City gets ready for Kimpton Hotel opening

Kimpton Hotel in late August 2025

                  At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, 9-3-25, Pacific Grove’s Public Works Director Daniel Gho gave a fulsome description of the street and sidewalk work that the City plans to get finished in anticipation of the opening of the Kimpton Hotel on Central Avenue in early 2026.

          The work involves what Gho described as a complete reconfiguration of the intersection of Fountain and Central Avenues with the intent of implementing a four- way stop there. New curb ramps will be installed on all corners with the ramp at the southwest corner the responsibility of the hotel owners. 

          A new driveway on the northeast side of Central and Fountain adjacent to the Spiritual Center will be installed. There will be 1,650 square feet of new sidewalks put in.    A bulb out, (sidewalk extension) on the southwest corner of Grand and Central, an upgrade of all existing curb ramps and   improvements to the existing storm water controls   are  part of the  project.  

           There will be reconstruction of 14, 500 square feet of pavement on Central Avenue and 5200 square feet of pavement on Grand Avenue with 7,000 square feet of asphalt overlay on Fountain Avenue. On top of all that, new road markings will be needed on all three road segments, Gho told the Council.  The City Council had already approved the project in its March 22, meeting.     

           Gho told the Council that he expected the work to been completed in early December. The City Council had previously approved the plans but this more recent reporting was to not only give the Council and the public an update as to what was planned, but to identify the funding sources of payment. This project which will cost, for actual construction, before the contractor’s ten percent contingency fee, is $657,634.  Gho said that there was an open bidding process and that Monterey Peninsula Engineering was the lowest responsible bidder.    

           The good news is that the funds needed are covered in several ways: one the Kimpton Hotel owners made a contribution of $86,976.12 as part of their use permit, and   much of the rest came out of a large grant from T.A.M.C., The Transportation Agency of Monterey County as well as a number of other existing funds earmarked for street rehabilitation projects by the City.  In other words, no new money needed to be tapped to fund the project.

     The next step after he had obtained City Council approval, Gho commented, was signing of the contract with Monterey Peninsula Engineering and developing a construction schedule.  

Intersection of Central and Fountain where four way stop will be  installed