Update: The Coastal Commission voted 11-0 on Aug. 12 to approve an amendment to Pacific Grove's Local Coastal Program.
Both sides in the fight over a luxury hotel development proposed to remake the American Tin Cannery in Pacific Grove are playing a long game. The developers at Comstock Homes have their eyes set on building 225 rooms, plus space for restaurants, shops and meetings in and around the old tin can factory turned outlet mall. Residents in opposition want the project significantly reduced in size and scope. The two are meeting head to head in one play of that game at this month’s California Coastal Commission.
The decision facing the Coastal Commission is a procedural one. Last year a discrepancy was discovered in the city’s Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan approved by the commission in 2019 that impacted the ATC, namely different development standards for one part of the site and not others. The city is asking commissioners to approve consistent standards across the entire property. The coastal commission staff is recommending approval.
Residents in opposition of the project cried foul in April when the P.G. City Council approved fixing the discrepancy, charging the city was making a change to the plan to benefit the developers, who need the update in order to add mechanical equipment and screening that extend up to 48 feet, eight feet above the 40-foot height limit.
In letters to commissioners in advance of their Aug. 12 meeting, residents said allowing the additional height would deprive people of coastal views from Central Avenue. “The project is now reaching for the sky. Literally(!), because the hotel will block views of the sky as well as views of the water,” Vicki Pearse wrote.
The commission meeting starts at 9am on Thursday, Aug. 12. The agenda is viewable under the meetings tab at coastal.ca.gov. Click the “livestream” button to watch. Only those who use the “Submit Speaker Request Here” option will receive Zoom instructions.