Planning Commission forwards Monterey County five-year Capital Improvement Program to Board

The Monterey County Planning Commission on June 10 unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt the county's five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for fiscal year 2026'27 through 2030'31, forwarding staff's finding that the projects are consistent with the General Plan and the Local Coastal Plan.

John Snively, administrative operations manager for Public Works, described the CIP as a working document listing capital infrastructure projects with values over $100,000 and multi-year life expectancies. Snively said staff presented the list of new and continuing projects, an addendum and a resolution for the commission's review before forwarding to the Board for final adoption on June 16.

Commissioner Deal praised improvements in the report's clarity and urged staff to use the CIP as a policy tool to identify projects that would lower development costs and facilitate affordable housing. As an example, Deal said a nearby flood-management pipeline could have reduced housing costs in a recent project in Carmel by addressing drainage constraints.

Director Randall Ishi (Public Works) told the commission staff would further investigate drainage area 27 and explore projects that could support housing development. Commissioner Deal then moved to forward the CIP finding to the Board of Supervisors; Commissioner Mendoza seconded and the roll-call vote was unanimous.

The Board is scheduled to consider final adoption of the CIP on June 16, 2026. Commissioners asked staff to flag projects that would facilitate affordable housing and to supply clearer links between CIP projects and housing-readiness outcomes when the item reaches the Board.