This Week on the Central Coast
Monterey and Marina discuss new projects for the cities, including commercial cannabis and new hotel resorts.
Monterey discusses permitting cannabis businesses in new locations.
The locations discussed were tourist-heavy places, such as near Old Town Monterey and Cannery Row. The discussion lasted a couple hours with the final decision ending with a 4-1 vote to allow three or fewer dispensaries.
Those who were for allowing new dispensaries argued it could generate up to $1.4 million in tax revenue for the city. Some suggested this money could be used towards building a homeless shelter. The one vote against it argued that marijuana is a gateway drug and would not reflect on Monterey’s family-friendly image.
Marina discusses plans for its largest hotel.
Marina is hearing bids to construct its largest hotel. The new building will be located across from the Dunes shopping center on Imjin Parkway. Four pitches were made for the project. Two were from different Marriot properties, with one of those pitches exposing that they didn’t believe a luxury hotel was suitable for the area. Instead, they would “develop an AC Retreat by Marriott with 160 rooms and an Element by Marriott with 140 rooms. The hotels would be paired with an event center, office space and retail sites.”
The other two pitches were from local Monterey residents. Paul Petrovich owns a development company and wants to bring a luxury Hilton resort to the area. He explained he would feature an homage to the Concours Hall of Fame.
Harvey Dadwal, who is CEO of Monterey Peninsula Hotels Group, says he would create a property that would “include an 8,000-square-foot conference center, an organic greenhouse farm-to-table restaurant with rooftop dining and a wine-tasting venue.”
The city says discussions will continue into future weeks. They recognize that the area is valuable to the community and want to make sure it fits with city plans.