Sold you out to the hotel barons, commodore.
The Pacific Grove City Council voted 7-0 on Wednesday, Oct. 16 to vacate Sloat Avenue and sell it to landowner Foursome Development for $1.9 million, a crucial step toward the construction of a 222-unit luxury hotel where the American Tin Cannery currently sits along Ocean View Avenue at the gateway to the city.
The vote came after opposition from some residents who argued that Sloat Avenue would be a critical escape route in the rare instance of a tsunami or other disaster, among other arguments for why the street was still necessary to the city, or why the city hadn’t followed proper procedures to vacate.
Their arguments were rebutted point by point by City Attorney Brian Pierik and Community Development Director Karen Vaughn. Using maps of the city’s road system, Vaughn said the road that runs behind the ATC between Dewey and Eardley avenues was a minor street that would not be impacted during a tsunami, nor necessary for escape.