Title
REF2500540 - CITY OF PACIFIC GROVE
Public hearing to consider whether the proposed amendments to the City of Pacific Grove’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance (ALUC File No. REF250040) are consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
Body
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Monterey County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) find the proposed amendments to the City of Pacific Grove’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance (ALUC File No. REF250040) consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
PROPOSED PROJECT:
On October 22, 2025, the City of Pacific Grove submitted an application (ALUC File No. REF250040) to ALUC staff requesting a consistency review of the City’s draft Housing Element Update, which includes updates/amendments to the Land Use Element and Safety Element, Zoning Ordinance, and Land Use and Zoning Maps.
The City of Pacific Grove previously submitted an application (ALUC File No. REF230031) to the ALUC to consider an update to the City’s Housing Element (6th Cycle). This prior Housing Element was being updated to demonstrate the City’s ability to accommodate its 6th Cycle Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). On October 23, 2023, the ALUC found the City’s draft Housing Element consistent with the 2019 ALUCP. Since the ALUC’s consistency determination for the City’s prior draft Housing Element, the City has revised the Housing Element in response to HCD review comments and updated RHNA compliance needs. The revised Housing Element has been submitted to the ALUC for review. The primary change is a revised Sites Inventory, which increases feasible residential capacity through the identification of additional underutilized parcels and expanded mixed-use opportunities to ensure the City maintains a sufficient buffer above its RHNA allocation. Other associated amendments have since been prepared and are ready for ALUC review in conjunction with the modified draft Housing Element. These include Housing Element Implementation updates/amendments to the Land Use Element and Safety Element, Zoning Ordinance, and Land Use and Zoning Maps. These updates are discussed below. The City’s Draft Housing Element may be viewed in its entirety on the City’s public website at the following link:
<https://www.cityofpacificgrove.gov/our_city/departments/community_development/housing/housing_element.php>
The previously considered Housing Element included 73 housing inventory sites. As proposed, the City’s draft Housing Element has a modified list of housing inventory sites (certain sites have been removed or added), but the overall number of inventory sites has remained the same (73). For example, Inventory Sites #54, #58, #49, and #48 shown in the prior Housing Element are no longer proposed in the revised draft Housing Element (Attachment A1). However, the “Dennett, Sinex, and Grove Acre” (sites #38 - 40) and an extension of the “Sensed Service Commercial” (site #56) have now been added to the draft Housing Element as inventory sites.
To fully accommodate the City’s RHNA, the City is pursuing the following Zoning Ordinance amendments to rezone certain properties (Attachment A3), which are included as a part of this consistency review. All of these sites are located within Safety Zone 7, and are described below.
• Downtown District - Increase base zoning for Commercial-Downtown (C-D)
from a maximum density of 30 units per acre to 45 units per acre, with a
minimum density of 30 units per acre;
• Forest Hill District - Establish a maximum density of 45 units per acre with a
minimum density of 30 units per acre for all parcels zoned Commercial-Forest
Hill (C-FH); and
• Light Commercial and Heavy Commercial Districts - Increase base zoning for the Light Commercial (C-1) and Heavy Commercial (C-2) from a maximum density equal to the nearest residential land use category up to 30.0 units per acre to 30 units per acre, regardless of the nearest residential land use category, except for C-2 districts within the Coastal Zone.
• R-2-B-3 District - Rezone the area bounded by Dennett Street, Sinex Avenue, and Grove Acres Avenue, currently zoned Medium Density Residential (R-2-B-3) at 8.7 units per acre, to High Density Residential (R-3) at 29 units per acre.
• Other Areas - One site will be rezoned from Medium Density Residential (R-2) at 17.4 units per acre to High Density Residential (R-3) at 29 units per acre.
Additionally, certain amendments to the Land Use Element of the General Plan and Land Use Map (Attachment A2) are necessary to ensure consistency with the Housing Element and to implement land use policies to accommodate housing in the locations and at the densities specified within the Housing Element. Text changes to the Zoning Ordinance include adding certain definitions, clarifying height and setback requirements, adding ministerial permit criteria, and other amendments to implement the Housing Element’s programs (Attachment A4).
Additionally, the modified Housing Element now includes new and modified programs necessary to facilitate housing development during the planning period, including streamlined permit processing for multifamily housing, enhanced monitoring to prevent net-loss of housing capacity, and implementation of updated land use regulations to remove government constraints. It is important to note that none of the above-mentioned rezones, text amendments, or Housing Element Programs introduce site-specific development approvals.
Draft Land Use Element
The City’s updated Land Use Element seeks to align the land-use planning with the updated housing element and maintain compatibility with the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan by concentrating development within established urban areas. The update refines land use categories, clarifies development standards, and updates the Land Use Map to reflect existing conditions, planned infill opportunities, and mixed-use capacity within the established built environment. Additional policies address infrastructure capacity and coordination, ensuring that future growth occurs only where adequate water, sewer, and transportation systems exist. Overall, the updated Land Use Element is designed to ensure internal consistency among the City’s Housing Element, Health and Safety Element, and Zoning amendments.
Draft Health and Safety Element
The updated Health and Safety Element fulfills the State’s requirements under Government Code §65302(g) and Senate Bill 379 by incorporating a comprehensive
update to the background data and hazard mapping in the current, adopted Health and Safety Element to reflect current and projected conditions in the planning area, along with amendments and additions to policies that strengthen resilience to natural and human made hazards and enhance emergency preparedness and response. It maintains airport hazard avoidance and disclosure provisions, ensuring continued consistency with ALUCP policies related to overflight awareness, lighting design, and emergency coordination. Specifically, new and amended policies in the Draft Health and Safety Element would:
• Add climate change adaptation policies, including strategies for sea-level rise, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, drought, and severe storms.
• Updates hazard mapping and data using current FEMA, coastal flooding, tsunami, erosion, seismic, and wildfire risk models to inform land use decisions.
• Introduce policies to address vulnerable populations, including seniors, renters, and individuals with disabilities, in hazard mitigation and emergency preparedness planning.
• Enhances emergency preparedness and critical facility resiliency, including evacuation route planning, redundancy of essential services, and coordination with regional response agencies.
CONSISTENCY DETERMINATION ANALYSIS:
ALUC staff reviewed the City’s proposed development in accordance with the adopted ALUCP as discussed below:
NOISE COMPATIBILITY
The proposed General Plan & Zoning Amendments were reviewed for consistency with Table 4A and Exhibit 4B of the ALUCP (Noise Compatibility Criteria and Long Range Noise Exposure Contours. Per this review, the entirety of the City is located outside of the 65-75 CENL contours and, therefore, is not expected to be exposed to loud airport noise and is considered a compatible use. All future projects will conform to noise standards pursuant to the California Building Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24).
AIRSPACE PROTECTION
ALUCP Policy 4.2.3 addresses the objective of airspace protection to avoid the
development of land use conditions that would pose hazards to flight, such as airspace
obstructions, wildlife hazards, and land use characteristics that pose other potential hazards to flight by creating visual or electronic interference. The City is located entirely inside the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 77 approach, horizontal, conical, and transitional surfaces for Monterey Regional Airport. Currently, none of the existing buildings within the City penetrate the Part 77 airspace surfaces. The proposed amendments do not include increasing the height allowance for proposed projects beyond what is needed to comply with the Part 77 Surfaces, and is an allowed use with respect to airspace protection criteria. Also, any new or remodeled structures would be subject to the existing maximum height restrictions of the City’s Zoning Ordinance and would be required to conform to CFR Part 77 requirements. If future development exceeds 100 feet in height, which is not anticipated, FAA and ALUC review and approval would be required. Therefore, it is not anticipated that future structures would penetrate into the Part 77 airspace surfaces, and no further conditions regarding airspace protection are recommended.
SAFETY COMPATIBILITY
All identified housing inventory sites are located within Safety Zone 7 (Airport Influence
Area) as shown in ALUCP Exhibit 4C (Monterey Regional Airport Safety Zones).
Pursuant to Table 4B (Safety Criteria Matrix for Zone 7), the proposed Housing Element
amendment would not allow any new prohibited uses (i.e., hazards to flight or outdoor
stadiums), and there are no limitations on residential density within Safety Zone 7. Safety Zone 7 is the most permissible safety zone of the ALUCP. This Safety Zone allows for residential development at unrestricted densities, a maximum intensity of 300 persons per acre for non-residential land uses, and all development types, except hazards to flight, outdoor stadiums, and similar very high intensity uses. Therefore, no further conditions regarding safety compatibility are recommended.
OTHER FLIGHT HAZARDS
No development is proposed as part of this General Plan & Zoning Amendments. All future projects shall record the standard Airport Disclosure Notice and ensure that all exterior lighting is downlit. Applicability of specific conditions would be better suited during the review of specific project developments. Therefore, no further conditions regarding other flight hazards are recommended.
MONTEREY REGIONAL AIRPORT REVIEW:
On November 4, 2025, ALUC staff forwarded project information to Monterey Airport District (District) staff for review. District staff had no issues with the proposed project.
CONCLUSION:
Based on review and analysis of the proposed project, staff recommends that the ALUC adopt a resolution finding the proposed project consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for Monterey Regional Airport.
Prepared by: Edgar Sanchez, Assistant Planner
SanchezE8@CountyofMonterey.gov, (831) 783-7058,
Reviewed by: Fionna Jensen, Principal Planner
The following attachments are on file with HCD:
Attachment A - Draft ALUC Resolution Monterey Regional Airport
• Attachment A1 - Draft Housing Inventory Sites
• Attachment A2 - Draft Land Use Map
• Attachment A3 - Draft Zoning Maps
• Attachment A4 - Zoning Ordinance Amendment Summary Matrix
Attachment B - City of Pacific Grove Consistency Analysis Letter
The Draft Housing Element, Land Use Element, Health and Safety Element, and Zoning Ordinance Amendments are not attached to this staff report due to length and file size, but may be reviewed here: <https://www.cityofpacificgrove.gov/our_city/departments/community_development/housing/housing_element.php>
cc: ALUC Commissioners; ALUC Counsel; Monterey Peninsula Airport District (C. Morello); City of Pacific Grove (Jon Biggs); Project Planner (Aarron Campbell); ALUC File No. REF250040.