Title
REF260027 - City of Monterey
Public hearing to consider whether the two-phase project including interior & exterior renovations of existing buildings (mixed use; two units and commercial), new outdoor plaza and new four-story, 15-unit multi-family housing building are consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Monterey County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) find the proposed project (ALUC File No. REF260027) consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCP) for Monterey Regional Airport.
PROPOSED PROJECT:
On August 19, 2026, the City of Monterey submitted an application (ALUC File No. REF260027) to ALUC staff requesting a consistency review for a two-phase project including interior and exterior renovations of existing buildings (mixed use; two units and commercial), new outdoor plaza, and new four-story 15-unit multi-family housing building. Parcel 1 would contain the housing development project, while Parcel 2 would contain the parking lot, playground, and other site improvements. Phase 1 would occur on Lots 1, 2, and 3, including renovations of the existing building at 600 Munras Avenue. The renovations consist of structural retrofits, replacing doors and windows, new exterior masonry and metal awnings, and the interior conversion of one existing residential unit into two residential units, and exterior façade improvements on the buildings located at 631 and 635 Cass Street. Besides the two new units, the other existing space would be occupied by commercial ventures, including a café, restaurant, deli, and tap room. Phase 2 would occur on the southeast portion of Lot 1, including construction of a new 15-unit multi-family residential building, lobby and parking. This is a city-sponsored project.
The project site is located at 600 Munras Avenue, Monterey, CA 93940, APN: 001-681-037-000. The City’s General Plan land use designation for the site is designated Commercial, and the zoning designation is C-2-MF2 (Community Commercial District - Multifamily Housing Overlay 2). The parcel is currently developed with commercial buildings and a parking lot.
CONSISTENCY DETERMINATION ANALYSIS:
ALUC staff reviewed the City of Monterey’s referral in accordance with the adopted ALUCP for the Monterey Regional Airport, as discussed below.
NOISE COMPATIBILITY
The proposed project was 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 site 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. The development will be required to conform to noise standards pursuant to the California Building Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24). Based on the above analysis, the proposed project is consistent with the Monterey Regional ALUCP, with regard to noise compatibility criteria, and no further conditions regarding noise are recommended.
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 project site is located entirely inside the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 77 approach, horizontal, conical, and transitional surfaces for Monterey Regional Airport. The elevation on the subject property ranges from approximately 62.4 feet to 83.11 feet above mean sea level (AMSL). Therefore, the site’s existing terrain is well below Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation’s (CFR) Part 77 Intermediate surface for this area, which has an elevation of 456.6 feet AMSL. The parcels are currently developed with commercial buildings and a parking lot. The existing development does not penetrate Part 77 surfaces. The proposed building height would be 46’-6” (from finished floor), and thus not penetrate Part 77. Therefore, it is not anticipated that the proposed project will penetrate the Part 77 airspace surfaces, and no further conditions regarding airspace protection are recommended. The proposed project does not conflict with the required airspace protection policies.
SAFETY COMPATIBILITY
The project site is entirely located within Safety Zone 7 (Airport Influence Area) as shown in ALUCP Exhibit 4C (Monterey Regional Airport Safety Zones). 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. Pursuant to Table 4B (Safety Criteria Matrix for Zone 7), the proposed project 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 that would preclude the proposed residential units (density of 26/acre).
Non-residential uses would be established through this project. Table 4B requires that non-residential uses not exceed 300 persons per acre and that development has 10 percent open land. However, areas designated as Urban on Exhibit 4C are exempt from the density and intensity criteria. This project is within that area and thus is exempt from density (residential and non-residential) limitations of the ALUCP. Therefore, the proposed project does not conflict with the required safety compatibility policies.
To ensure that the proposed project does not introduce hazards to flight, all exterior lighting is conditioned to be downlit (Condition No. ALUC-6).
MONTEREY REGIONAL AIRPORT REVIEW:
On October 6, 2026, ALUC staff forwarded project information to Monterey Airport District (District) staff for review. Based upon the review of the project, the development does not appear to include any height or features that would constitute a flight hazard, such as sources of glare, distracting lights, source of dust, smoke, or water vapor, or sources of electrical interference with aircraft, air traffic control communications, or navigation equipment. The airport requests that insulation be required to ensure an appropriate interior noise level of CNEL 45db is provided in all habitable rooms and that an Avigation Easement be recorded. Compliance with California Building Code ensures that interior noise levels will not exceed 45db. The District’s requests have been added as ALUC Condition Nos. ALUC-1 and -2. See Attachment C.
CONCLUSION:
Based on review and analysis of the proposed project, staff recommends that the ALUC find the proposed project consistent with the 2019 Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for Monterey Regional Airport.
The following attachments are on file with HCD:
Attachment A - Draft ALUC Resolution including:
• Draft Conditions of Approval
• Project Plans
Attachment B - City of Monterey Consistency Analysis Letter
Attachment C - MRY Comments
CC: ALUC Commissioners; ALUC Counsel; Monterey Peninsula Airport District (C. Morello); City of Monterey (Fernanda Roveri); Project Planner (Jack Sorensen); Fionna Jensen, Principal Planner; ALUC File No. REF260027