WILL CCC DEMAND CITY LCP COMPLIANCE?

Question: Will the California Coastal Commission (CCC) demand that the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea comply with the historic elements of the certified Local Coastal Program (LCP)?

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS:

1. November 2004: Local Coastal Program certified.

2. 10 June 2005: Mayor Sue McCloud’s letter to Property Owners informing them that they own a “historic resource.” McCloud stated, “Like you, I too own a home in Carmel that was identified as historic; I consider it a source of pride.”

3. 21 September 2005: City conducted a workshop for homeowners regarding their “Historical Designation.”

4. Approximately 93 historic resources owners filed appeals to have their buildings removed from the Inventory of Historic Resources.

5. 23 January 2006: Upon the recommendation of Principal Planner Brian Roseth, the Historic Resources Board removed “all post-1940 properties from the Inventory of Historic Resources pending completion of an update of the Historic Context Statement.” Ergo, 45 post-1940 buildings were "temporarily removed" from the Inventory of Historic Resources.


6. 2 February 2006: Friends of Carmel Cultural Heritage filed an appeal of the Historic Resources Board decision, including $260.00 filing fee. Writing for the appellants, Attorney Susan Brandt-Hawley stated that the Historic Resources Board’s decision violates the LCP, Carmel Municipal Code and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

7. Only after Enid Sales, Director of the Carmel Preservation Foundation, presented the City with a copy of the Carmel Municipal Code, Chapter 17.54.040 Filing Appeals, did the City place the appeal on the next regular City Council meeting agenda, 7 March 2006.

8. 7 March 2006: During the Public Hearing of the City Council meeting, the appeal was continued without setting a date for the appeal for the next regular City Council meeting or a specific future meeting date, as is customary procedure for city governments. Mayor McCloud cited the need to confer with the Coastal Commission staff as the reason for the continuance and stated that she did not know when the appeal would be heard because of uncertainty associated with the Coastal Commission staff’s schedule.

9. 9 March 2006: At the California Coastal Commission meeting in Monterey, Enid Sales, Director of the Carmel Preservation Foundation, addressed the Coastal Commission regarding a “Request of an Overview of Commission Staff of the Implementation Plan of the Local Coastal Plan for Carmel, Ca.” She stated that she felt that the “Carmel Planning Staff consistently violates the condition of the IP regarding Historic Resources. Our concerns are with the Inventory, the consistent refusal to include relevant evaluations of the Carmel Preservation Foundation on the Agendas of the Historic Resources Board, and the Planning Commission.” She then cited the violations. Lastly, she expressed her request that the Central Coast Staff review her concerns to ensure that “the excellent Implementation Plan can be practiced correctly.”