Piccadilly Park Restroom: Construction By David Fink, Water City's Responsibility

Piccadilly Park
Location: W/s Dolores St. between Ocean Av. & 7th Av.
View from Entrance to Piccadilly Park, note Temporary Porta-Potty at left and Wood Framed Permanent Restroom at right. 

As reported in The Carmel Pine Cone (City accepts public bathroom gift, will find the water somewhere,” Mary Brownfield, The Carmel Pine Cone, September 8, 2006), “city officials” communicated to restaurateur David Fink, of the soon to be opened Cantinetta Luca, that his proposal to finance the construction of a restroom in Piccadilly Park, as part of his remodeling, was not possible unless he gave “up three restaurant seats – each reportedly worth $25,000 to $30,000 in annual gross revenues – to provide the water for it.” Contradicting this position, however, was Principal Planner Brian Roseth. Roseth stated that he will communicate to the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District that “Fink should not have to provide more water for the new bathroom” because water allocation is based on the number of seats in the restaurant, and since there is no change in the number of restaurant seats, the City’s water allocation should not be debited.

As of 7 March 2006, the City’s Water Allocation Categories and Specific Water Amounts in each Category are as follows:

TOTAL AVAILABLE WATER RESOURCE 3.26 acre feet

Category #1: Low & Very Low Income Housing .788 acre feet
This category includes residential housing units that meet the affordable housing standards for low-income and/or very low-income households as estimated by the Municipal Code.

Category #2: Single Family Residential 0.0 acre feet

Category #3: Multi-Family Residential 0.0 acre feet
This category includes permanent and non-transient multi-family housing in all commercial and R-4 Districts, including new apartments and condominiums, conversions of commercial space to residential dwellings, and the housing component of mixed-use projects.

Category #4: Commercial 0.0 acre feet
This category includes construction of new commercial floor space and conversion of existing space to uses with a greater demand for water. This category also includes the commercial component of mixed-use projects.

Category #5: Municipal .224 acre feet
This category includes all forms of municipal projects including expansion or renovation of existing facilities, construction of new facilities and changes in use.

Category #6: Unallocated Reserve 1.69 acre feet
This category is unallocated and is to be held as uncommitted until assigned to a defined category through adoption of a new Allocation Resolution by the City Council.

Category #7: Mallery/Pescadero Water Transfer Reserve .115 acre feet
This category includes the remaining balance from .960 acre-feet of water originally set aside through a transfer of development rights for four vacant lots in Pescadero Canyon owned in 1998 by Tim Mallery but dedicated as permanent open-space. This water may be used for residential, multi-family residential, commercial or public use development as determined by Mallery, provided that the project complies with all zoning and provided that the project is located with the City limits.

Category #8: Spinning Wheel .334 acre feet
This category is for water remaining from .56 acre feet of water that came from the Spinning Wheel Restaurant.

Category #9: Forest Cottages Pre-commitment .109 acre feet
This category is for water pre-committed to the Forest Cottages Specific Plan for the creation of two low-income housing units. If this denied by the City Council or Coastal Commission or the project is not built by 1 March 2008 or is otherwise abandoned, the water shall return to Category #1.

(Source: STAFF REPORT, SEAN CONROY, ASSOCIATE PLANNER, 7 MARCH 2006,
CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION NO. AMENDING AND REPLACING RESOLUTION NO. 2000-132, ESTABLISHING CATEGORIES FOR WATER ALLOCATION AND SPECIFIC WATER AMOUNTS TO BE ASSIGNED TO EACH CATEGORY.)

Therefore, of the City’s “TOTAL AVAILABLE WATER RESOURCE” of 3.26 acre feet, the City has at least two water categories from which the City can allocate and debit water for the Piccadilly Park Restroom; Category #5: Municipal (.224 acre feet) and Category #6: Unallocated Reserve (1.69 acre feet).

Note: 1 Toilet Fixture x 1.7 Units = 1.7 Total Unit Value
1 Bathroom Sink Fixture x 1 Unit = 1 Total Unit Value
(Source: Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Water Permit Application, Plumbing Fixture Summary Form)

Hence, 1 Toilet and 1 Sink, 2.7 Units or approximately 0.027 acre feet.

For perspective, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea typically reserves 0.25 acre feet to a proposed 1800 sq. ft residence on a 4000 sq. ft. lot.

Conclusion: The City, contrary to “city officials’” misleading water stinginess, has the ability and public responsibility to allocate and debit from the City’s allocation the required acre feet amount for the Piccadilly Park restroom. Moreover, Principal Planner Brian Roseth’s proposed argument to the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is more flimflam from the City’s master at flimflam; one only has to recall his concocted verbose nonsense argumentation for the removal of 43 historic resources from the City’s Inventory of Historic Resources.


Reference:
General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Land Use & Community Character Element
Community Infrastructure
Water Resources

P1-116 Where existing public services including water can accommodate only a limited amount of new development, priority uses, including essential public services, public recreation, commercial recreation, and visitor-serving land uses shall not be precluded by services to other development. (LUP)