The future of development in Soledad hangs in the balance as a proposed annexation comes up for a vote.

It’s not a question of whether Soledad needs to grow – most everyone agrees on yes. The question is how.

On Monday, Dec. 5, the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County (LAFCO) will decide on a proposal to annex 654 acres north of Soledad’s existing footprint for a housing project in existing agricultural land that has been in the works for over 15 years.

The project, named Miramonte, would add 2,392 units of housing, at least 1,682 of which are slated to be single-family homes. As proposed in the Miramonte Specific Plan that Soledad City Council approved back in 2018 on a 4-1 vote – current Mayor Anna Velazquez, then a councilmember, was the sole no vote – there is no requirement for developers to build any affordable housing before or concurrently to the single-family homes, which are the proposed initial phases of development.

That timeline, among other project details, is arguably inconsistent with the city’s general plan and state housing law, which has been rapidly evolving in recent years in attempts to address California’s housing crisis.

LAFCO staff published a report and recommendations on Nov. 29. While supporting the concept of annexation in general, the staff report takes issue with the lack of agricultural mitigations, the uncertainty surrounding the financing of the project and “limited information as to how the proposal will provide adequate affordable housing.

“Staff’s review of the proposal concludes that the unresolved issues discussed in this report would give the commission a basis to deny the proposed annexation,” the report states. In lieu of denial, staff’s recommendation to commissioners is to push the annexation part of the proposal to the next scheduled meeting, Jan. 23, 2023.

“However, staff recognizes that the city and landowners would very likely need additional time – possibly three to six months – to develop the project revisions that staff is recommending,” the report reads. “Therefore, the staff-recommended Jan. 23, 2023 continued public hearing would most likely be a progress report.”

Among recommended revisions is the size of the annexation: LAFCO staff recommends it be only 50 percent of the size that is proposed.

It’s projected the proposed development would increase the city’s population of 19,000 by 51 percent. “A city expansion of this size and scale is highly unusual in recent Monterey County history,” the LAFCO report reads.

Velazquez, who is also an alternate LAFCO commissioner, says the fact affordable housing won’t be built concurrently with the first phase of proposed development is a no-go for her.

“For me that presents a problem,” she says. “We need more diversification of housing.”

Velazquez won re-election on Nov. 8, and Fernando Cabrera, who has similar concerns about Miramonte, bested two incumbents.

Asked whether the specific plan is inconsistent with the city’s general plan, Soledad City Manager Brent Slama says, “Absolutely not.”

The project, proposed by local developer Nader Agha, has been in the works for 16 years.

“This project started in 2006, and it’s now 16 years to get an annexation,” Slama says. “It speaks to how difficult it is to do anything.”