www.montereycountyweekly.com August 10-16, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 25 Sand City, whether its founders liked it or not. In the 1980s, federal regulators clamped down on the sand mining operations in the tidal zone of southern Monterey Bay due to their impacts on coastal erosion. By 1990, the sand mining operations on Sand City’s beach had ceased. The city, and its businesses, pivoted: Monterey Sand Co.—co-owned by McDonald, a leading incorporation proponent—developed the Sand Dollar Shopping Center (which included Costco, on the site formerly occupied by Calabrese’s construction company) even before its mine was shut down. The Edgewater Shopping Center to the north soon followed, and the city’s leadership, led by longtime former mayor David Pendergrass, who retired in 2017 after 39 years on the job, shifted the city’s focus away from industry. Currently, sales tax from those shopping centers accounts for about $4 million a year—39 percent of the city’s revenue. The Independent, a slick four-story apartment building with 61 units, was completed in 2008, and since 2011, has been home to Post No Bills, a popular craft beer bar that has now become part of the city’s social fabric. And pre-construction is underway on the South of Tioga project, which will provide 420 residential units, 216 hotel rooms and a restaurant. The city started a mural festival in 2021, we.Art, that hires artists to adorn the walls. Nearly all the (formerly) blank walls in the West End of the city are now splashed with beautiful murals Sand City, once defined by industry, is now hip. That’s in large part because leaders were nimble and forward-thinking, and recognized the youthful, creative energy in the city as an asset. And from a future revenue perspective, with its shopping centers and the prospect of a luxury hotel, it’s in a catbird seat. • • • Sixty-plus years after their incorporation, the two small cities face diverging futures. Sand City is poised to continue its transformation, as development in the city has historically faced little to no pushback, aside from the California Coastal Commission. The South of Tioga project promises to be transformative, with the potential to more than double the population of the city. Del Rey Oaks, meanwhile, is stuck in amber, as the city’s revenue sources are minimal. (Sales tax revenue from Safeway is significant, but the city won’t disclose how much it is, exactly: City Manager John Guertin says doing so would be illegal, as it would give potentially valuable information to Safeway’s competition.) And though the city brings in $3,022 per resident annually, it doesn’t add up to much in a city with just over 1,500 people. City leaders have long looked to potential development. One option is a 17-acre parcel north of Canyon Del Rey and east of the Frog Pond Wetland Preserve. Efforts to develop that site have already faced opposition from residents of the city’s condo complex, The Oaks, which is south of Canyon Del Rey and looks down on the 17 acres. The city was also granted about 310 acres in the former Fort Ord, and before it disbanded, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority gave Del Rey Oaks $8.8 million to rebuild South Boundary Road—a project that is necessary to facilitate such development, as there are no underground utilities along the road. But Guertin doesn’t think that will be nearly enough to rebuild the road. Both cities now have a smaller population than when they were incorporated decades ago, but at least Sand City is growing. Del Rey Oaks is projected to bring in $4.7 million in the coming fiscal year, which is just enough to keep its staff—both administrative and police—afloat, for now. And there’s nothing in the offing, for at least several years, that could potentially boost that number in a meaningful way. Ultimately, both cities have become what they set out to be more than 60 years ago: Sand City is a place for enterprise, where business and new ideas are welcome, if the market supports them. Del Rey Oaks is, and will remain for the foreseeable future, a bedroom community with little latitude to increase its revenue. How long that remains sustainable is an open question, but it is what residents, back in 1953, voted for. It seems likely they’d vote the same way now. “We cannot afford the expense of a yearly fight nor the loss of a neighbor’s good will.” THANK YOU for nominating us for BEST NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET and BEST BUTCHER SHOP Grove Market proudly carries only the freshest meats and produce. Gourmet to go • Home delivery available 242 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove (831) 375-9581 Mon-Sat 8am-7pm • Sun 9am-6pm Welcome Car Fans! Try Us First. We Pay The Highest! MONTEREY COIN SHOPPE Since 1970 same street for 40 years Open Mon-Thur 11am-4pm and Friday by appointment only. 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