Half Moon Bay is moving forward with designs for a long-awaited gateway arch at State Route 92 and Main Street amid tentative plans that a private donor will fund its construction, Karen Decker, Economic and Community Vitality manager, said.
“We heard a lot about the intersection being underwhelming, and it doesn’t do justice to the charm and the heritage of downtown Half Moon Bay,” she said. “There was great excitement for the idea of a new landmark in the form of a gateway.”
The City Council approved a professional services agreement for up to $79,170 — plus additional $20,000 if necessary — with RHAA Landscape, Architecture and Planning, who will conduct public outreach, site analysis and design.
City staff is in positive talks with a private donor, Decker said, who will need to know actual costs of the project before moving forward. Even if that fails to move forward, the city will then be in a shovel-ready position to pursue grants, she said.
“What the city is doing is paying for a feasibility study as part of its due diligence in support of what looks like a great project,” Councilmember Robert Brownstone said.
Local downtown businesses are supportive.
“Downtown merchants often hear, ‘Main Street? I’ve been coming here for 27 years and I didn’t know it was here.’ This would go a long way to help with that,’” Chamber of Commerce CEO Krystlyn Geidt said. “That gateway arch had been something talked about, I’m going to guess at this point, 30-something years.”
The project is not without its share of complications, Associate Engineer Dale Leda said. The arch would likely need to be over Main Street, due to Caltrans ownership of the highway, and the intersection also boasts a complicated mess of underground utilities.
“It is a tricky thing, I know, about the location of the arch, but I believe this is an investment for our community,” Mayor Joaquin Jimenez said. “It’s an investment that eventually is going to pay off, having an entrance gate.”
The project could break ground by spring 2026, although contract language with RHAA means that the city can pause work on the gateway arch before then if necessary, city staff said.
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