Character is the distinctive nature of something. The quality of being individual in an interesting or unusual way. And, that is exactly what draws most people to Carmel. It’s character. You know it when you see it. And, so, the best way to answer this question is to go to our gallery and look at Carmel’s character. You’ll see that, like many things, opinions lie on a continuum. Many Carmel houses are easily defined as having Carmel character or charm, with almost 100% agreement. Likewise, many are clearly not that style. Then, there are those along the continuum, where opinions differ. That’s why we have formed committees to discuss and determine whether an individual house plan qualifies as having Carmel character.

Carmel is not an encyclopedia of architectural styles. They are well represented in other communities.

Because Carmel has virtually no undeveloped land, newer designs will actually eliminate existing charming cottages. Taking this to the extreme, continued demolition of older homes to be replaced by new “modern” buildings will eventually eliminate what is Carmel’s charm.

Diversity is good among people, but not necessarily among houses in a neighborhood.  Yes, some diversity is desirable.  We don’t want “cookie cutter” designs that all look alike, and we don’t have that. The diversity among the older Carmel traditional styles thrives.

Carmel has maintained an architectural integrity atypical of the vast majority of communities. We are special, in that the residential designs have, for the most part, a warm, inviting, cozy feel, impervious to trends of the time.

In any community worth visiting, there is an atmosphere, expressed through its architecture, which speaks not only to diversity within a genre, but homogeneity as well. Carmel is world-renowned for a reason, much of it due to the “magical” designs of its homes.

Yes, we can and we have we been doing it for the last 100+ years in Carmel when it comes to housing designs. That does not mean that we won’t embrace new and better ways to deal with issues generally. However, Carmel has maintained an architectural integrity atypical of the vast majority of communities. We hope this will continue to but it won’t happen without hard work and diligence just as others have done over and over by those before us.

Carmel is in danger of becoming an “Anywhere USA” community. Many beach communities have already succumbed to “’progress.” At this point, the village of Carmel is losing the battle to maintain its traditional character, maybe for the first time in its history.

Ah yes, individual rights. If your neighbor wants to build a warehouse next to you, is that ok? How about a huge flat-top box home painted purple that blocks all the neighbors’ views? Any community worth visiting has strict building guidelines. European villages exemplify this well. People can build pretty much what they want in Seaside or Marina or other more modern areas.

As the state regulations start taking control of design guidelines with situation like Additional Dwelling Units (ADU), it is important that Carmel does everything it can to maintain its ability to control our own destiny.

As for “mimicry,” aren’t the contemporary homes mimicking others just as much as the traditional styles? Original nuances can appear on any style of home. Yes, it is important to monitor the quality of construction to assure that false facades and other poor attempts at capturing the past are discouraged. However, there are many examples of charming newer buildings in the village that uphold the magic of Carmel.

Many of the Carmel cottages are beyond repair, but they can be remodeled, added to, or demolished if necessary while rebuilding in the character of what makes Carmel so unique and special.

Take the analogy of modern art. Are paintings of landscapes, or still lives mimicking others on the same topic? Is not modern art mimicking a style as well? Everything old is new again.

Guidelines are just that, guidelines. They cannot be comprehensive in covering every possible issue presented. The “spirit” of the guidelines is ideally determined and upheld in committee discussion and decision making. This is not a perfect world, but we can strive toward that ideal.

Yes, unfortunately true in some cases. Two (or more) wrongs do not make a right. Let’s start making better decisions regarding designs in Carmel!

Well, Disneyland is not what we want either, but people flock there for a reason. We don’t want false fronts. We do want the real thing. There is nothing wrong with making an environment welcoming and comfortable, different from other places. There IS something wrong with making it sterile and bare, particularly in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Comstock would not have been allowed to build his cottages today. Not just because of codes, but because they would not have been seen as “acceptable” by our Planning Commission (e.g., volumetric guidelines preclude high peeked roofs, and the Commission recommends “simple” lines/designs).