Half Moon Bay voters to decide Measure D map changes

Measure D, originally approved by voters in 1999 and certified by the Coastal Commission in 2009, imposes an up to 1.5% annual population growth limit in Half Moon Bay by allocating a limited number of new housing certificates, including for ADUs and junior accessory dwelling units. Within the downtown Measure D area, up to 1% of population growth is accommodated, and the outside-of-downtown area accommodates the other .5%. 

If approved by voters, the ballot measure would affect 491 parcels, including 326 residential plots, staff said. The change would make the downtown Measure D allocations more competitive, adding 88% of those 326 residential parcels into that area and subtracting 12%. 

It will be important to provide the utmost clarity to voters on why the decision is being made, Mayor Debbie Ruddock said. 

“It’s going to be really important in the analysis that accompanies the ballot question to be really careful how this is explained. It’s going to have to be close to perfect,” she said. “When you change a map, that could raise a lot of red flags for people.” 

Councilmembers did not immediately decide who, if anyone, would write the ballot argument in support of the change during their meeting. Planning Commission Vice Chair Rick Hernandez argued previously that the Local Coastal Land Use Plan the map matches was intentionally designed to concentrate development in areas that could handle it and prevent urban sprawl. 

In addition, although it would reallocate where development certifications are meted out, it would not change the zoning laws in those areas, Hernandez said during a prior May meeting where two other planning commissioners voted against bringing the amended maps to voters. 

“We spent six years working on the LCLUP update. I was very involved in that process, and we defined a town center as part of that process,” he said previously. “The whole point was we wanted to concentrate development in this specific area.” 

Half Moon Bay has had issues with its growth cap in the past, with the state previously asking the City Council to bring a measure to voters that would exempt accessory dwelling units from Measure D entirely. The City Council rejected that request in January, but acquiesced to reducing ADUs and junior accessory dwelling units to .5 of a Measure D allocation or less, a move that may not require voter approval.