MONTEREY COUNTY PLANNING AND BUILDING INSPECTION DEPARTMENT 240 CHURCH ST. RM 116, SALINAS, CA 93901 PLANNING: (831) 755-5025 BUILDING: (831) 755.5027 FAX. (831) 755-5487 MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. BOX 1208, SALINAS, CA 93902 MONTEREY COURTHOUSE, 1200 AGUAJITO ROAD, RM 003, MONTEREY, CA 93940 (831) 647-7620 FAX: (831) 647-7877   June 15,200l Ted R. Hunter Carl E. Nielsen Concerned Residents of Pebble Beach and Monterey County P.O. Box 1229 Pebble Beach, CA 93953 RE: County Development Process Application Process and Submittal of Measure "A": Your letter of May 26, 200l Dear Ted and Carl: Thank you for your letter of May 26 seeking clarification on the planned review of the Pebble Beach Company's development application and submission of Measure A to the Coastal Commission for their ratification. We agree that early submission of the initiative to the commission makes sense. You are correct that the amendments to the local coastal plan contained in Measure A must be in place before specific development proposals requiring these amendments can be approved. The process we are pursuing is intended to balance the need for a timely submission of the initiative to the Coastal Commission with the requirement that the County present sufficient environmental data to the Commission to allow them to make a rational determination on the measure's consistency with state Coastal Act, potential conflicts with the County's Local Coastal Plan, the public's access to the coast, and cumulative impacts to coastal resources. This requirement is, in effect, the functional equivalent to an environmental impact report. As the County will be preparing an environmental impact report for the proposed development it makes sense to complete these two reviews in tandem. This tandem review will allow an efficiency and a savings of the taxpayer money, as the preparation of environmental documents for Measure A,a voter approved initiative, must be paid for by the County. In developing this tandem review the Planning and Building Inspection Department is well aware of the fact that Measure A and the specific development plan are two different, although related, processes. The provisions of Measure A are amendments to County policies and zoning regulations and would conceptually allow a broad array of specific development proposals. On the other hand, the Pebble Beach development proposal will be very specific if it is to meet the requirements of a development application. An example of this distinction is within the part of the Del Monte Forest known as Area M, N, O, U, V. Measure A rezones all of this area as Open Space Recreation (OR[CZ]). This zoning district allows for a large number of possible uses including crop and tree farming, the grazing of horses, hiking and equestrian trails. picnic areas, athletic fields, swimming pools, and nonprofit recreation uses. The Pebble Beach Company is proposing to submit a specific proposal for this area that would include a golf course and related facilities. This use is one of many potential conditional uses within the OR(CZ) zoning district, which can be approved only after public hearings and approval of a coastal development permit. The environmental review for Measure A's redesignation of this area would need to look at the environmental impacts of the broad array of potential uses that would be allowed. The environmental review of the development application will need to be much more specific in reviewing the impact of this specific golf course on the area, including its specific impact on wetlands, the flora and fauna of the site, traffic, historic resources, compliance with requirements for height and setbacks, etc. The County's current approach is to have Measure A, and related environmental data, presented to the Coastal Commission in time for them to review the initiative and make a determination on ratification prior to the County's final approval on the specific development application which the Pebble Beach Company is now preparing. (the CC does not consider the applications - only on appeal) If you have any additional questions regarding this process please contact Thorn McCue, project planner, at 755-5819. Sincerely,  /s/ Scott Hennessy Planning Director cc: Monterey County Board of Supervisors Sally Reed, County Administrative Officer Adrienne Grover, County Counsel Peter Douglas, Executive Director California Coastal Commission Tami Grove, Deputy Director California Coastal Commission Jeff Main, Supervising Planner Thorn McCue, Associate Planner