8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY june 6-12, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com news Trader Joe’s is coming to Marina, marking the popular grocery store’s third location in Monterey County. Spokesperson Nakia Rohde writes by email to the Weekly that the company plans to open a store in Marina, but “at this time, we do not have a location or timeline to confirm. “We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year,” Rohde writes. But building plans filed in March and updated on May 22 show the store’s specifics. It will be located at 150 10th St. as part of The Dunes Promenade, according to City of Marina permit records. The mixed-use development, where The Brass Tap recently opened near the Cinemark Century movie theater, is currently under construction. According to the plans, the 12,500-square-foot store will have a little more than 100 parking spaces. Developer Shea Homes announced earlier this year that a “well-known national specialty grocer” had signed a lease in the center to open in late 2024, noting that the name of the store would be revealed in the coming months. The Promenade development is targeted to be complete by fall. Once fully built out, the overall The Dunes on Monterey Bay development, which was approved by the Marina City Council in 2005, will consist of 1,237 homes and 1.5 million square feet of commercial space, according to Shea Homes. In other developments at The Dunes shopping center, Ross Dress for Less filed plans to open in the former Bed Bath & Beyond, which closed in 2022. The Five Below discount store opened earlier this year in the spot formerly occupied by Party City. Market Placed Trader Joe’s is opening in Marina’s new Promenade development. By Erik Chalhoub On April 1, the City of Monterey sent out a press release stating its intent to turn the 135-acre Old Capitol site off Highway 1 into a dinosaur amusement park. It was a joke. The site, which Pebble Beach Co. gave to the city in 2019, would be nigh impossible to develop—it’s heavily forested with Monterey pines—and also carries a lot of fire risk. After the land was conveyed, the City re-designated the property from very-low-density residential to parks and open space in its general plan, and also changed the zoning designation from planned community to open space. Now, the future of the Old Capitol Site is actively being dreamt about, as the City is going through a process to ask the public how they’d like to see the property utilized. (A survey on how best to use the site, the second so far, closes on Friday, June 7.) The site is divided into three parcels, all of which are south of Highway 1 and roughly across the road from the Del Monte Center. (Several streets, including Sylvan, Barnet Segal and Iris Canyon roads, cut through the property.) The site presents an opportunity for the city: It’s a beautiful open space, but, from a wildfire standpoint, it’s also a liability—it’s a forest of Monterey pines, on the edge of the wildland-urban interface. Two “special attention areas” provide permanent preservation of Monterey pine forest and other species. But much of the space will eventually open for recreation. Pacific Grove resident Peter Berridge leads the way through the westernmost of the three of the sites, and is ebullient in his support for the idea he’s putting forth: A cycling playground for Monterey Peninsula residents. “The connectivity to the city makes it such a rare opportunity,” Berridge says. He is a mountain biker and communications coordinator for the nonprofit Monterey Off Road Cycling Association, and sweeps his hand over the future parking lot on Site 2. His vision is for an adjacent “skill zone” space for young bikers to train. The idea is that it’s not a bike park, per se, but a multi-use park where both bikers and hikers are welcome. Some minutes later, Berridge picks his step through Site 3, the easternmost of the sites, which he’s hoping to make accessible for bikes only. But everything about the future of this property is up for grabs right now as the City’s survey process continues, and will eventually lead to a draft plan. Berridge sees youth as a big part of the movement he’s trying to lead, and his enthusiasm is effusive: “There really is room for every activity. That’s what MORCA is really all about.” That’s going to be the question the City wrestles with in the months to come. Managing public recreation spaces for walkers (or joggers or hikers) and cyclists has been a challenge elsewhere, so Berridge envisions a bicycles-only area to avoid conflict. He plans to speak up on Wednesday, June 12 at the Monterey Parks and Recreation Commission meeting in support of the cycling-friendly concept. The survey is available online (in English and Spanish) at haveyoursaymonterey.org/oldcapitolsite. Sara Rubin contributed to this report. Peter Berridge, a mountain biker and member of the Monterey Off Road Cycling Association, shows where a parking lot would be located at the Old Capitol Site. Ride On The bicycling community weighs in as City of Monterey considers making a new 135-acre park. By David Schmalz Construction is underway on a new 12,500-square-foot grocery store building within Marina’s Promenade development. City records show Trader Joe’s is the tenant. “There really is room for every activity. That’s what MORCA is really all about.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
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