses, all to make way for an urban renewal project on the waterfront and to preserve its historic buildings. 

If you want to find out how it all went down, I encourage you to check out the story. 

Monterey is a city with a rich history and multiple historic buildings. Going forward indefinitely, it will be challenging to navigate any new projects on the waterfront or in downtown given how protective the historic preservation laws are toward the overall aesthetic tapestry. (On that note, you can also find a news story in this week’s issue of the Weekly about a hold-up on building 41 units of affordable housing behind City Hall due to the historic nature of the neighborhood.)

Can Monterey evolve into the future while still preserving its historic look, as the law often requires? That is one of the many challenges that lie ahead.