Pacific Grove voices opinion on Pebble Beach project

Pacific Grove has concerns about a new affordable housing development in Pebble Beach regarding traffic and environmental issues. City leaders plan to send a letter with their own revisions to project developers and NewsChannel 5 found out city leaders aren’t the alone in their concerns.

Kathleen Davis has lived in Pacific Grove for more than 20 years and said her backyard fence boarders Pebble Beach. When she heard about the plans for affordable housing near her backyard, she took action.

“Well, no most of the people on this street and many of the people who
live in this neighborhood are against it,” said Davis.

One of the key parts of the proposal would take the2.7 acres of land and turn it into apartments, parking lot and a recreation area.

“Probably going to have a significant impact on the property values of all
of these houses here,” said Davis.

Council member Rudy Fischer acknowledged some of the project concerns outlined in the letter to county planning.

“The city that’s next to where the project is going to be, it’s our obligation to protect our citizens and look at what the mitigation that they could do to take care of some of the negative impacts on the city of Pacific Grove,” Fischer said.

Impacts like excess traffic, more people walking in town, even as the city is working to improve sidewalk infrastructure.

“It’s just puzzling to me that Pebble Beach corporation would decide to do something that would negatively impact the surrounding neighborhoods rather than positively impact it,” said Davis.

Now a long time project, may have to look further down the road. Councilmember Fischer said the proposed housing would add 78 people to the community. But these concerns may lead to the project moving somewhere else.