May 18, 2022

Celebrating 35 Years of Community Service

Thursday May 19th 6-8PM - CRA's Annual Meeting - Please Join Us!

We gather yearly to update you on your CRA Board, Initiatives, Programs and most importantly listen to your in-person feedback. This event is for Members Only, at the Carmel Youth Center, with Food & Wine and time to catch up with fellow members too. It will not be required, however we highly recommend both vaccinations and masks to participate. Plus, CRA will be presenting a valued Village Business Recognition award too. Details are available HERE.

Vote in the California Primary by June 7^th

Be sure to vote by mail or drop off in the official ballot mail box at the North Lot of Sunset Center. Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the primary.

Support Residential Cell Towers Proliferation Concerns

As you've likely read, there is an effort underway to minimize or prevent Cell Tower proliferation and the blight they cause in our residential neighborhoods. There are legal exchanges between Verizon and our City underway on its own separate path. However, in parallel, the City staff is working to update our Telcom Ordinances to address our concerns in the coming months. A residents team continues to look for all of our Village resident’s support and yes, your donations too to supplement the funding of legal counsel who is expert and wins against these national Telecommunications firms. For more details on this effort, how to contribute and how participate, are all available HERE.

Not the Artist PACASO

Your CRA Board formally supports and encourages the City Legal Staff to work to Stop Pacaso Timeshares from sneaking in the back door of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Relevant background resources are available HERE.

Graffiti in Carmel?

Unfortunately, yes this happens. But there is a new team effort, inside of Carmel Cares called “Tag Team”. When unsightly, unwelcome stickers or paint deface public property in town, please take a picture and email [email protected] with the location too. Their goal is to start removal within 24 hours of notification, and their efforts work in collaboration with the City Police and Public Works. Details on this and other programs are available HERE.

CRA – Beach Clean Up is THIS Saturday May 21^st.

Please join us, at the bottom of Ocean Avenue from 9:30 to Noon. Details are available HERE.

So Much To Fill Your Calendars - Enjoy

Don’t miss our City Council-persons Theis and Baron’s invitation to learn more about the Carmel Climate Committee’s Adaptation Plans, 3 years in the making, at the Hofsas House Gathering Room Next Tuesday May 24^th 4-6 PM.
Our City with our local American Legion will host the Memorial Day Celebrations on Monday May 30^th in Devendorf Park from 11-12.
Check out “Silents – Before the Movies Talked” at The Cherry, from June 17-July 10, Here
There is always something coming up at PacRep's Forest Theater Here.
The Carmel Bach Festival at Sunset Center is coming up in July too Here.
And as always, from City Council to the various City Commissions and Boards, you can find recent and upcoming meetings, recordings and supporting documents Here.

So Many Great Eateries in Carmel

Our roster of the 66 Restaurants+ in our one square mile village – more than any city in the nation per capita – is available HERE. Over 40 of these offer private space outdoor seating. Many also offer CRA Members VIP discounts, are shown on this list online and as a downloadable PDF.

The Voice - May-June Issue

In case you want to share this issue, the PDF download is HERE . Articles included: Carmel Character & Traditions, Getting Involved in our City Projects, Commercial Architectural Design, Dick & Barbara Stiles Profile, Calling All Members to the May 19th Annual CRA Meeting, Business Recognition, More on Architecture, Projects, Programs and Events, Carmel Eateries, and more. Update: the correct date on the CRA Holiday Gala is December 9th.

Thanks to all of the Carmel-by-the-Sea+ organizations, businesses, vintners, and artists – for sharing their wares with visitors and residents alike in their events in recent weeks of Monterey Winemakers Celebration May 7 and the Carmel Art Festival May 13-15, both held in our Devendorf Park. It’s so great to see our Village host these traditions once again!

Before we transition into important City Council Highlights...

April 21^st Superb Next Generation - Mock City Council

Your CRA Board Members Ken White and Graeme Robertson coordinated with City Council, City Staff and Carmel High School (CHS) Leadership to create this Student Government Day. 12 amazing and impressive CHS Students engaged in this Mock Council meeting with serious relevant and humorous topics covering proposed budget approval requests from department heads. Thanks to all who contributed to this wonderful opportunity, hopefully annual once again! You will really enjoy this YouTube, click HERE.

Putting Our Tax Dollars To Work - Next Fiscal Year 2022/2023 Budget Prep

Our City Departments and our City Council have been very engaged in multiple public meetings (with open public input solicited) in the past two months reviewing proposed next Fiscal Year Budget. This budget is scheduled for approval on June 7th City Council Meeting, set to take effect as of July 1. This budget incorporates reinstating staff, projects and programs to pre-pandemic levels and plans to “catch up” as much as time, resources and funding allows. Impressive work by all.

For you “number junkies” or if otherwise interested….the full recommended budget document, a 69 page PDF, is available from the City site here. The two summary presentations made to City Council May 17, are available below:

2022/2023 estimated Revenues PDF of slides used here
2022/2023 estimated Expenses PDF of slides used here
Plus from this May 17^th Special Council Session, the YouTube is available here, and the agenda packet is available here.

Just a few Council suggestions made in the May 17 Special Council Meeting include requests to emphasize or elevate visibility for these items (paraphrased).
* Fire Prevention/Abatement Efforts
* Health of the Urban Forest
* Beautification efforts
* Pedestrian/Bike Accessibility
* What contributes to Carmel being a great place to work and live

City Council May 3, 2022
YouTube here; Agenda Packet here.

Extraordinary Business:

Report from Council Person Jeff Baron on the Community Vibrancy 3 public input sessions and anticipated next steps. One key topic was the challenge of housing with everything that comes along with this.

Proclamation on National Public Works Week - with appreciation expressed for our team by all.

Introduction of WinterAndCompany and their role engaged with Brandon's City Planning Department and newly aligned Steering Committee regarding the Design Traditions 1.5 Project with request for City Council comments regarding: what are the recent trends/issues and what will success look like in 12 months?

Council Comments include: challenges of defining good/bad architecture, don’t stifle creativity, dialog with the community, focus on soft scape of properties, too many home are not subordinate to the forest, homes should not call attention to themselves, need more input from residents, caution on subproject approvals not to evolve into a poor overall result, does the building “fit” into its setting, looking to have sustainability included, success will mean that community accept the results, layout on the property needs attention, future health of our urban forest impact to new building and finally it is critical to balance good design with critical preservation.

The first Design Traditions public community workshop is targeted for June 30^th. And Public comments on these two project questions posed to the Council were made at the Planning Commission meeting May 11^th.

City & Council Announcements:

C.Rerig - Thanks for the Staff Appreciation event. Be sure to copy “cityclerk” with correspondents. Welcomes Jody Henson as interim CEO of Carmel Chamber

B.Richards – April 21^st Carmel High Mock Council thanks and for the contribution from (Our CRA) Ken and Graeme.

K. Ferlito – Dave Potter is indeed famous in Dubrovnik. AMBAG RHNA #’s. details are available on this AMBAG webpage.

D. Potter – Proclamation on the 75^th Anniversary for Hofsas House.

C. Theis – Please join the Celebration Thursday May 12^th from 5-7PM

J. Baron – Climate Change meeting May 19^th, Climate Action & Adaptation documents will be reviewed, and extended the invitation to the public May 24^th(see previous mention).

Orders of Business:

FY 2022/2023 Discretionary Grant Program – APPROVED 5-0

FY 2022/2023 Budget Introduction Presentations by R.Scattini and B.Harary, with Council Questions. APPROVED 5-0 (see above coverage and documents on this budget, so will not repeat here)

Council to consider a revote of an Encroachment Permit request covered in prior City Council Meeting. Public & Council Comments. APPROVED 5-0.

Regarding Outdoor Seating in Public Spaces – understand efforts required to create a permanent offering and consider reprioritization in strategic priorities.

B.Swanson presented on the steps required to deliver a permanent offering, scope, meetings, approvals, alignment, code/regulatory considerations, and mention of touch points with the Design Traditions effort, etc. Multiple Public and Council Comments included: capacity concern of City Planning for this item, it was valuable to understand the efforts involved in considering a permanent program and future alignment with upcoming Commercial Guidelines project, with our narrow streets and traffic there are challenges ahead to be considered in a Master Plan approach. Motion made NOT to reprioritize this project at this time. APPROVED 5-0.

Public Hearing: