12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 4-10, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com With five loud and definitive “ayes,” the Gonzales City Council unanimously approved the 3,498-unit Vista Lucia project on Tuesday, Sept. 2, before a packed council chamber. During the meeting a number of residents shared their excitement for a housing development that’s been a dream of the community for 24 years. “This has been a labor of love for all of us because we know how hard it is for people right now not to have a home, and we want people to have a home,” Councilmember Lorraine Worthy said before the vote to approve the master plan for a community that is slated to be developed over a 30-year period on 771 acres of agricultural land. The project includes 995 traditional single-family homes, 1,239 smaller lot single-family homes, 504 apartments and townhomes in medium-high density zones, 104 mixed-use units in commercial zones and 620 apartments in high-density areas. Nonprofit developer CHISPA has been selected by the developer Pembrook Development Group to build 211 low-income units. Pembrook donated eight acres for an elementary school and the plan includes 79 acres of parks, playing fields, trails, plazas and community gardens. It also includes a “pedestrian promenade system” of walkways, as well as bikeways, to connect neighborhoods and commercial areas. LandWatch Deputy Director Laura Davis urged the council to adopt a higher-density alternative laid out in the environmental impact report, arguing it would provide more affordable housing by design for working families. “Given that only a tiny percentage of Gonzales residents could afford the large-lot units projected to cost $650,000, increasing the number of denser, lower priced units would increase the actual purchase opportunities for the vast majority of Gonzales’ residents and workers,” she said. Residents and councilmembers rejected that idea. “The premise that outsiders believe that Gonzales should maintain its socioeconomic footprint is crap,” Councilmember Scott Funk said. “Why shouldn’t our local community have opportunities for growth?” The council approved the EIR, an amendment to the city’s general plan and a tentative map, as well as ordinances approving pre-zoning and a development agreement with Pembrook. The city still must pursue an annexation request with the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County (LAFCO) before the project can move forward. Since the opening of Greenfield High School in 1999, residents have expressed their desire for a unified school district. An effort to achieve this failed in 2018 after the Monterey County Committee on School District Organization rejected the idea, citing financial challenges. Sandra Jo Galvan, superintendent of the Greenfield Union School District at the time (now at Salinas Unified), told Greenfield News that the district could revisit unification efforts as early as 2020. Now, a second effort toward unification is underway. Greenfield has two school districts within its boundaries, GUSD and the South Monterey County Joint Union School District. Greenfield High is part of the latter, but the district’s offices are located in King City. GUSD is spearheading the current unification drive. If the consolidation proceeds, it could leave SMCJUSD with a single school, King City High School. To address this, the current plan aims to merge three school districts into two, resulting in a K-12 district for both Greenfield and King City. MCOE officials have approached the three school districts and presented the reunification proposal to the boards of GUSD and SMCJUSD, with a meeting scheduled with the King City Union Elementary School District on Sept. 15. “Two unifications would save taxpayer dollars,” says Deneen Guss, superintendent of MCOE. “Parents in both communities would have a K-12 school system, and you’d not have three different boards and three different superintendents, you’d just have two.” The State Board of Education was set to hear the proposal in November 2024. That meeting was moved to July of this year, only to be postponed once again. A new date has not been finalized. If the plan moves forward, MCOE’s superintendent would call for a unification election 35 days after receiving the approval from the State Board of Education. Big Build Gonzales City Council votes 5-0 to approve long-delayed 3,500-home development. By Pam Marino NEWS WHARF WORKS The City of Monterey seeks input on how the public uses Municipal Wharf 2, whether it’s for recreation or work. The survey is part of a federal grant application to receive funding for wharf repairs and upgrades. Survey ends Friday, Sept. 5. surveymonkey.com/r/BKNSZMX. BE PREPARED Learn how to prepare for a disaster in a workshop presented by the Carmel Police Department, Carmel Community Emergency Response Team and Carmel Public Library. The event offers guidance on building a disaster kit and first aid skills. 10-11am Saturday, Sept. 6. Sunset Center, Carpenter Hall, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. Free. 620-2020, ci.carmel. ca.us/carmel-prepares. HEALTHY ZONE Monterey County is the first county in California to be certified as a Blue Zones Community. Celebrate with events throughout the week. 5:30pm Monday, Sept. 8, zumba at Salinas Regional Soccer Complex, 1440 Constitution Blvd., Salinas. 5pm Monday, Sept. 8, cleanup at Del Monte Beach, Monterey. 9am Tuesday, Sept. 9, walking group at Village Green Park, 98 S. El Camino Real, Greenfield. 10am Tuesday, Sept. 9, walking group at Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Marina. 11am Wednesday, Sept. 10, senior walk at Central Park, 207 Fifth St., Gonzales. Free. montereycounty.bluezonesproject.com. FINANCE FOCUS Learn the basics of financial planning in a workshop hosted by Ken Cranstone of Three Sheep Wealth Management. The event is presented by the County of Monterey and Monterey County Business Council. Noon Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Pearl Works, 288 Pearl St., Monterey. Free. mcbc.biz/events. PUBLIC FACING Salinas City Council meets and accepts public comment. Items on the agenda include responding to a petition for a referendum seeking to overturn council’s reversal on four renter protection ordinances. 4pm Tuesday, Sept. 9. Salinas Rotunda, 200 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. 7587381, cityofsalinas.org. HOME BUILD Hear speakers from LandWatch and the Highway 68 Conservation Consortium present on pros and cons of a housing proposal on seven acres off Olmsted Road at Tarpy Flats in Monterey. 11:30am doors, 12:30pm program Wednesday, Sept. 10. Unitarian Universalist Church, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. $25/lunch; free/program. 236-1611, lwvmryco.org. Three Into Two South Monterey County school districts reexplore consolidation effort that failed in 2018. By Celia Jiménez A plan to control traffic includes further development of Fanoe Road to the west to connect with Highway 101, eventually being renamed to Vista Lucia Parkway. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “Why shouldn’t our local community have growth?” CITY OF GONZALES
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