General Issues – Seaside

Most of the General Issues for Seaside stemmed from the Fort Ord Reuse Authority and the Authority’s lands. Now that the Authority is dissolved these issues fit squarely into the City of Seaside. And, like other areas, LandWatch has been engaged on these issues since the late 1990s to present.

Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course

  • Swapped Water Means Support From LandWatch
    With a golf course now using recycled wastewater, the Campus Town project can “take over” what the golf course had been pumping for its irrigation and instead use it for the project development’s water needs. (10.31.19)
  • Upscale Hotel Resort Deal Now Closed
    The City of Seaside finished the deal with Cypress Seaside LLC for an upscale hotel (220 rooms) estimated at $30 million. The project is expected to bring in $1.5 million annually for its occupancy tax. (09.24.19)

Campus Town

  • New Campus Town Lawsuit, Same Hidden Group
    An anonymous committee again sues the City of Seaside over the Campus Town project’s Environmental Impact Report—after dismissing its first lawsuit. This time the now non-existent Fort Ord Reuse Authority is also named. (09.04.20)
  • Lawsuit Petitioner Changes Tune, Wants to Dismiss Lawsuit Now
    The original petitioner against the Campus Town project has now filed paperwork to dismiss the lawsuit. It is unclear if the City will seek to recoup legal fees or not, and the judge must approve the dismissal and no hearing is set yet. (08.06.20)
  • Neighboring Developer Fights Campus Town Project
    A group wishing to remain anonymous filed a lawsuit against the City of Seaside on the Campus Town Environmental Impact Report. An attorney representing the group accidentally named the client in the email and it is a neighboring project developer. (07.07.20)
  • Testimony: LandWatch Comments on Water Availability (161K PDF)
    Executive Director Michael DeLapa commented during the public hearing before the Seaside City Council on the Campus Town project. While there is a lot to be thankful for with this project, there remains the big issue of water and continued overdraft of the aquifer. (03.05.20)
  • Letter: Comments Submitted on the Project (634K PDF)
    Prior to the City Council’s decision on the Camps Town project, the biggest concern outlined in the letter was the lack of water and continued overdraft of the Salinas Valley groundwater basin. This has been a consistent concern for LandWatch. (03.04.20)
  • Swapped Water Means Support From LandWatch
    With a golf course now using recycled wastewater, the Campus Town project can “take over” what the golf course had been pumping for its irrigation and instead use it for the project development’s water needs. (10.31.19)
  • Letter: LandWatch Comments on EIR (705K PDF)
    In its comment letter to the City of Seaside on the Campus Town project, LandWatch lays out the issues with the project description, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, inconsistency with the Fort Ord Reuse Plan, and water use. (08.21.19)
  • Feedback Solicited on Campus Town Project
    The City of Seaside is requesting comments on the Campus Town proposal. Comments are due by Thursday, August 22nd for inclusion in the Final EIR. LandWatch’s Michael DeLapa emphasized focusing on infill, upzoning, and mixed use centers. (07.30.19)
  • Comments on Campus Town Due 8/22
    The first phase for the Seaside Campus Town is proposed to break ground in 2020, but right now comments are due on the Draft Environmental Impact Report by August 22nd. (07.22.19)
  • Campus Town Prep Work Begin
    The first 10 of 27 buildings were demolished to make way for the City of Seaside’s Campus Town project. This is no small feat considering the potential amount of contamination included in the buildings. (09.05.18)
  • Campus Town Exceeds Water Allocations
    Seaside’s proposed development (Campus Town) is expected to use 487 acre feet of water, but only 186 acre feet can be allocated to it. And, the Marina Coast Water District just approved the water supply assessment. Without a reliable and sustainable water source, the project can’t be built. (06.21.18)
  • Campus Town EIR Almost Public
    Nearly 85 acres of the former Fort Ord will be considered for houses, hotel and hostel rooms, retail, restaurants and office space. The Environmental Impact Report for this project, called Campus Town, will soon be released. (06.21.18)
  • LandWatch Challenges Water Supply Assessment
    The Campus Town Plan proposes houses, hotels, and retail on 85 acres of blighted land. A Water Supply Assessment wrongly assumes 6,600 acre-feet of water per year is available for use in the Ord Community—it’s not. (06.20.18)
  • Letter: LandWatch Challenges Water Supply Assessment
    The Assessment fails to acknowledge overwhelming evidence that additional groundwater pumping from the 400-foot aquifer will result in serious adverse effects on other users through saltwater intrusion. It also fails to acknowledge that analysis shows that additional pumping from the “deep aquifer” will induce saltwater intrusion in the overlying aquifers and will deplete the “deep aquifer” itself, which is not known to have any substantial source of recharge. (06.15.18)

Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

  • Letter: Comments to the Seaside City Council on its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
    LandWatch recommends Seaside City Council add language in Section 5 of the Scope of Work (SOW) for clearer identification and justification of greenhouse gas reduction targets. The letter highlights discrepancies with the Request for Proposal (RFP) and raises concerns about meeting CEQA requirements. It questions if the contracted services include reduction targets and their impact on the contract pricing. (02.01.24)

Communities Facilities District

  • Letter: LandWatch Comments on the Communities Facilities District
    LandWatch outlined its recommendations to revise the proposed Communities Facilities District. These revisions included changing the proposed tax assigned rates to a per dwelling basis and eliminating future annexation areas. LandWatch believes the resolutions are incomplete because they fail to specify how the City would assess future annexation areas. (10.05.21)

Housing Element

  • Letter: LandWatch Provides Feedback on Seaside Housing
    As Seaside conducts its site inventory to address its RHNA allocation and State housing requirements, LandWatch encourages maximum use of vacant infill and non-vacant developed parcels within developed areas of the City. Upzoning to allow for high density apartments and mixed use should include at least the downtown core, the main transit corridors (Del Monte, Broadway and Fremont) and other already urbanized parts of the City. No doubt the City could upzone and redevelop other areas within the city core (see attached list as an example). LandWatch would be glad to work with you to create policies and incentives that support an infill-first strategy. (04.07.23)

Main Gate Specific Plan Amendment

  • Letter: LandWatch Comments on Specific Plan Details (2.2M PDF)
    LandWatch outlined its concerns on the Main Gate Specific Plan amendments, including: the competition for scarce resources between this project and Campus Town, lack of water, and closed session discussions of this project. (04.15.19)

MST SURF!

  • MST SURF! Briefing Presentation
    LandWatch partnered with MST to host a scoping meeting virtually on the MST SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit Project. The Zoom meeting recording is available, as are the presentation slides. (3.5M PDF) (09.09.20)

Monterey Family Justice Center

  • Letter: LandWatch Relays Concerns on Seaside Resolution (113K PDF)
    LandWatch outlines three areas of the proposed resolution that the City of Seaside is considering that will violate the California Environmental Quality Act by locking the City into future decisions. (05.29.19)
  • Letter: LandWatch Comments on Need for EIR (76K PDF)
    LandWatch outlines the resolution to support the project violates CEQA because a project is reasonably foreseeable. Additionally, the City commits to the project before it has even been reviewed—this violates the law. (04.15.19)

Nurses Barracks

  • Seaside Rescinds Agreement for Nurses Barracks
    Keep Fort Ord Wild filed a lawsuit against the City of Seaside for its approvals of the Nurses Barracks project because assurances were not included in the agreement that eight of the 40 apartments would be affordable. It is unclear what the new timeline for the project will be. (06.29.18)
  • Controversial Project Adds Affordable Component
    Developer Al Grover is cleaning up two old buildings on the former Fort Ord. The City of Seaside should get title to the property next March, but there was no affordable component to the new houses being proposed.  LandWatch submitted comments on the agreement between the developer and the City. The end result is 20% of the units will be affordable. (05.24.18)
  • Letter – LandWatch Comment Letter to the City of Seaside (527K PDF)
    LandWatch supports the renovation of Medical Officers Barracks. It rehabs an existing structure; there’s already infrastructure to support it; it’s near city road network arterials and regional transit corridors; and development removes significant hazards and blight abutting natural areas and open space. However, LandWatch understands the purchase price is well below the appraised fair market value and asks that the City uphold its 20% requirement for affordable units. (05.16.18)

South of Tioga

  • LandWatch Testimony to Sand City Council (148K PDF)
    LandWatch Executive Director Michael DeLapa outlines concerns related to CEQA, urges economic justification for the hotel rooms, and supports an affordability component in the 400 unit housing proposal. (06.06.18)
  • Letter – LandWatch Letter to City Council (535K PDF)
    After review of the South of Tioga project, LandWatch included two requests for the City Council: (1) approve the condominium and multi-family rental housing component within conditions for at least 20% permanently affordable units, which should be built before other project components; and (2) reject the two hotels and restaurant. (06.01.18)
  • Letter – LandWatch Comment Letter on Final EIR (520K PDF)
    LandWatch submitted substantive comments on the South of Tioga project because the Final EIR does not adequately address the project’s consistency with the Sand City General Plan’s Housing Element. (05.21.18)
  • Public Hearing on South of Tioga Project
    A public hearing is offered, but a future vote on the project’s Environmental Impact Report and approvals will be scheduled for June 5. Existing concerns raised by the public include traffic and parking, habitat, views and the scope/scale of the project. (05.14.18)
  • Letter – LandWatch Comment Letter on Draft EIR (550K PDF)
    LandWatch submitted substantive comments on the South of Tioga project including, but not limited to, comments on: the project description, air quality, drainage, greenhouse gas emissions, land use, transportation, cumulative impacts, and alternatives. (04.09.18)

Urban Growth Boundaries

  • Greenbelt/Housing Initiative
    Join Sustainable Seaside on Feb. 8th from 3 – 5 PM to discuss the plans for getting the Seaside urban growth boundary on the November ballot. (02.03.20)

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