Paraiso Hot Springs project seeking county approval next week
Developers want to make Paraiso Hot Springs into a brand new resort, but first they have to clear a few hurdles with Monterey County.
The hot springs are located about seven miles west of Greenfield in the Santa Lucia Mountains. Travelers can get there through Soledad as well.
“Generally, the city itself is a beautiful community. We have wonderful leaders here,” said Angel Gallegos, a Soledad resident.
One of those leaders, the mayor of Soledad, wants something more for his community. As the Gateway to the Pinnacles, he thinks a top of the line resort at the Paraiso Hot Springs would bring in people from all over to his town.
“I think that we have the opportunity to become a little bit more and start taking some of those tourism dollars for the residents here in South Monterey County,” said Soledad Mayor Fred Ledesma.
He says the hot springs have been around since at least the early 1900s.
The owners of Paraiso – the Thompson brothers – want to create a minimum 100-unit hotel with restaurants and conference centers. They are also looking to put in about 60 timeshare condos for vacationers.
One of the design goals is to embrace the atmosphere of the environment.
“That would really stress the holistic value of the hot springs. There would be yoga, meditation, hot baths, different types of massages,” said Ledesma.
It has not been all zen for the developers, however. They hit a snag when some historic cottages at Paraiso Hot Springs were demolished. The Monterey County Historic Resources Review Board got involved. Now, developers are looking to get after-the-fact permission for that demolition.
The road to the hot springs is closed off to the public right now. You can see plenty of signs that say no trespassing.
Ledesma says should the resort become a reality, it will go a long way toward how south county residents feel about their home area.
“People have this idea that you can only do certain things. It’s like the first time you kind of spread your wings and realize, ‘Well wow, they can do that? Then I can do this.’ Right?” he said. “So if they can open that resort, then maybe (people will think they) could open a bed and breakfast.”
Most Soledad residents KION spoke with seemed to like the idea of a new resort. Others were hesistant.
“It’s good on one hand and not too good on the other. It’s good…business-wise for the mom and pop stores, it’ll bring tourists in, probably help out the stores,” said Tanya Barelas. “But I still like that small town feel where we’re not getting so many people, so much traffic and things.”
The Historic Resources Review Board is expected to vote on whether to give the developers that after-the-fact permission to demolish those historic cottages during a public hearing on Thursday.
