Before We Lock In the Next Century

In recent weeks, I have seen first-hand how two local institutions made bold decisions about their futures. Both offer lessons worth carrying into Carmel’s next chapter.

Opportunity Favors the Bold

In 2023, the Carmel Foundation purchased the former Red Cross building, transforming a quiet administrative office into a vibrant wellness center. Today it hosts exercise equipment, yoga classes, and welcoming spaces for coffee and conversation. Foundation leadership saw opportunity where others might have seen risk. With support from donors, they invested and created a resource that will serve Carmel for decades. They did not wait for a perfect moment. They created one.

At the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), I witnessed another decisive move. Facing potential funding constraints, NPS has not been standing still. Its leadership energized its Foundation and forged partnerships with industry leaders, including a collaboration with NVIDIA to develop a first-of-its-kind state-of-the-art AI capability for the Naval and Joint Force. Rather than reacting to pressure, they are positioning themselves ahead of it.

In both cases, the lesson is clear: strong institutions act to create their future rather than letting outside forces do it for them.

A Generational Decision for Carmel

Carmel-by-the-Sea now stands at such a moment. We have restarted the process of replacing our aging police station and public works facilities, buildings that have long exceeded their useful lives. This is not just a construction project. It is a generational decision. What we build, where we build it, and how we finance it will shape our city’s operations and character for the next century.

That is why we should pause before finalizing scope and direction.

Asking the Right Questions

Should we simply replace what is worn out? Or should we step back and examine how our public assets, including City Hall, Sunset Center, Vista Lobos, and parking lots, might work together more strategically? This includes asking whether our mix of facilities, spread across several locations and in all cases long past their useful lives, still serves employees and residents as well as it should.

This moment also arrives as expectations placed on local governments continue to grow while the ability to expand staffing and facilities does not. Across California, the era of simply growing city government to meet new demands is largely behind us. Efficiency, coordination, and smarter use of public assets are becoming the new standard.

These are not radical questions. They are responsible ones.

A Town Hall Before the Path Is Set

My recommendation is straightforward: convene a community-wide town hall before high-level design decisions are finalized and development pathways effectively locked in. The goal is not to promote a predetermined outcome or bypass formal process, but to surface ideas while we still have flexibility to consider them.

Carmel is fortunate to be home to architects, financial professionals, developers, civic volunteers, and engaged residents who care deeply about this village. A structured public forum would allow that collective wisdom to be heard. Concepts could be presented clearly, tradeoffs discussed honestly, and assumptions tested. At this stage, there should be no impossible ideas. Let the best ones rise to the top.

Thinking Before the Concrete Is Poured

We may determine that straightforward replacement is the best path. But if broader opportunities exist to improve efficiency, strengthen financial sustainability, address housing obligations, or rethink how civic spaces serve the community, we should examine them while the window is open.

The Carmel Foundation did not wait for necessity to dictate its future. NPS is not waiting for external pressures to define its direction. Both chose preparation over drift. Carmel deserves that same discipline.

Before we commit to investments that will define the next century of our city’s life, let us gather, listen carefully, and think boldly together. The moment to ask big questions is before the concrete is poured.

(To hear a podcast generated from this column, visit cli.re/before.)

Dale Byrne, Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea dbyrne@cbts.us