Opponents of a proposed $3.5 million clubhouse at Pacific Grove Golf Links are staging two more attacks on the project this week.
An anti-clubhouse group is pushing city officials to put onto the November ballot an initiative that would curb development of open space and effectively prohibit clubhouse construction.
At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Councilwoman Susan Goldbeck is expected to ask the council to halt construction plans until citizens can vote on the initiative in November.
At that meeting, clubhouse opponents will also bring up what they say is a clubhouse design glitch that violates the city's general plan.
The moves suggest attempts to slow down the approval process so that construction doesn't start before the elections. If enough of the project is under construction by that time -- building could begin this summer -- both sides say even a successful initiative would legally be too late to stop the project.
"It's kind of a race," said Dan Davis, a former Pacific Grove councilman and planning commissioner who finds fault with the clubhouse plan.
The proposed building would replace the city's old clubhouse with a 7,000-square-foot facility that would include expanded dining areas and bathrooms, as well as a new cart barn, starter's shed and pro shop.
Clubhouse supporters say a new facility is necessary to lure both tourists and locals. They say only golf revenue pays for the facility.
But some Pacific Grove residents oppose the new clubhouse because they believe it is a poor use of tight city resources. Others object to its size, location or possible environmental effects.
"There are so many questions about this," said Lorna Torkos, head of the anti-clubhouse group Residents For Reasonable Remodel.
It's the second ballot initiative against the clubhouse. In March, the city disqualified a similar initiative on a legal technicality.
The current initiative would allow the old clubhouse to expand by 40 percent. And it would allow the Meals on Wheels building near the links to expand as well. More broadly, it would curb development on the city's open spaces, and would limit development by changing the zoning in the city's designated open spaces.
Mayor Morrie Fisher has advised residents not to support calls for a ballot initiative, saying the public has been misinformed.
Golf funds are for the golf course projects, and no money will come from other city projects, supporter say. Fisher has warned that the petition may "stifle" popular developments such as expansion of the city library, construction of recreation facilities and Meals on Wheels.
Last month, the council decided to find a builder and secure the financing for the project.
But earlier this month, the county Registrar of Voters confirmed that Residents For Reasonable Remodel had collected enough signatures to put the initiative on the November ballot.
City Manager Ross Hubbard said the city is reviewing the signatures and the county's findings. The next time the council can review the initiative, he said, is June 16. At that meeting it can, among other things, set it on the November ballot or order a study on its impact, he said.
At Wednesday's meeting, the council may also hear citizens' concerns over what they say is a design glitch that goes against the city's general plan.
According to specifications in the plan, former planning commissioner Davis said, the proposed clubhouse is too large for the land it sits on -- a small parcel that's connected to the golf course. Turning the parcel into part of the overall golf course, he said, would require an extended environmental assessment for the construction project.
"I'm not saying stop the project," he said. "But it requires new hearings."
Project backers and city officials disagree.
Bruce Obbink, City Council candidate and golf course advisory committee chairman, said parcel maps just have not been updated, and city records show the small plot is simply part of the larger course. Community Development Director Jon Biggs said the environmental assessment made of immediate area of the proposed clubhouse is sufficient.
Hubbard said, "It's a non-issue."
The Planning Commission will also discuss the parcel issue at a regular meeting Thursday.
Source: Monterey County Herald