From the Mayor’s Desk: Is This the Year We Choose Our Outcome?

The End-State of Carmel

As we enter 2026, I find myself reflecting on a year of intense learning. After writing 27 columns, overseeing 40 Council meetings, and listening to hundreds of residents, one fundamental question has emerged: What is the desired “end-state” for Carmel-by-the-Sea? I will discuss some of these issues below.

Promotion Without Preparation?

Today, many of our systems operate on momentum rather than intention. Through Visit Carmel and See Monterey, our hotels, restaurants, and the City spend over $2 million annually promoting Carmel, successfully inviting the world to our village. Yet we do so without an integrated Master Plan to manage those visitors and their cars. Last Saturday’s village-wide gridlock was not an anomaly; it was a symptom of that gap.

The Competitive Landscape

As I’ve said in previous Pine Cone columns, while we deliberate, our neighbors are not standing still. Surrounding communities are supporting major investments in hotels, retail, and amenities that compete for the same visitors who sustain our economy. Those hotels will start opening shortly. Simultaneously, they are building workforce housing to attract the employees we all depend on. If we fail to address our own infrastructure and housing needs, we risk losing both our competitive edge and our workforce.

The Mathematical Reality

Doing nothing, whether to address infrastructure or satisfy state mandates, is no longer a viable option. Under our commitments to the State (HCD), Carmel must facilitate 149 affordable housing units on three City-owned parking lots, currently without replacement parking identified. The alternative, distributing those units and other required housing around town without a broader plan, could add 300 cars to a system already at its breaking point. That approach increases pressure on the village rather than protecting it.

Charting a New Course

To start a conversation, here are some possible paths we could follow:

• Major Infrastructure Vision: This path would aim for comprehensive solutions. Through Public-Private Partnerships, Carmel could develop architecturally sensitive “gateways” at the village perimeter to intercept cars. This approach could address parking, housing, hotel demand, and City facility needs (like our aging Police and Public Works sites) simultaneously, generating revenue to preserve our autonomy without a property-tax bond. But, this is a heavy lift requiring broad community support.

  
  

• Strategic Incrementalism: This incremental approach focuses on smaller steps like creative parking solutions, selling bonds for infrastructure projects, or limiting demand through reduced promotion. This would likely be combined with preparing for future local revenue measures to address our large deferred maintenance and pension liabilities as traditional revenue plateaus. This path would require difficult policy choices and high voter approval thresholds.

  
  

• Community Projects: There may be thoughtful alternatives between these paths or entirely different ideas from developers or the community. This doesn’t need to be a binary conversation.

  
  

Whether you favor a broader vision or incremental steps, I think we share the same goal: a Carmel that remains autonomous, beautiful, and livable. There are no perfect answers, but let’s work together to choose the outcome we want while we still have options, rather than the one that just happens to us over time.

Setting Our Priorities

On January 22, the City Council will hold a Strategic Planning session. This meeting will not decide Carmel’s ultimate outcome, but will establish our council priorities for the year ahead. Remember, if your issue is not on the priority list… it won’t get done. So show up and speak up or email your thoughts to cityclerk@cbts.us! To hear a podcast inspired by this column, visit cli.re/outcome.

Dale Byrne, Mayor, Carmel-by-the-Sea

dbyrne@cbts.us