Your Sewer Rate Increase Is Now Resulting in Monterey One Water System Improvements

In the summer of 2021, the Monterey One Water (M1W) wastewater agency declared it needed major upgrades and improvements to its infrastructure and sought a significant sewer rate increase to help pay for it. At the time, your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce worked in a coalition to ask the M1W board to delay the increase for a bit and implement the increase more gradually, in recognition of businesses trying to recover from the effects of COVID-19 public health orders. The board responded to our reasonable arguments and modified its original proposed rate increases to reflect those business concerns.

There were residents who criticized the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for not taking a position that opposed any sort of sewer rate increase at any time. However, your Chamber leadership considered the larger picture and concluded these M1W arguments were valid: (1) regional sewage infrastructure is indeed deteriorating; (2) a failure of that infrastructure could risk polluting Monterey Bay and cutting off sewage service and wastewater supply needed for recycling; (3) the amount of wastewater going through the system has significantly declined in recent years, meaning infrastructure was built for a different capacity; (4) water projects in California are expensive to design and construct.

Now M1W is showing the first major products of that rate increase. The M1W board on August 28, 2023 is likely to approve a $33,812,973 ($34 million) construction contract for Monterey Pump Station and Seaside Pump Station upgrades. (See Agenda Item 10.) According to M1W, "Monterey Pump Station (MOPS) and Seaside Pump Station (SEPS) are two of the larger M1W owned pump stations originally constructed in the 1980s. As identified in the 2018 Pump Station Master Plan, both pump stations are at the end of their useful life and need replacement and improvement of critical components to ensure system reliability.”

Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce will continue to monitor M1W operations and expenditures to ensure your money is properly spent.

Seaside Planning Commission Will Consider Mixed-Use Development

The City of Seaside continues to show signs of willingness and encouragement for mixed-use housing/commercial density projects to be built on infill parcels where development has already occurred. On August 23, 2023 the Seaside Planning Commission will consider (as Agenda Item 6A) approval of "Seaside Market," a five-story mixed use building that would be located at 1540 and 1546 Del Monte Boulevard, between Canyon Del Rey Boulevard (Highway 218) and Broadway, near Googie Grill restaurant. It will include about 10,000 square feet of commercial tenant space on the ground floor (with capacity of up to 12 commercial tenants) and 32 residential units. The project will also include a rooftop tasting room, a public rooftop deck, and an indoor resident lounge. The project is located in the West Broadway Urban Village Specific Plan, on four parcels. Foothill Partners, Inc. of El Dorado Hills is the project applicant; Diamond Cederwall Trust (Sandraline Cederwall, Trustee) is the owner of the parcels.

Under city law, 20% of the units would include deed restrictions to ensure their affordability for an occupancy term of 55 years. Two of the 32 units will be reserved for very low income and low income residents; three of the 32 units will be reserved for moderate income residents.

This is the kind of development that the Monterey Peninsula needs to fulfill its state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals and provide opportunities for ordinary people to live and work here.

montereychamber.com

RIBBON CUTTING: Wendi Kirby Music

Thursday, August 24 | 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

550 Hartnell Street, Suite F | Monterey

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21st Annual Leadership Luncheon presented by Aera Energy

Wednesday, September 6 | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Portola Hotel & Spa | Monterey

$75 Members | $90 Prospective Members

Presented by Aera Energy, our 21st Annual Leadership Luncheon gives community leaders, local business owners and engaged citizens an opportunity to gain further insight into the current business climate on the Monterey Peninsula.

An impressive panel of federal, state and local elected officials cover topics such as: new projects taking place in their jurisdictions, new business coming to the region and important issues that have impact on the future viability of our local economy.