PREG

Preservation and Restoration of East Garrison

A group of residents working together to make East Garrison an even more wonderful place to live

June 2024 SPECIAL EDITION - ACTION!

Updated East Garrison Specific Plan, p9

PREG has tried to be neutral as the developer shared their plans for the completion of East Garrison. However, on Thursday 6/20 Century revealed their plan for parking at the Town Center, and completion of EG. The Board is set to vote on Tuesday 6/25, giving residents just days to read it and voice their opinions.

We've read it, and it's just not acceptable.

The Town Center will have 67 apartments AND 30,000 square feet of commercial space. The plan has only 143 off-street parking spaces, including the chapel parking lot up the hill.

What does that really mean?

How much space is required for retail by county regulations?

Our Town Center will be 30,000 square feet and we have 143 spaces. For comparison, the Dunes shopping center (Gen Stillwell at 2nd Ave in Marina) is 10,000 square feet bigger than the EG Town Center, and has 160 spaces (if you've shopped there you know how that works out). Using the required parking ratio of 1 per 250 square feet we should have 120 spaces just for retail.

Shops @ The Dunes Monterey flyer, JNM Company

Century uses the original Town Center survey to claim that we'll all walk to the Town Center so we don't need parking spaces. But their own retail study showed Town Center businesses will only survive if they can draw customers from outside EG.



Town Square Park & the Chapel

The Park will have a playground and an amphitheater, so expect it to be at least as busy as Lincoln Park weekdays and weekends. We can hold events for up to 300 people. Someday we'll have services and activities at our lovely chapel.

So between the retail and the park we need at least 162 spaces, and there are 143. Sounds manageable, you say?

But there are people living upstairs!

How many parking places should the apartments have?

Century thinks they only need one for each one, two or three bedroom unit

Century's parking allocation map

Century has allocated only ONE parking place for each of the 66 apartments (1, 2 or 3 bedroom units). Look carefully - the blue on this picture shows where Century thinks the apartment residents will park. Imagine if you got a spot up the hill in the chapel parking lot!

For perspective, most houses in EG (including the just-completed CHISPA) have 2 parking places per unit. What if your family only got one space?

The Rest of Final Phase

The Final Phase includes 259 three- and four- story homes, on streets with parking ratios like the rest of EG (how's the parking in your neighborhood? it'll be like that). Century did their Parking Study without coming to EG to count how many on-street spaces are already being used, If there's no more off-street parking, Affordable Housing folks and shoppers will all have to find a spot on a side street.

But what about ... ?

Some folks say if we don't take this deal right now CHISPA can't get its grant money and it will take years longer to get the Town Center built. Well, the deadline for grants this year has passed already, and the project deadline has been extended by Century til 2030. Plus, if we don't get this right and EG becomes a sea of cars, how will that impact your family and your home's value? Isn't it worth waiting to get it right?

Conclusion

Century says they modeled EG's streets on places like Carmel. If this plan goes through we'll have Carmel's parking problems without their ocean views or Michelin restaurants. We don't need enough parking for the Christmas rush, but we do need enough for every Sunday: apartment folks at home, something going on in the chapel and the park, and customers at the Town Center shops.

What do you think?

EG residents - answer this quick survey so we can tell the Supervisors how PREG members feel about this plan. Then write your email, ideas below

If you want to look at the Plan or Parking Study again, go to the Board Agenda on the county website, or contact us.

What Can You Do?

• BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: June 25, 1:30 in person or zoom calendar
• CSD meeting: July 10, 6:00, Fire Station
• HOA meeting: July 16, 6:30, zoom (go to east-garrison.com for link)