Half Moon Bay says no to Measure D and yes to sales tax

Recent polling results found that the measure was supported by a majority of votes — 63% of 318 residents polled would support the increase, according to data presented by staff.

Two Measure D ballot measures were proposed by staff, one of which would have exempted accessory dwelling units and deed-restricted affordable units from Measure D and updated the downtown area map to a newer town center map. The second option would have updated the map only. 

Measure D, originally passed by voters in 1999 and certified by the Coastal Commission in 2009, requires development certification to be allocated based on the city’s number of individuals per household. The measure imposes a 1% to 1.5% annual population growth limit in Half Moon Bay. 

The Planning Commission recommended that the City Council not move forward with an ADU or affordable housing Measure D exemption at this time, although it suggested consideration of a ballot measure for updating the map, so it would become cohesive with the city’s Local Coastal Land Use Plan — which already uses the new zoning. 

“The Planning Commission is our local land use expert. We trust them, or we would not have appointed them,” Vice Mayor Harvey Rarback said regarding the ADU Measure D exemption. 

Discussion revolved around the second option, which the council weighed for around an hour before voting against. It would have removed 43 properties from the boundary area and added an additional 323, mostly in the Heritage and South Main Street downtown area. 

“We should have a clear map that reinforces what’s already in practice, otherwise it gets us in trouble,” Councilmember Robert Brownstone, who voted to include the measure on the ballot, said during discussion. 

Despite councilmembers expressing interest in aligning the Measure D map with existing zoning policies and attempts to reword the ballot language to make the premise more clear, it was ultimately voted down by the City Council because of its convoluted nature and the already-lengthy ballot voters will face.

“I don’t know if the votes are going to reflect really what the public wants, because so many people are going to be looking at this long ballot and just not reading this item, because they don’t see it or because it’s too confusing,” Councilmember Deborah Penrose said. 

The proposal would also have had a financial impact to the city, which is already paying to add the sales tax measure to the ballot, Rarback said. 

“We just saved the city $10,000,” he said. 

Since Measure D essentially caps growth for the year, staff now allocate certificates for proposals until the limit is met. City staff will continue to pursue alternative routes to ADU reform, including potentially reducing Measure D certificate requirements to only half a certificate, rather than a whole. That change would not require a ballot measure. The city will also look at other administrative actions, like potentially penalizing those who received certificates but aren’t using them. 

The City Council also moved forward with raising hotels’ nightly assessment fees to $2 — currently, patrons pay $1 a night when staying in coastside hotels to fund the Business Improvement District’s coastside marketing and tourism promotion.

Previous conversation suggested bolstering the BID and tourism efforts could help address the city’s budget deficit in the long term.