Monterey Planning Commission Meeting - October 28, 2025
Monterey Planning Commission Meeting - October 28, 2025
On October 28, 2025, the Monterey City Planning Commission convened to approve a residential expansion at 201 Hawthorne Street following staff presentation, applicant comments, and public inquiry. The commission also reviewed the Planning Office update regarding the Local Density Bonus ordinance, the upcoming November 25th meeting schedule, the dissolution of the Architectural Review Commission (ARC), and progress on the Local Coastal Program (LCP).
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the minutes from the previous meeting by roll call vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the general public provided oral testimony during the public comment period or the public hearing for the specific agenda item.
- Commissioner Freeman expressed concern regarding the lack of progress on the Garden Road Area Specific Plan, stating, "I really think that we need to keep on track on this," and questioning the timeline for the work plan to address new residential development.
- Commissioner Dawson noted the upcoming City Council hearing on the nursery school appeal scheduled for November 4th and expressed positive observations regarding the concrete and steel progress at the Monterey Regional Airport terminal construction.
- Commissioner Latasa voiced concern over unofficial reports that a Mercedes dealership is leaving Monterey, noting, "it's just gonna be a big hit on the budget," though acknowledging the property is privately held.
Discussion Items
- Item ARP 25-0111 (201 Hawthorne Street): Staff presented a recommendation to approve an expansion of a non-conforming single-family dwelling. The project involves adding approximately 16.77 square feet to the kitchen, enclosing part of the garage to create habitable space, and relocating utilities. The applicant calculated the expansion as a 4.2% increase of the existing habitable floor area.
- Commissioner Bluth questioned the code's allowance for expanding non-conforming structures, asking for clarification on the "10% of existing habitable floor area" rule. Staff confirmed this specific code section allows the Planning Commission to approve expansions up to 10% provided the non-conformity is not increased beyond that limit and the number of dwelling units remains unchanged. Commissioner Bluth requested that even if the garage expansion were included in the calculation, the project would still be compliant.
- Assistant Planning Manager Levi Hill clarified that the Architectural Review Commission (ARC) does not have jurisdiction over this specific type of expansion; the zoning code explicitly grants this authority to the Planning Commission.
- Planning Office Update:
- Staff reported that the expansion of the Local Density Bonus Ordinance was approved for first reading at the City Council meeting and will proceed to a second reading to become effective 30 days thereafter.
- The Commission confirmed that the November 11th meeting is canceled due to Thanksgiving, with the next meeting scheduled for November 25th.
- Tentative items for November 25th include a street abandonment project on Cedar Street, a use permit for 2023 North Fremont Street, and an action to dissolve the ARC (despite a joking remark about Commissioner Mike's retirement, staff clarified members serve for life).
- Commissioner Dawson raised the Garden Road Area Specific Plan, noting it is a "major area of new residential development" and urging the city to maintain a deadline for the work plan to help manage discussions regarding airport noise sensitivities.
- Staff confirmed that the review of the Local Coastal Program (LCP) is underway, with draft chapters for the Coastal Commission submission expected by the end of 2025, and plans to present chapters to the Planning Commission concurrently for feedback.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Passed: The Commission unanimously approved the Architectural Review Permit (ARP 25-0111) for the expansion of the non-conforming single-family dwelling at 201 Hawthorne Street following a roll call vote (Vice Chair Latassa, Commissioner Bluth, Commissioner Dawson, and Commissioner Freeman all voted "Yes").
- Appeal Deadline: The decision is appealable to the City Council within 10 days of the meeting.
- Schedule Change: The Planning Commission meeting originally scheduled for November 11th has been cancelled; the next meeting is set for November 25th.
- Future Agenda Items: The City Council was notified of the nursery school appeal hearing on November 4th.
Meeting Transcript
Oh no, this is uh October twenty eighth, two thousand in progress. Of the City of Monterey's planning commission. And we will start off with a roll call. Sure. Vice Chair Latasa? Here. Commissioner Bluth. Here. It seems Commission Commissioner Brassfield is absent. Commissioner Dawson. Here. And Commissioner Freeman. Here. And our Chair Silva is also absent. And our staff members present. Our planning manager Levi Hill, Principal Planner Fernando Roveri, Principal Planner Christie Sabdoe, and myself recording Secretary Erica Barrera. I can go ahead and remind the public how to participate. Information on participating in this meeting and providing public comment, including remotely by Zoom or telephone.gov board slash agendas. Okay. Okay. Vice Trailatassa? Yes. Commissioner Bluet? Yes. Commissioner Dawson? Yes. And Commissioner Freeman. Yes. Okay, those minutes have been approved. Great. Thank you. So next item is general public comments. If anyone in the audience or online would like to address the commission on an item not on this afternoon's agenda, now's your time. I'm not showing any attendees online. Okay. So we'll moving right along, we'll go to the public hearing. We have one item on this afternoon's agenda, which is uh 201 Hawthorne Street Architectural Review Permit Application, ARP 25-0111 for an expansion of an existing non-conforming single-family residence. Applicant Thane Wilson, owner Christie Hirch. Um, and we will start off with a staff report. Please hello, Chair and Planning Commission. My name is Fernando Roveri, Principal Planner for the City of Monterey, and I will present to you the project at hand, 201 Hawthorne Street, an expansion of a non-conforming single-family dwelling. Staff's recommendation is that the planning commission adopt the resolution attached in your staff report, approving the expansion of the non-conforming single-family dwelling. This is an aerial view of 201 Hawthorne Street at the corner of Hawthorne and Resight Avenue. There is an existing single-family dwelling. The lot is considered a substandard corner lot because it is less than 5,000 square feet. The zoning is R35, and the general plan land use designation is medium density residential. As you can see, the existing single-family dwelling is closer than average than what we normally see to the corner side, um, which is reside avenue. This shows the existing condition. The part of the dwelling that would is uh proposed to be expanded is shown here. And this is again a view from Reside Avenue.
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