Carmel-by-the-Sea discusses new address implementation plan and the cost of a public vote

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION-TV) - The City of Carmel-by-the-sea is once again discussing a change to one it’s unique characteristics. On Tuesday night, City Council heard new details on how an address plan would work.

“Staff identified critical elements and questions for research relating to the possible impacts of street address implementation in the city," Carmel-by-the-Sea Administrative Analyst Emily Garay said.

The discussion answered various questions involving at-home mail delivery and the future of the downtown post office. According to the U.S. Postal Service, the local post office would remain open with no changes to the delivery system.

Additionally, questions were brought up surrounding the impact to public safety.

“The current system creates challenges to zoning in again, on every specific emergencies or alerts, such as missing adult alerts," Garay said.

Many people who live in the city have mixed opinions on the idea.

“I really think it would be a shame to change it and take away the the history of the city." Carmel-by-the-Sea resident Nichole Parker said.

“There's a solution, but we also want to keep our little Hamlet here, and I think Hamlet's going to win over everything, because you can just pin your address, by the way, on your house," Carmel-by-the-Sea resident John Elber.

Another discussion point surrounds the cost of a public vote would, as a separate election or as a ballot measure in 2026. City officials also broke down the specific requirements from street addresses and what would be needs to move forward.

While no official action was taken, talks on this matter are far from over. Council discussed meeting with locals in a working group given the new information. They expect to come back with their findings at a future meeting in May.