Monterey's Waterfront Master Plan Community Meeting on Wednesday

Waterfront Master Plan's first community meeting Wednesday March 10th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Gilbert's Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf


Monterey's City Council began developing a long-term, visionary master plan for the City’s waterfront on December 1, 2009. The goal is to make the waterfront a fun, gorgeous, easy-to-access multi-day destination. The Waterfront Master Plan (WMP) will cover land at the west end of San Carlos Beach to the east end of Monterey Bay Park (Del Monte Ave. is the southern boundary). The WMP hopes to focus future development efforts into a more coordinated machine with a common direction. Altogether, the WMP document will have policies, maps, and implementation strategies. Old development documents from the target area will still be of use, but must be combined into something more comprehensive. For example, the WMP "will address a variety of regulations and functional needs, such as the State Coastal Act, long-term recreation needs, and leasing requirements. "

WMP Issues:

• sea level rise
• relationship of waterfront to Custom House Plaza, Monterey Conference Center, downtown, and Cannery Row (especially in terms of parking & pedestrian, bicycle, mass transit, and automobile circulation)
• types of commercial and recreational land uses that should be accommodated
• location of the Monterey Branch Line Station that would best benefit Monterey citizens and visitors.

The success of the WMP is entirely dependent on the support of the community it impacts. Community members are the key factor in the project’s successful development and implementation. "The work plan includes multiple opportunities for community outreach that will strive to engage as many community members in the planning process as possible." Y-O-U can participate by attending the public workshops that are planned for the project, or if you cannot attend, follow the project on the City’s website, and participate in the on-line questionnaires.

- Heads-up thanks go to the Monterey County Herald for this article about the WMP