12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Having just released a draft environmental impact report on planned improvements to the Highway 68 corridor, transportation officials are now hosting a series of public hearings to present their plans and receive feedback from residents. Caltrans and the Transportation Agency for Monterey County have drawn up designs meant to alleviate congestion and improve safety on a nine-mile stretch of the highway linking Salinas to the Monterey Peninsula. The plans revolve around modifying nine intersections between Josselyn Canyon and San Benancio roads—with officials deliberating between converting the signalized intersections into roundabouts, or keeping the signals and expanding the intersections by adding turn lanes that would merge onto the highway. There would also be five new underground culverts that would act as wildlife crossings, taking the total number of culverts along the highway to eight with the goal of reducing traffic collisions with wildlife. While transit officials previously held an open house on the project in July, the new meetings are meant to canvas formal input from the community on its environmental impacts along the scenic route, as well as informal thoughts from residents and commuters on the plans in general, says TAMC principal engineer and project manager Doug Bilse. “We know there’s a call for action because there’s so much congestion and crashes that occur [on Highway 68], but we also have to do it environmentally sensitively,” Bilse says. “It’s a beautiful corridor and we don’t want to ruin what makes it a special place.” In addition to a meeting at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Nov. 15, there will be a Spanishlanguage hearing at the Salinas Police Activities League on Thursday, Nov. 16, and a meeting at the Monterey Conference Center on Wednesday, Dec. 6, that is geared toward the region’s hospitality workforce. All of the hearings take place from 3-7pm. The public can also provide input by phone or email, while TAMC is launching an interactive online map where people can drop a pin on a location and leave comments. The deadline for public comments is Jan. 8; officials hope to finalize the EIR by November 2024, Bilse says. Construction likely won’t commence until early 2028 and is dependent on state grant funding that would supplement $50 million in local Measure X funds. Phase 1 of the improvements would focus on the eastern stretch starting at San Benancio Road. The city councils of Monterey and Pacific Grove have each approved ordinances allowing retail cannabis in the past few weeks, with Monterey best poised to issue business licenses on a faster timeline than its neighbor. Monterey could begin reviewing cannabis license applications as early as Nov. 27. On Nov. 1, Pacific Grove City Council voted 6-0 to approve an ordinance allowing one retail location, as well as delivery services. However, the council must still approve administrative rules governing the businesses and must decide on a selection process to determine which company gets the single retail license. Due to the city’s small size and a 1,000-foot buffer zone around schools and daycare facilities approved by the council, a retail store will be limited to either the upper Forest Hill business district or the industrial area near Asilomar. The City of Monterey had already worked out a selection process ahead of its council’s approval on a 4-1 vote on Nov. 7. Councilmember Ed Smith voted “no,” as he has done in every cannabis-related vote since 2020. “We should not be in the business,” Smith said. The ordinance allows for no more than four retail permits, one in each of four designated areas of the city: the Lighthouse business district; Wave Street near Cannery Row; downtown; and North Fremont Avenue. No cannabis stores would be allowed along Cannery Row or on the streets that lead down from residential neighborhoods into the Lighthouse and Cannery Row areas. In addition, when looking for locations, cannabis businesses will be up against 600-foot buffer zones, as required by state law. Monterey’s ordinance comes back to the council on Tuesday, Nov. 21 for a second reading and to consider a report on retail application permit guidelines and criteria, as well as to update the city’s master fee schedule to include a cannabis license. A 45-day application screening period could begin Nov. 27 and would close on Jan. 11. Road Map Transit officials are seeking public input on Highway 68 corridor improvements. By Rey Mashayekhi news Life Savers Family Service Agency of the Central Coast, which runs various programs including Suicide Prevention Service and the Survivors Healing Center for survivors of sexual abuse, is opening an office in Salinas. Learn more and celebrate this expansion at a ribbon-cutting. 4-6pm Thursday, Nov. 16. Family Service Agency, 945 S. Main St., Suite 103, Salinas. Free. 751-7725, fsa-cc. org. Sea Side Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meets and, as always, accepts public comment. Topics for the day include an update on kelp health and a report from the sanctuary superintendent. 9am-3:30pm Friday, Nov. 17. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing (or virtually). Free. haven.parker@noaa.gov, montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/advisory. html. Bird Watch Do you want to improve your birdwatching and identification skills? Join this introduction to seabirding session during the fall migration season to learn the basics of what to look for as birds fly south. 8-11am Saturday, Nov. 18. Rec Trail at Point Pinos, Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove. Free. scollancooper@ yahoo.com, montereyaudubon.org. Spiritual Wisdom Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine—and also a longtime student of Zen Buddhism interested in “science-religion dialogue.” He speaks on the topic “A Science of Being—From Wisdom to Compassion,” and signs copies of his book. 10am Sunday, Nov. 19. Center for Spiritual Awakening, 522 Central Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 372-1942, centerforspiritualawakening.org. Winter is Here The rainy season is starting. Sign up to receive emergency alerts from the County of Monterey to stay up to date on emergencies and hazards. Visit bit.ly/Alertsignups to sign up to receive landline calls, text messages or emails. Free. 755-8969, co.monterey. ca.us. Work in Progress Environmental cleanup on the former Fort Ord is still underway, and the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) office is conducting a community survey about the ongoing work. You can read more and respond to the survey online, in English or Spanish. Ongoing. Survey available at fortordcleanup.com. Free. 393-1284. Budding Business Monterey and Pacific Grove are getting closer to allowing retail cannabis stores. By Pam Marino Members of the public listen in at an open house in July to learn about proposed changes to Highway 68, including installing roundabouts to replace traffic lights. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “We know there’s a call for action.” Daniel Dreifuss
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