3,326 Homes, One Vote: What Monterey County's Housing Plan Means for Your Property

by Sirrom Alizem

Monterey County's Board of Supervisors is holding a public hearing Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026 to consider adopting the County's Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update, a plan that must make room for 3,326 homes in unincorporated Monterey County. The County is nearly three years past its state deadline, and until the state finds the plan in substantial compliance, the County remains exposed to a powerful legal mechanism called Builder's Remedy. Public comment is accepted at the hearing in Salinas.

If you own property, are searching for a home, or are watching investment opportunities in unincorporated Monterey County, here is what the hearing is about and what the open questions are.

What is Monterey County voting on November 3?

The Board of Supervisors is considering adoption of the Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update covering the 2023 to 2031 planning period. The same hearing also includes:

Amendments to the 2010 General Plan
Amendments to the Local Coastal Program
Amendments to County Code Titles 18, 20, and 21
Certification of a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report

The hearing is at the Board chambers, 168 W. Alisal St., Salinas. Public comment is accepted. You can review the docket and agenda materials here.

How many homes does Monterey County need to plan for?

The plan must make room for 3,326 homes in unincorporated Monterey County. That total breaks down as follows:

1,070 very low income homes
700 low income homes
420 moderate income homes
1,136 above moderate income homes

Planning for housing does not mean the County builds these homes itself. It means the County must demonstrate it has enough appropriately zoned land to accommodate them. That is where rezoning decisions matter for property owners.

Is Monterey County's housing element certified yet?

No, and the timeline tells a clear story. The County's state deadline was December 2023. California's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) found the third draft in statutory compliance, which is a meaningful step, but statutory compliance is not the same as substantial compliance. HCD cannot find the plan in substantial compliance until the Board formally adopts it with the required policy amendments and rezonings in place.

LandWatch Monterey County, a local land use advocacy nonprofit, supports adoption and has been clear in its public comments: certification, not adoption alone, is the finish line. The two are related, but they are not the same event.

What is Builder's Remedy, and why does it matter here?

Builder's Remedy is a provision of California housing law that allows developers to propose projects that disregard a jurisdiction's General Plan and local zoning, as long as a share of the proposed units are affordable. It applies when a jurisdiction does not have a state-certified housing element in substantial compliance.

Until HCD makes that finding, Monterey County remains exposed to Builder's Remedy, and Tuesday's hearing will not immediately end that exposure. Even if the Board adopts the plan, the County remains in Builder's Remedy territory until HCD formally finds the plan in substantial compliance. That distinction is worth understanding if you own land or are watching development activity in unincorporated areas.

What local example has drawn attention?

In September 2026, developer Ben Eilenberg submitted a Builder's Remedy application on Highway 68 at Laureles Grade Road proposing three 17-story buildings with 752 apartments, 98 of them affordable. The County billed more than $61,000 in required fees. The developer has paid $500. The County will not formally accept the application until the remaining fees are paid, and the site currently has no water or sewer service.

County Housing and Community Development Director Craig Spencer summarized the situation plainly: he does not see the project as having a feasible future. But the application illustrates the real-world consequence of operating without a certified housing element. It creates legal openings that most communities would rather not navigate.

What are homeowners, buyers, and investors asking?

The questions homeowners, buyers, and investors are asking about this:

Could a large development go up near my property?
Where will the 3,326 homes actually be located?
Which parcels could be rezoned, and how would I find out if mine is one of them?
What happens along corridors like Highway 68 and Carmel Valley?
Could rezoning create an opportunity on land I already own, such as an ADU, a lot split, or a multifamily conversion?
How do I comment on the plan or stay informed as it moves forward?

Some of these questions have clear answers from the public record. Others depend on the specific parcel and the final rezoning map. If you have a specific property in mind, the right move is to look at what the housing element designates for that area and talk through what it might mean in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a housing element?

A housing element is a required component of a California county's General Plan. It establishes how the county will accommodate its share of the region's housing need for a defined planning period. Monterey County's current cycle runs from 2023 to 2031.

2. How many homes must Monterey County plan for?

The County must demonstrate it can accommodate 3,326 homes in unincorporated Monterey County, distributed across very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income categories.

3. Is Monterey County's housing element certified?

Not yet. HCD found the third draft in statutory compliance. However, HCD cannot find the plan in substantial compliance, which is the standard that matters legally, until the Board formally adopts it with all required policy amendments and rezonings in place.

4. Does adoption stop Builder's Remedy projects right away?

No. Board adoption alone does not immediately end Builder's Remedy exposure. The County remains exposed until HCD formally finds the adopted plan in substantial compliance. Those are two separate determinations.

5. How can the public participate?

Public comment is accepted at the Nov 3 hearing of the Board of Supervisors, held at the Board chambers at 168 W. Alisal St. in Salinas. You can also review the full agenda and supporting materials through the County docket and the Legistar record.

If you want to understand what any of this means for a specific property, a search area, or a piece of land you already own, I am happy to talk it through with you.

What's your home worth today? Call or text me at (650) 695-1919 for a free personalized home valuation.

Sirrom Alizem
REALTOR® | eXp Realty Nor Cal Inc
DRE #02137532
(650) 695-1919
sirrom@realtywithsirrom.com
www.realtywithsirrom.com

Sources: Monterey County Docket | County Legistar PC 25-003 | Monterey County Now | LandWatch Monterey County | Monterey County Now, Highway 68 Builder's Remedy Coverage