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PEBBLE BEACH DEVELOPMENT PLANS

From the Monterey County Herald
Serving Monterey County and the Salinas Valley

Posted on Mon, Apr. 5, 2004

Pebble Beach plan goes to panel

By KEVIN HOWE
khowe@montereyherald.com

Pebble Beach's ambitious makeover will come before the Monterey County Subdivision Committee for a hearing Thursday in Salinas.

The Del Monte Forest Preservation and Development Plan calls for construction of a 216-acre, 18-hole golf course; a golf driving range; a total of 160 suites at the new golf course, the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay; relocation of the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center to a 41-acre site in the Sawmill Gulch area; creation of 33 residential lots within five subdivisions; construction of 60 employee housing units and relocation and construction of roads and trails.

The plan also sets aside 492 acres for preservation as forest land and critical wildlife habitat in eight parcels ranging from just under an acre to 233 acres.

As proposed, the projects require removal of 17,971 trees, including 15,391 Monterey pines, 1,769 coast live oaks, 273 planted Bishop pines and 538 planted cypress trees. The largest tree removals involve the new golf course, equestrian center and driving range.

Local environmentalists have criticized a draft environmental impact report prepared for the project as inadequate and lopsided in its support for the development. The report identifies four key areas that the projects will alter, along with ways the developer can decrease its impact.

The areas outlined in the report are:

• Biological: The company will mitigate those impacts in pine forests, sensitive habitats and areas where endangered plants grow by reducing building sizes, managing land, restoring habitat, redesigning projects and setting aside 492 acres in conservation and preservation easements.

• Water: Pebble Beach Co. has already addressed irrigation demands with its reclaimed water project, according to the report. The company is also in discussions with the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to expand and improve the water reclamation project, which recycles treated sewage into water that can be used to irrigate golf courses and other vegetation.

• Traffic: A redesigned entrance to Pebble Beach at Highway 1 and Highway 68 and road changes inside the forest are planned.

• Construction: Management plans are in place to control dust, noise and traffic while the projects are under construction.

Environmental activist David Dilworth of Helping our Peninsula's Environment last week filed a 391-page document detailing his concerns with the project, including noise, security issues and a host of other problems.

The subdivision committee convenes at 9:30 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors' chambers at the Monterey County Courthouse, Church and Alisal streets. The Pebble Beach hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

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Kevin Howe can be reached at 646-4416.