Press Releases
Seaside Council Approves Resort Hotel Project
After a presentation by the applicant and favorable public testimony, the Council and Agency certified the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR), issued a series of permits and approved two major agreements which govern the transfer of land first from the City to the Redevelopment Agency and subsequently to the project developer, Seaside Resort Development, LLC.
Together, the votes were a major milestone for the project, which will include a 330-room luxury hotel, 170 timeshare units and 125 single-family residential lots within the existing 36-hole championship Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses in Seaside.
"This project puts into motion an important component of the Fort Ord Reuse Plan and the City's General Plan," stated Mayor Ralph Rubio. "It provides significant long term revenues for the City and brings many needed economic opportunities."
The hotel will be located on approximately 18 acres within the existing golf course parcel. Plans for the hotel include a spa and full-service conference center. Part of the developer's agreement with the City requires the hotel be a 4-star Mobil or higher rated property. Although the name of hotel operator was not announced during the meeting, Seaside Resort Development representative Dick Fitzgerald assured the Council the operator would be a "major flag" property, offering the highest in quality and service.
"It's very gratifying to see a project like this happen in Seaside," Fitzgerald later said. "The caliber of resort we have proposed will bring enormous benefits to local business people and workforce. Most importantly, it will add to the community's strong sense of pride."
The timeshare and residential components of the project will be integrated with the golf courses and will be served by private, gated streets. Lot sizes for the home sites range from 8,000 to 15,000 square feet and will be developed by individual owners in accordance with guidelines set by the Board of Architectural Review and a Homeowner's Association.
In order to meet the City's 20% affordable housing requirement, affordable and workforce housing are proposed on land located adjacent to the SunBay Apartments. The Redevelopment Agency will provide in excess of $5 million in subsidies for this component through funding strictly allocated for this purpose.
Positive economic impacts of the project were emphasized at the meeting, including the creation of approximately 200 construction jobs and 330 permanent employment opportunities associated with the operation of the hotel. In addition, the Redevelopment Agency will receive a total of $28.6 million in one-time payments, including $21 million for the sale of the land. The City and Redevelopment Agency will also receive ongoing revenue streams from Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), property tax and sales tax totaling about $6 million per year --a significant increase for a city with a current annual budget of $15 million. Other local agencies will benefit from property taxes, including annual payments estimated at $827,000 to FORA, $591,000 to Monterey County and $426,000 to Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD). Multipliers provided by The American Hotel Management Association (AHMA) additionally estimate a potential $86 million in annual community-wide economic benefits based on increased tourism and other financial activity related to the hotel.
Construction of the hotel is estimated to take two years from the time final improvement plans are approved. The construction of the timeshare and residential components will occur in phases over a period of 5 or more years.
SEASIDE RESORT DEVELOPMENT
FACT SHEET
CURRENT LAND OWNER: City of Seaside
DEVELOPER: Seaside Resort Development, L.L.C.
LOCATION: General Jim Moore Boulevard and Monterey Road
LAND AREA: 380 acre parcel including Bayonet and Blackhorse golf courses
HOTEL & RESORT: 330 room hotel on 18 acres
HOMES: 125 single-family residential lots on 47 acres
170 timeshare units on 19 acres
38 affordable and work-force housing
TIMELINE: Hotel construction will take two years
Timeshare and residential construction will phase in over five or more years.
GOLF COURSE OPERATIONS: Operations will continue through construction with minimal interruptions while a new driving range is constructed and crucial improvements are made.
VIEW: Main hotel building will be located more than one mile east of State Highway 1, and will have views of Monterey Bay and the Monterey Peninsula.
DIMENSION: Main hotel building does not exceed 50 feet from finish grade, which is lower than the adjacent cypress trees.
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES: A portion of the project's construction costs will go toward equipping new City fire and police facilities to serve the Seaside portion of Fort Ord.
TRAFFIC: Project's FORA development impact fees will mitigate the contribution to regional congestion. FORA recently awarded a construction contract to widen Gen. Jim Moore Blvd. to four lanes in the golf course vicinity.
PARKING: Total number or spaces approaches 900. Proposed uses have offset time demands, with combined hotel, timeshare and golf peak demand from 5-7 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. daily. Project proposes to share some parking spaces.
WATER: The project is projected to require 161.4 acre-feet of water. The City has sufficient water available in its allocation to assign to the project. The project will meet all applicable conservation, metering and water use requirements of the Marina Coast Water District.
TREES: All trees removed will be replaced on a 1:1 basis.
During development of final maps and improvement plans, buildings and roads will be shifted to minimize tree loss.
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES: Any impacts to vegetation and habitat, specifically Monterey dusky-footed wood rat, black legless lizard, coast horned lizard, protected trees and oak woodland have been identified in the project EIR. Required Mitigation Measures would protect these habitat areas.
JOB CREATION: The project will produce approximately 200 construction job opportunities. Permanent employment is estimated at 330 positions.