After four years of public meetings, the Half Moon Bay City Council adopted its 2020 Land Coastal Land Use Plan, or LUP, that seeks to create a new vision for a vibrant and sustainable downtown while meeting state housing requirements and protecting agricultural land.
At an Oct. 20 meeting, the council held a public hearing on the plan that solidifies its long-term goals for planning and development. It unanimously passed the plan by a vote of 5-0. The plan will now move forward to the California Coastal Commission for approval.
Half Moon Bay Councilwoman Debbie Ruddock said Tuesday that the council’s goal was to create a new vision for the downtown area, with a plan for a mixed-use area with more residential areas, open spaces, walking areas and an overall vibrant and sustainable downtown. The new plan also meets new housing requirements from the state and creates more housing capacity close to commercial areas downtown, including workforce housing. The plan also provides extra protection for agricultural land. The previous plan didn’t protect agriculture land well and mostly focused on converting such land for other purposes. The reorganizing will also help the city improve traffic gridlock north of State Route 92. Half Moon Bay might run into water infrastructure issues in the future with no changes, and the plan addresses potential water issues.
Some changes will also take place to plans for subdivision ordinance, zoning maps and zoning ordinances. The final draft’s specific goals include new residential lots, stricter updates to enforcing environmental standards, discussions about the Surf Beach/Dunes Beach public development, and more comprehensive master planning.
Ruddock said there was no vision, specific policies or sense for what the existing community wants under the current plan. It was also heavy on traditional residential subdivisions.
An LUP is used to guide the long-term vision and goals of a community when making development decisions. It also guides public and private land development issues, zoning ordinances, public funding and various tax policies. The Coastal Commission initially approved the city’s current plan in 1985, amended it in 1993, and formally certified the plan in 1996. The city released the first public review draft of the updated plan in April 2016. Over the last four years, the city has held public meetings and workshops to get public input. In September and earlier in the month, the city held meetings to introduce the updated plan to the public and make revisions to the previous drafts.
Half Moon Bay Mayor Adam Eisen said at the meeting he believes the work from the council, citizens, public organization and city staff in building the plan will bolster the community and be a vision for the city for decades.
“The significance of this City Council action should not be lost on anyone. The land-use plan captures the community’s vision, hopes and dreams. It reflects our heritage, protects our resources and provides opportunities to our residents and workers,” Eisen said.
Members of the public spoke at the meeting and expressed concern about how the plan will stop future environmental damage to areas on the coast, future water supply and how the plan keeps Half Moon Bay as a small-town coastal community. Residents also were worried about what the updated plan will mean for the Dunes Beach development site and future housing developments.
In response, the council said it is more of a future policy plan than a specific implementation plan and development for the present. The council praised city staffers’ work in designing the plan and listening to public input to develop the best possible options that addressed as many concerns as possible. The council was confident in the plan and will help successfully guide future policy.
“I am very confident that this is a plan that protects our vision, and it protects all our natural resources here,” said Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Robert Brownstone. “I think the future of our city and our coastline is in terrific hands, and we have a blueprint that incorporates a beautiful vision.”
Ruddock said at the Oct. 20 meeting she felt comfortable with the policies laid out and the vision that city staff had embodied in the plan. She believes the updates strike the right policy balance and include a vision for future general policymaking for the city.
“I think there are many, many good policies here, and they are transformative policies. Development that comes in the future, if it comes, is going to look quite different. It’s going to be more protected,” Ruddock said.
The council expects that more complex and detailed public discussion will come in the future on specific implementation plans for zoning and subdivision ordinances. Topics would include new zoning districts, new workforce housing and water infrastructure changes to better support the area.
Ruddock said county staff is working on finalizing the plan before submitting it to the Coastal Commission. The city has worked with it on the proposal to ensure no surprises for both sides. Approval of the plan could take three months to a year.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.