SQUIDFRY 08.04.16: Car Washes for Ashes…

CAR WASHES FOR ASHES… Squid was recently daydreaming of the summer days when Squid drove down Big Sur’s scenic roads in Squid’s old jalopy listening toWilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally.” While Squid’s vehicle is no fancy convertible, Squid reassured Squidself that all Squid needed to enjoy the ride were the clear, blue skies ahead. Squid isn’t sure visitors attending the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance share that opinion – or even that it’s an option with the Soberanes Fire roaring through more than 43,000 acres and darkening the sky with smoke. At a minimum, convertible drivers might want to roll the top up.

They should also anticipate pulling over for fire trucks on popular Concours roads like Highway 1, Highway 68 and Carmel Valley Road, which back up with notorious traffic during Car Week. Each of those roads, Squid notes, are currently home to firefighting command stations.

The traffic situation has some locals calling for officials to cancel Car Week entirely, keeping swanky cars off the roads to make way for emergency vehicles. Martha Diehl’s change.org petition, asking to relocate or postone the events, had 325 signatures as of press time.

Since that’s unlikely to happen, a major traffic mess awaits. On a related note, Squid hears all the ash is bad for the paint on Squid’s ride, and expects the people who drive even nicer rides to Car Week will need to get repeat car washes.

PAPER TIGER OR PAPER PUSHER?… Squid took a stroll recently through The Dunes development in Marina, and it’s incredible to see how much has changed in the past year. Whole new neighborhoods have been built, a theater has opened, a hotel is nearing completion and a restaurant development is finally taking shape.

There’s also work going on at City Hall, though progress on that front is considerably less tangible. The city is currently updating its housing element, a document that defines how the city will meet its housing demand in the coming years. During this process, much has been made of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation Plan for 2014-2023. It was created by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, and appears to single out Marina for a disproportionate number of affordable housing units. To wit, Marina was allocated 1,308 such units, while adjacent Seaside – a city of comparable size, land-wise – was allocated just 393. What gives? AMBAG’s Heather Adamson explains there are many factors that went into the methodology, including, ahem, available water supply. She adds the city is not responsible for ensuring the units get built – just that city plans have to contain zoning that would allow for it.

“To be frank, it’s a paper exercise,” she says. With rents the way they are, Squid wouldn’t be surprised to see paper houses on the market sometime soon.