The Carmel Rio Road project includes mixed income residential on 7.9 acres within the Carmel Valley Master Plan.

• The project applicant is Carmel Rio Road LLC.
• The original project proposed a 42 unit subdivision and the revised project reduced the density to 31 units.
• Monterey County is the lead agency.
• The County Planning Commission denied the project in November 2011.
• The County Board of Supervisors denied the applicant’s appeal in May 2012.
• The Planning Commission voted to deny the project in May 2017.
• The Board of Supervisors voted to deny the appeal of the project in September 2017.

• The Project was denied by the Monterey County Planning Commission with a 9-1 vote in May 2017.
• A letter from the County (387 KB PDF) dated February 8, 2017 indicates the project is stalled until the applicant pays for additional work on the Response to Comments.
• The County received Public Comments on the Draft EIR (25.1 MB PDF) and will issue responses in the Final EIR, which is forthcoming.
• The County released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (9.8 MB PDF) and Appendices (28.64 MB PDF) for the project in December 2016 with a 52 day review/comment period.
• The County released the Notice of Availability (32 KB PDF) for the project in December 2016.

• Lack of Long-term Water Supply
  The project does not have proof of access, a demonstrated long term sustainable water supply, or water reclamation or conservation components required by General Plan Policy CV-5.4.
• Lack of Consistency with the General Plan
  The project violates numerous policies within the General Plan including air quality, aesthetics, hydrology and water quality, and traffic and circulation.
• Includes Deferred Mitigation
  The project deferred mitigation measures for hydrology and water quality specifically as it relates to: off-site runoff, waste discharge, and the project’s location in a 100 year flood zone.
• Inconsistent with the Carmel Valley Master Plan
  The project is not consistent with the policies outlined in the Carmel Valley Master Plan, for example the affordable housing component requires a 25% affordable housing component and this project doesn’t meet it.

LandWatch engages in the public process in a variety of ways. For this project, here is a list of our engagement strategies.

• Letter: Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (168K PDF)
  LandWatch officially opposes the project based on the project’s inconsistencies with the Carmel Valley Master Plan and 2010 County General Plan.  We also mention in this letter that the project would add 31 new families to the high risk flooding area. (05.01.17)
• Letter: Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (181K PDF)
  The project would violate a variety of General Plan policies, including those related to air quality, aesthetics, hydrology and water quality, and traffic and circulation. (01.17.17)
• Letter: Supporting Staff Recommendation to Deny Project (89K PDF)
  LandWatch Monterey County supports staff’s finding that the Combined Development Permit application is inconsistent with the 2010 General Plan. We urge the Commission to uphold staff’s recommendation and find the Val Verde Subdivision inconsistent with the 2010 General Plan. (11.08.11)

• Supervisors Again Deny Project
  Five years ago a 42 unit project was denied by the Board of Supervisors. A new 31 unit project was denied by the Supervisors after an appeal from the Planning Commission’s vote. It doesn’t meet the affordable housing requirements for the area. (09.12.17)
• Residents Oppose Reduced Unit Project
  Carmel Valley residents opposed the new 31 unit version of the Val Verde project as it was heard by the Monterey County Planning Commission. The Commission voted to deny the project. (06.22.17)