On Tuesday evening, the city of Monterey held a city meeting with two specific issues to be discussed – affordable housing and hotel development. All five city council members voted in favor, approving the first step in the 45-unit hotel development on North Fremont Street.

Monterey City Community Development Director Kimberly Cole said: “One of the things we hear from the community is that they would like North Fremont Street to shine, to be part of the core community and to be improved. And we really haven’t seen any new developments in North Fremont for over 40 years. “

The future hotel will replace on-site hotels and restaurants that have not been occupied. “The current hotel is empty all year round, and the developer proposes to demolish the site and build a new hotel,” said Cole.

Several residents nearby pondered the issue during Tuesday’s meeting, making it clear that they want to see affordable housing instead. Mary Pendley, who has lived for 33 years, said: “There is no harm in having extra housing because most of these hotels can be filled by the homeless. By the way, we have homelessness on North Fremont Street and the fairgrounds. ” Another Monterey resident, who commented practically, said: “When affordable housing is very necessary, when tenants face such horrible problems, incentives as a priority worry me.”

Cole asserts that the city actually prioritizes affordable housing, but there are a few issues such as cost but especially water loans. Which, she said, is not the same thing for hotel development.

“The hotel will have to operate under water loans on its site in it. So there will be no restaurant in the future development of the hotel. So they have water loans from the restaurant. I believe that they have water loans from additional lighting fixtures on site, and therefore there will be no net increase for what exists today. ” She also explains that the taxes paid by the hotel will be TOT taxes that will be supported by several city services, and that in the next 40 years the city expects a $ 18 million hotel tax after the construction of the project. “For example, library services, leisure services, police services. And this is one of the few opportunities we have in the city for economic development, so that new money goes directly to our common fund, “said Cole.