A large hotel and condominium complex sited on beach and dune habitat on Monterey Bay in Sand City is seeking approval by the California Coastal Commission on April 9 in Santa Barbara (see Commission staff report). The developer calls this 360-unit complex, with parking for almost 1000 cars, the “Monterey Shores Eco-resort.” Unfortunately it will be sited inside formally recognized USFWS critical habitat for Western Snowy Plovers. Western Snowy Plovers, a federally threatened species, have nested as recently as last year and raise their broods here.

Monterey State Beach just South of Proposed Development

While this resort complex has been proposed for decades, recent decisions in state court have paved the way for the Commission’s approval, despite the damage it will cause to local recovery prospects of Federally protected plovers.

If you want to see this threatened shorebird succeed, write a comment letter to the California Coastal Commission.