Comments on: Monterey Bay Shores Set to be Greenest Ecoresort in the World

By: Anthro

Anthro — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:45:05 +0000

Looks like a typical strip mine. This design is devoid of architecture and it’s based on phony ecological premises. A typical developer using “ECO” as a marketing sales pitch. I’ve seen student projects that reflect more sense and knowledge than this one. Leave the beaches alone.

By: GdV S

GdV S — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:24:02 +0000

Does anyone know who designed this project?

By: MadroneZone

MadroneZone — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:51:23 +0000

“Monterey”: It rains every year. Drought years are those years when it rains less than average amounts, but rainwater and storm runoff is available for reuse every year. While it isn’t predictable how much rainwater or stormwater will be collected during a given rainy season (winter), and the landscaping and design will have to work within those limits, it is still a viable strategy to plan the landscaping for rainwater use. Rainwater harvesting is old as dirt.

By: outofdoors

outofdoors — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:40:44 +0000

After reading this I went to take a look at the site. I posted some notes and pictures here. With all due respect to 4oceans, it doesn't look as though nature has 'restored' these dunes to anything resembling an ideal habitat.

By: nofelix

nofelix — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:48:35 +0000

A green resort is still a resort, and thus not green.

Transporting loads of materials and people out to the coast just for fun is wasteful, and shouldn’t be praised for being green. It’s like saying you drive the greenest Humvee.

Compared to other ways of relaxing and enjoying yourself, this uses much more resources to be built and run. Some greenwash, whether it works or not, doesn’t change that.

By: mari

mari — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:45:29 +0000

It’s refreshing to see that some commenters are clear that just because a project calls itself “green” does not mean that it is so.

By: 4oceans

4oceans — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:07:26 +0000

Not acknowledged in your ‘story’ is the fact that this site is sensitive sand dunes that are endangered species habitat for western snowy plovers. It stopped being a ‘degraded sand mine’ a long long time ago. Nature on the site has ‘restored’ itself. The California Coastal Commission has already denied an ‘eco-resort’ for this site. All we had to do was stop destroying it daily with the sand mine. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the site were to be ‘destroyed’ again in the name of just another luxury ‘nature preserve/eco-resort’?!?!?

By: cpine

cpine — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:08:59 +0000

re: monterey, “…..this project is on the Bay side of Hwy 1, an area that should be left in open lands in keeping with the country’s largest marine sanctuary. How did this project happen? Local politics and greed for a higher tax basis. I noted this article made no mention the resort will NOT be open to the common Joe. Only the rich need reserve.”
Open lands is a relative term — this is an abandoned industrial site, the coastal lands equivalent of a strip mine, subject to runoff and leaching of pollutants from the highway and nearby urban intensive uses that then go into the bay.
The Common Joe of Monterey County does not have the wherewithal to effectively deal with these problems, nor an inclination other than to roam the site with off-road equipment and generally add trash to the area.
Politics is the mechanism be which any change for the better (of whatever definition of “better”) will occur.
By state law the tidal area must remain open and accessible to the Common Joe, unless it is made part of the marine reserve. Just as the Ahwanhee Hotel at Yosemite is not necessarily the most publicly accessible element of that park but has become an integral part of the plan to preserve and enhance the park experienc, it is possible that the Monterey Bay Shores resort can be utilized to help keep the rich and influential in tune with the programs and possibilities to nurture the Bay of the long haul.

By: monterey

monterey — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:06:53 +0000

As a resident of Monterey, reviewers of this project should be aware we are going through a historical drought. There is NO water to capture, hence the “green” assumption landscaping, etc. can be watered through capture is incorrect. Also, this project is on the Bay side of Hwy 1, an area that should be left in open lands in keeping with the country’s largest marine sanctuary. How did this project happen? Local politics and greed for a higher tax basis. I noted this article made no mention the resort will NOT be open to the common Joe. Only the rich need reserve.

By: ACCA

ACCA — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:24:00 +0000

A great scheme and fab images.

By: M2JL

M2JL — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:56:56 +0000

It looks much better than those generic giant towers that usually take up all the space right at the beach.