P.G. Bella Players “Costly Mistake” Cited In Grand Jury Report

You need to approve it before you can see it. And the city manager that lives in another city needs to commute by jet. P.G. voters please don’t elect any more mistakes.

ATC

The mishandling of the failed luxury hotel project known as Project Bella ultimately cost Pacific Grove $100,000. That was the main finding of a recent Monterey County civil grand jury report investigating why the 160-room hotel development, which was proposed to replace the American Tin Cannery Outlets, failed to become a reality.

While Roufougar had also determined allegations that Harvey accepted paid airfare and other gifts from Domaine developer Ron Meer had no merit, the grand jury report looked deeper into Harvey’s part in a group membership into a private airline with his friend and sub-contractor of Domaine, Jared Ficker. Meer was also part of the membership.

P.G. Bella Players “Costly Mistake” Cited In Grand Jury Report

Project Bella Is Still Planned – Pinky Promise

The city extended the application, however, because officials kept thinking plans were on their way, Brodeur says.

There was reason to believe that might be the case. Just a couple of weeks before the May expiration date, Domaine and its supporters in Friends of Project Bella scored a major win in a special election election to change the American Tin Cannery’s zoning from retail to hotel.

However, months later there were signs of trouble within the Pacific Grove company, which is owned by Domaine Hospitality Partners, LLC. One of the DHP partners, Michael Crall, resigned his position as development director in November, publicly raising questions about Meer’s management of Project Bella.

At a Jan. 11 City Council meeting, Armanasco told the council that despite Crall’s questions, Project Bella was moving forward. Meer himself made a similar statement to the Weekly just the day before.

Project Bella Is Still Planned – Pinky Promise

Project Bella Permit Yanked

Whole project stinks.

In what seems to be the latest in a string of missteps concerning the development of Pacific Grove’s proposed luxury hotel Project Bella, the city has withdrawn the project’s permit application due to expiration.

In what seems to be the latest in a string of missteps concerning the development of Pacific Grove’s proposed luxury hotel Project Bella, the city has withdrawn the project’s permit application due to expiration.

“The city of Pacific Grove, being either big-hearted or forgetful, depending on how you look at it, was waiting for them to complete the NOIA (Notice of Incomplete Application),” said Brodeur. “We waited over a year.”

Meanwhile, Crall said Domaine has spent millions of dollars, still owes investors upward of $2 million and consultants and engineers at least $200,000.

“I’ve not been hesitant in telling anybody that Meer is sloppy and amateurish and that he cannot do this project,” said Crall.

Project Bella Permit Yanked

Project Bella. It Keeps On Giving

Giving sketchy excuses. And Ben Harvey would love for it to be done.

Project Bella Overhead View

It is one of what has become a series of allegations by a partner in the project about financial wrongdoings and mismanagement on the part of Domaine Pacific Grove, LLC. Despite the accusations of Michael Crall, Domaine spokesman David Armanasco said the project continues to proceed.

At the Pacific Grove City Council meeting on Jan. 11, City Manager Ben Harvey gave council members an update on both the project and its development team and said the city was working to renegotiate a contract with Domaine.

Still, Harvey said that ultimately the city would love the project to come to fruition.

Project Bella. It Keeps On Giving

Project Bella Failing

People resigning, people not paying. Sounds like a failure.

ATC Hotel mockup

 

Despite the recent exit of one of its developers and the subsequent controversy that has followed, Pacific Grove officials on Wednesday seemed willing to move forward with Project Bella while they await the project’s plan and application from its developer, Domaine Hospitality.

“The architect hasn’t been paid $100,000 and the civil engineer hasn’t been paid $12,000 — these invoices are outstanding. You cannot start a project unless you have those fundamental documents and basic plans,” said Crall. “I had no clue about their history when I invited them into my project.”

Councilman Rudy Fischer said that despite the recent problems within Domaine’s management, the rezoning of the American Tin Cannery site was the right thing to do. “I still think that it gives the city a lot of flexibility in the future no matter what happens. I think anyone who feels that P.G. is going down the wrong road on this is not looking at it clearly.”

Project Bella Failing

ATC Bella Hotel Team Crumbling?

Crall thinks the hotel project is a bust.

ATC

Michael Crall, a partner and chief development officer of Domaine Hospitality Partners, the development group behind the project, confirmed Wednesday that he and fellow partner Grant Sedgwick have both resigned from their positions as officers of Domaine.

While Crall noted that he could no longer speak on the company’s behalf and said he had not spoken with Meer since Sept. 8, he did say that he does not believe that either Meer or Clark are capable of completing the project. He also claimed the fundraising practices conducted by them has “exposed the company to liability under both state and federal securities laws,” but declined to elaborate.

ATC Bella Hotel Team Crumbling?

What Stores Have In Store At ATC Hotel

Parking Meters Ocean View

Now that Pacific Grove residents have passed Measure X, the detail design, approval process and environmental study are next in line for Project Bella, the five star hotel which could be built after the American Tin Cannery is bulldozed.

“We have made a commitment to make this if not the most sustainable building in the United States, certainly the most sustainable buildings, not just hotels but buildings in general,” said Crall.

As developers map out the 225 rooms and suites, shops and more, businesses inside the American Tin Cannery are wondering what’s in store for them next.

Next? The highest substainable rent for an art gallery or restaurant in the substainable states of America. Substainable Substaining Substainability.

What Stores Have In Store At ATC Hotel

P.S. Substainable!

Look! Out In The Dark! It’s A Bird! It’s A Raccoon! It’s . .

. . Man Bun Man, our new superhero.

Man Bun Man

Surveillance cameras captured the incidents, and the chamber handed the footage over to the Pacific Grove Police Department and KSBW.

“The videos plainly show two separate incidents of the illegal act of impinging on the Chamber of Commerce’s right to freedom of expression,” chamber members said.

According to the city manager, one of the men in the videos was identified as local activist Luke Coletti, and he apologized.

But police are conducting an investigation to identify a second man in the video, who has a ponytail.

On Friday, the chamber announced it is offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the man with the ponytail.

Coletti told KSBW that he did not steal any signs, and merely put the signs on the ground. It was unclear if Coletti will face criminal charges.

Look! Out In The Dark! It’s A Bird! It’s A Raccoon! It’s . .

Something Stinks At ATC

And it’s not kelp baking in the sun at low tide or squid drying on the shore like it was years ago.

ATC

It looks like there were lessons learned after the failure to turn Holman’s into some kind of “World Class” transient stay place.

A group dubbed the Committee Against Measure X sponsored by Unite Here, Local 483, sent out fliers over the weekend to Pacific Grove voters declaring “Measure X is wrong” and asking voters to reconsider the measure because it allows a developer to avoid the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Woah, when the group that stands to gain power and money by making promises to a few hundred low wage hotel workers it against it there must be something under the covers going on.

The voters’ guide was mailed out, I like the bait this project is trying to use to hook y’all:

Recognition of Pacific Grove as a world-class destination and an innovative leader in conservation and sustainability

More like “How did this cute little town allow this to built?

Banquet, meeting, and reception rooms that will enable Pacific Grove to host large and small events, keeping that business in Pacific Grove

Look at the next line and tell me, who from P.G would use this place?

New luxury travelers who will patronize Pacific Grove restaurants, shops, and other businesses

The type of people that stay there will make the choice of Cannery Row or Carmel, not P.G.

State-of-the-art design, construction, and operational programs and technologies, as one of the world’s most sustainable hotels, that will save and recycle significant amounts of water and energy and reduce pollution and greenhouse gases

Ha! I knew someone would throw in the Substainable word once, but TWICE?

An ideal location at the edge of town that will help mitigate traffic impacts and provide additional needed parking for the City, resulting in reduced downtown congestion

Never mind that slow and getting slower traffic jam on Lighthouse Avenue to the tunnel.

A visitor and interpretive center and museum that will celebrate Pacific Grove’s extraordinary culture, its heritage and historic character, and its unequalled scenic beauty

A tribute to the scenery that will never come back

New revenues from transient occupancy taxes, property taxes, and sales and use taxes to support our library, police, fire department, parks, and other City services and operations

New opportunities for thieves.

Three hundred permanent high quality hotel jobs for workers of all skill and education levels, many of whom will be residents of Pacific Grove, plus hundreds of high quality construction phase jobs, many of which will benefit Pacific Grove businesses and residents

Most of the workers at hotels in PG cannot afford to live there. See the part about the traffic to and from PG.

At first it kind of appealed to me, keep the touristas at the border of town, pray that they stay on the ‘row and don’t bother me. But the thing is now sounding like the city whoring itself out to get a few bucks. Vote NO on Measure X.

Something Stinks At ATC

Union Against Hotel

Not even built yet and getting their name in there. Does CEQA relate to the NLRB or AFL-CIO?

483 Secretary Wages

A group dubbed the Committee Against Measure X sponsored by Unite Here, Local 483, sent out fliers over the weekend to Pacific Grove voters declaring “Measure X is wrong” and asking voters to reconsider the measure because it allows a developer to avoid the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Union Against Hotel