A vote could finally put this beach town on the map — literally!
Scenic Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. — just ten minutes from where Brad Pitt recently bought a $40 million property — is considering finally adding addresses to homes after nearly a century of numberless navigation.
Carmel City Council last week instructed staffers to start researching the possibility of adding “a street addressing system” amid complaints the current town layout causes package delivery confusion and is a headache for visitors relying on GPS-based directions, according to The Mercury News.
Though the city — which previously boasted Clint Eastwood as its mayor — has a small grid of named streets, its lack of numbered addresses also delays paramedics and fire trucks from responding to emergencies, residents said.
The tiny coastal town, renowned for its breathtaking views and quaint cottages, first passed an ordinance in 1929 championing the city’s personality over development.
That law has long compelled city leaders to keep residential streets free of sidewalks and street lights, chain stores and neon signs — along with mailboxes and addresses, the paper reported.
“Tradition and preservation of the city’s charm, unique look, and culture have been at the forefront of its governing body and residents’ preference in the past to reject implementing a street addressing system,” the city council noted at a meeting Oct. 4.
Carmel residents currently collect mail at the town post office, so the city is examining whether establishing addresses would compel the United States Postal Service to require mail delivery, said Carmel administrative analyst Emily Gray.
Once city council staff members get a better understanding of what the address program would include and look like, they will advise on next steps, Gray said.
Carmel likely won’t move forward until after a city council election in November, she said.
Eastwood served as town mayor from 1986 to 1988, after successfully running on a campaign of fighting some of the city’s quirky bureaucracy, like its ban on ice cream cones.
Another quirky rule the town of 3,800 adopted in past decades includes a 1963, ban on wearing high heels more than 2 inches in height without obtaining a permit.
The ordinance was passed by the city attorney to protect the town from lawsuits resulting from tripping over uneven pavement distorted by tree roots.
