Cypress Point housing still draws concerns in Moss Beach

MidPen Housing, a nonprofit low-income housing developer, is seeking to build 16 two-story buildings with 71 residential units on an 11-acre site in Moss Beach. The project, dubbed the Cypress Point Affordable Housing Community Project, would be made up of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. All homes would be listed at a below-market rate, making the units available to people earning 80% of the area median income which is currently $124,000 annually for a family of four.

Many changes have been made to the proposal, the most noteworthy being the more than 50% reduction in the number of units included in the proposal, in response to some community concerns the project was too large for the site and would be too much of a strain on public resources.

During Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting, residents continued to raise concerns the project was proposed in the wrong area. Specifically, neighbors argued the new homes would create even more traffic congestion in an area with limited ins and outs, especially during emergencies.

Some also argued the homes would be far away from amenities and that an adequate connection to public transit would need to be created. MidPen said it plans to contribute to the county’s Connect the Coastside initiative, a transportation plan intended to improve mobility and safety for coastside residents and visitors. However, residents argued those improvements should be added before construction begins on the site rather than simultaneously.

“I’m for affordable housing but how about over the hill where these people are going to work, where our traffic is not impacted? I think it’s just all wrong,” Moss Beach resident Jerry Epstein said.

Beyond traffic concerns, locals also argued the site should be left as it is given that it’s a habitat for owls and other local species while others said placing low-income earners on the site would be unethical because soils might be contaminated. The property was a military training ground in the past and has since become an illegal dumping ground for appliances, furniture and other trash, likely leaving behind decades of contaminants, residents have argued.

A draft environmental impact report found that some of the community concerns were true, including the potential for hazardous materials and sensitive species to be on-site, but the report also suggests mitigations could help eliminate or reduce any significant impacts.

Impacts on traffic, including exposing residents to potential traffic hazards, was the one area the report said could not be reduced to less than significant even with mitigations. MidPen currently plans for at least 75% of units to be home to those who work in the nearby community, Principal Planner Michael Schaller said.

Other areas called out in the report as potential impacts include noise, climate change and greenhouse gasses, air quality and cultural resources but those impacts can be reduced to less than significant, according to the report.

No formal decision was made Wednesday though commissioners did ask for more information on pedestrian and traffic safety improvements and soil toxin mitigations. Community Development Director Steve Monowitz said comments will be addressed in a final impact report.

The public has until Sept. 25 to provide input. A final version is expected to be released by early December when the Planning Commission may review the document and make its final recommendation. Whatever decision is made by the Board of Supervisors will be final and cannot be appealed to the Coastal Commission, Monowitz noted.

The development proposal has received $17.8 million from the state and $5.5 million from the county to help move the project along. Developers behind the project had requested another $10 million from the county under its Affordable Housing Fund Program but were not selected to receive the grant because staff felt other proposals were further along in the planning phase.