When the homes of Carmel are not enchanting, will Carmel be enchanting?

As I walk along our tree-lined streets, I notice a change that saddens me. Carmel’s picturesque architectural character – the look – that makes us uniquely different and special from Anywhere, USA is disappearing. Homes built with wonder and imagination are now being replaced with big modern glass boxes with no visible roof; the exact look of Malibu, Newport Beach.  Carmel has historically embraced new homes that honor what people before us have worked so hard to achieve. Rooflines pitched towards the heavens and stone chimneys have been replaced with two-story homes with flat walls to the sky. 

Carmel doesn’t have to be a village of fairy-tale houses, but we can build homes with the spirit of the guidelines in mind.   A “volumetrics” approach to plan approval has created accepted building codes that result in houses that are an anathema to Carmel’s visual appeal, charm, and idyllic beauty.  While the tear-down-and-replace approach is often necessary; replacement should show regard to the heritage that is part of the fabric of Carmel. 

Our Citizens’ Architectural Board was abolished; a team of residents that once protected our character.  The current system is an adversarial process that pits neighbor against neighbor and requires each plan be contested but without the underpinnings of a cohesive code approach to restricting big, square, and sterile structures which are lining our little streets. Further, “zoom” meetings have reduced the participation of concerned citizens. Remodeling can be accomplished without changing our distinctiveness – after all, until recently, we had been doing it for over 100 years. 

“Quirky and village quaint” is rapidly being replaced by square, sharp-edged, industrial appearing dwellings, as opposed to the unexpected visual wonder that created our magic. This is not progress. This is an encroachment on a “subtle European city with a quaint feel with a village-like atmosphere, full of character” (a quote from our city website).  

Carmel’s city website contains our city official’s email addresses. Please contact them with your concerns and email  SaveCarmelsCharm@gmail.com and request to be added to a petition to save Carmel.   

C. White
Carmel Resident