Former coast nursery won’t be developed for housing in San Mateo County

After entering into a contract to purchase the property in January 2024, the county explored development options for the nearly 50-acre site at 2265 and 2275 Cabrillo Highway South, less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean. It was seen as an opportunity to meet housing needs on the coast and as a way to provide further amenities for the farmworker community — especially after the mass shooting in January 2023 that killed seven residents and caused the displacement of 18 families. Most were immigrant farmworkers, and the tragedy shined a light on the squalid conditions many agricultural workers endure. 

When the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors announced its intention to purchase the property in January, officials said there would be a due diligence period and Tuesday revealed a monthslong analysis found the site not suitable for the county’s needs.

Conversations for the property acquisition and development were largely spearheaded by District 3 Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose district comprises the impacted property, as well as Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, who helped secure funding at the state level. The land sits in both Half Moon Bay and on unincorporated county property. 

“While disappointing, this part of the journey does not in any way diminish the county’s continued commitment to add more essential farmworker and workforce housing for vulnerable populations living on the San Mateo coast, and to find a permanent site for an agricultural distribution center/food hub that will support the coastside’s farming and ranching economy,” Mueller said in a press release. “We learned much in the due diligence conducted for this site that will aid us in ultimately achieving this goal, and I am grateful to the county professional team for their work.”

The county said it is still moving forward with several coastal projects aimed at providing affordable housing for agricultural workers and others. Dozens of manufactured homes will soon be installed at the Stone Pine Cove Farm Labor Housing Project on Stone Pine Road in Half Moon Bay. The Cypress Point project, in Moss Beach, will include 71 units of affordable housing for approximately 210 people.

The city of Half Moon Bay also approved June 26 a 40-unit, five-story affordable housing complex for senior farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave.