Half Moon Bay launches new Economic Recovery Initiative

Long-term objectives include strengthening economic development capacity, improving workers’ opportunities, creating commercial and community spaces, and improving digital infrastructure to create a more equitable, vibrant and resilient economy.

The CRI had an open house Thursday to discuss potential ideas and changes and get public feedback on creating a better coastside economy. Small breakout teams of community members identified ideas to help economic recovery, like attracting more high-tech companies, training for the new economy, protecting open spaces to attract tourism, training more skilled local workers, more affordable housing and addressing high housing costs.

The upcoming Recovery Task Force will find and identify specific recommendations that will then appear before the City Council. It will include around 12 to 18 people who will meet monthly and brainstorm, with input from the community, about economic recovery ideas, said City Manager Bob Nesbit. It will form in late February and meet regularly through at least June 2021, according to a city report. Applications are currently being taken to join, with hopes to get diverse people from a wide variety of sectors, including agriculture, fishing, real estate, hotel and hospitality, finance and information technology, small business owners, nonprofit leaders and academia. Its initial efforts in the first month will be on determining unmet business and workforce needs. April to June will focus on developing implementation strategies. Once recommendations are decided, it will put together a report in June to the City Council and other different agencies on the best ways to develop and implement policies and programs, and the City Council can then decided what action it wants to take to implement policy or help.

“It’s one of our critical initiatives for the next year,” Nesbit said.

Senior Management Analyst Karen Decker said tourism, the restaurant industry and small business make up a massive part of the coastside economy and have been hit particularly hard this year, while agriculture and fishing industries make the area’s economic recovery a unique process compared to other regions in San Mateo County. The city has already received several applications for the Recovery Task Force, and there is no hard deadline for applying to ensure they get as many applications as possible before it starts.

Deputy City Manager Matthew Chidester said that based on what the Task Force recommended, the county could help address infrastructure investment or programing recommendations. The city is the lead agency and realized that it wasn’t enough to address Half Moon Bay and not address unincorporated parts of the county. San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley said at the meeting the county was ready to support the Coastside Recovery Initiative in any way possible to help the area and community.

“I think we can achieve great things,” Horsley said.

People can apply for the Recovery Task Force or find out more information at https://www.half-moon-bay.ca.us/757/Coastside-Recovery-Initiative.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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