10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 5-11, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com “A Temblor Strikes” was the headline of the Carmel Valley Association Weekly Bulletin on Jan. 22, alerting readers to a proposed 90-unit housing development slated for 17.4 acres of the former Carmel Valley airfield located on Lupin Lane in Carmel Valley Village. CVA President Marianne Gawain wrote that the community was “rocked” by the news. “The former airfield has served not only as valued open space but as an important staging area for firefighting crews,” she said. She raised broader issues of increased traffic and difficulties evacuating during fires. “We are very distressed about this proposal,” Gawain says, adding it’s too early to say more—CVA is still researching the project. The Carmel Valley Master Plan dictates that only 24 units are allowed on the parcel, currently being used by Griggs Nursery to store plants. Twenty-four units would be the case if the County of Monterey currently had a state-certified housing plan, called a housing element, but the element is over two years late, leaving the county open to Builder’s Remedy, which under state law means that as long as a project includes a certain percentage of affordable units, the county is limited in how it processes the application. As long as the project meets certain standards, it must be approved even if the number of units exceeds current zoning. The letter came with a preliminary development application that calls for 20 below-market and deed-restricted duplex units—11 low-income and nine moderate-income—well above the nine units that would be required by the state. The remaining 70 units would be market-rate single-family homes. Developer Patrick Orosco of the Orosco Group in Monterey says that under state rules with a target density of 20 units per acre for housing opportunity sites, the 29.5-acre former airfield could be developed to 590 homes. The surrounding neighborhood is four units per acre, while his project is three per acre. The 24 units would never be feasible. Orosco says he spent months considering how to reduce “threats to the landscape, culture, traditions and community fabric of the Valley” in planning the project. His answer was to preserve assets the community values, including Santa’s Fly-In, a 67-year tradition, as well as a jogging path used by residents. His goal, he says, is to build modest homes that attract families who will live in the village full time. For the first time, thanks to mandates from the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a local effort to collect reliable data on small, private wells in the Salinas Valley groundwater basin is underway. The effort, run by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) in partnership with the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA), aims to fill a major data gap under SGMA by building an inventory of these wells to assess their vulnerability and create drought contingency plans. “We are not asking rural residents to report the extractions,” says Piret Harmon, general manager of SVBGSA. “Because the hydrogeology is quite complex, it makes a big difference where exactly and how deep they are, how old they are, because that’s the only way we can truly understand where we need to focus our efforts in assuring everyone has sustainable groundwater.” Big picture, residential groundwater use is relatively small; agriculture accounts for 90 percent of groundwater use in Monterey County. Many private, smaller wells are shallow and disconnected from larger water systems, making them more vulnerable during droughts. While the data is critical for identifying areas of concern that may require specific emergency planning or new infrastructure, a challenge has been getting people to register. “We think right now, about 5 percent of the people who we were hoping to have registered have registered with us,” says Amy Woodrow, senior hydrologist with MCWRA. The deadline was extended from Jan. 31 to March 31 due to low initial registration. (Registration is free; call (831) 755-4860 or visit svbgsa.org/gmp.) Officials estimate thousands of wells will need to be registered, although the exact number is unknown. The estimate is based on County Health Department well permits, state well-drilling records, and parcels known to not be part of a water system. Flight Plan An application to build 90 units on the Carmel Valley airfield alarms neighbors. By Pam Marino NEWS HAPPENING CITY Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez presents the State of the City address. Learn about the city’s accomplishments in 2025 and plans for 2026. 6pm Thursday, Feb. 5. Soledad Community Center, 560 Walker Drive, Soledad. Free. (831) 223-5000, cityofsoledad.com. BUDGET TAKES SHAPE Share input on the City of Salinas’ budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. A workshop is scheduled while a survey is ongoing. 6-8pm Thursday, Feb. 5. Salinas Police Activities League, 100 Howard St., Salinas. Free. salinas.gov/2026-2027Budget. GIVE BLOOD Donate blood to save a life—and for a chance to win a $500 gift card. 10am-2pm Friday, Feb. 6. Hilltop Park Center, 871 Jessie St., Monterey. Free. Make an appointment at vitalant.org or (877) 258-4825. DUNES DAY Help restore the native dunes while creating habitat for the Smith’s blue butterfly. This planting event is organized by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District and Habitat Stewardship Project Monterey Bay. 10am-1pm Saturday, Feb. 7. Marina Dunes Preserve, 3325 Dunes Drive, Marina. Free; registration required. (831) 372-3196, habitatstewardshipproject.org. PUBLIC PROCESS Greenfield City Council meets to discuss city business. Public comment is accepted. 6pm Tuesday, Feb. 10. City Hall, 599 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Free. (831) 674-5591, greenfieldca.gov. EQUALITY FOR ALL League of Women Voters of Monterey County presents a talk titled “Strengthening Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Today’s Changing World.” Jacinto Salazar III, director of IDEAA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Accessibility) at Monterey Peninsula College, is the speaker. 11:30am Wednesday, Feb. 11. Unitarian Universalist Church, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. $25 includes lunch; make lunch reservations by Feb. 9 at (831) 236-1611 or beverlygb@ gmail.com. lwvmryco.org. TAX SEASON Get free help with your taxes. Alliance on Aging offers tax counseling, while the United Way VITA tax program helps those who earned $67,000 or less in 2025. Alliance on Aging: 9am-3:30pm Wednesdays through April 8; make an appointment at (831) 655-1334. United Way VITA: 9:30am-12:30pm Saturdays through April 11. Make an appointment at (831) 372-8026. myfreetaxes.org. Well, Well A local effort is underway to build an inventory of smaller wells, but it is slow going. By Katie Rodriguez One feature of the property that developer Patrick Orosco plans to maintain in his proposal is a path regularly used by neighborhood residents for walking and jogging. E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN His goal is to build modest homes that attract families. DANIEL DREIFUSS
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