A tiny California beach town of just 300 residents could soon become a major tourist hub.

The little-known shores of Monterey County‘s Sand City are getting major upgrade after the notoriously strict California Coastal Commission approved plans for a massive resort along the beach.

Once the site of a bustling sand mine, the beach has been an eyesore for years, with crumbling blocks of leftover concrete from the mine’s glory days.

Much to the excitement of local officials, private developer King Ventures has drawn up plans for a 100-room condominium-hotel, dubbed the Collections Resort. The 8-acre property will also feature a campground with 25 tent-cabins in the sand.

Along with building the resort, the developer has also agreed to clean up the rubble-riddled beach, perform habitat restoration, and excavate a large piece of concrete along the shore.

Sand City mayor Mary Ann Carbone says the beach has been a concern for city leadership for the entirety of her 35-year tenure.

“We had to think of a way to get that cleaned up,” Carbone told the LA Times “This is a wonderful way to get someone in here to finally do it.”

The developers also agreed to create walking paths along the beach that will connect to the 1,200-mile-long California Coastal Trail, in addition to building boardwalks with parking and bathrooms.

“The only thing keeping this area from being a prime visitor destination and publicly accessible beach and dune space is the industrial rubble,” Kevin Kahn, the coastal commission’s Central Coast District manager told the LA Times.

Kahn called the beachfront approval “quite rare”, emphasizing and City as “an extraordinary stretch of coast” with “enormous potential.”

Because the beach was once used for industrial purposes, the site is not classified as an Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area under the Coastal Act of 1972, paving the way for development.

“Restoring these properties, creating new public access and ensuring the long-term maintenance of these areas with the resort’s resources are things I think we’ll all take pride in,” David Watson, the hotel’s project manager, said at an August coastal commission meeting.

King Ventures previously proposed a larger 340-room version of the resort on the site back in 2014, which was rejected by the coastal commission. The developer resubmitted a modified proposal earlier this year.

The new resort follows the opening of a new 215-room Marriott Courtyard just a block away earlier this year. The city has also approved plans to convert a commercial building into a new boutique hotel.

Pans for the Monterey Bay Shores Resort, an eco-friendly “sustainable” resort just up the beach from the Collections site, were approved 8 years ago. Construction on the result has halted over an ongoing ownership dispute.

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