Planning

The Planning Division is engaged in a variety of on-going special studies which are of interest to the Village. Special reports and studies will be posted to our website as new information becomes available.

It is a goal of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to promote the identification and preservation of historic resources that represent the unique architectural, cultural, historic, and prehistoric identity of the City. The City maintains a Historic Context Statement that, along with the Historic Preservation Ordinance, provides a framework for identifying historic resources and determining their relative significance. The City also maintains an Inventory of Historic Resources that includes all properties that have been identified as historically significant to date.

The California Coastal Commission has jurisdiction over land use projects within one mile of the Ocean. However, the Commission will transfer most permitting authority to local jurisdictions if they obtain a certified Local Coastal Program (LCP). Carmel had its LCP certified by the Coastal Commission in 2004. The LCP consists of the Land Use, Circulation, Coastal Access and Recreation, and Coastal Resource Management elements of the General Plan, the Zoning Ordinance(Implementation Plan), and the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance Appendices (see below).