Water, sewer, stormwater solutions in play: Half Moon Bay City Council set priorities for the upcoming fiscal year 

After the city lost a large-scale lawsuit that found it must pay for 62% of the $25 million cost to replace the pipeline that transports wastewater from Granada and Montara to the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside plant, the community has been discussing possible changes to the current sewer and water system. 

Currently, three agencies, including the city of Half Moon Bay, the Granada Community Services District and the Montara Water and Sanitary District operate the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside under a joint powers agreement. That model is clearly antiquated, Mayor Debbie Ruddock said. 

“It’s made up of three different agencies with three different goals and budgets … it’s a relic,” she said. “The only way we’re going to be able to address our water problem long term is by having consolidated water and sewer.” 

Downtown parking

The city will be studying its downtown parking problems this year, City Manager Matthew Chidester said. After a suggestion from Ruddock, part of that effort will also include finding locations where a parking garage could potentially be built. 

“I think the key thing is identifying a location, studying locations that might accommodate structures,” Ruddock said. “I understand there are people willing to help fund a garage, but they need to know there’s land available.” 

Possible removal of the angled parking downtown will also come up during future discussions. Another downtown priority that was highlighted during the goal-setting session was construction of a kiosk downtown to provide visitors and residents with a directory and map of local businesses.

“I think it solves a lot of issues,” Councilmember Robert Brownstone said. “It just tells you — anybody, whether you’re local or a tourist — where the heck something is.” 

Purchasing and installing a kiosk could cost anywhere between $20,000 to $100,000, staff said. 

Drainage

Half Moon Bay’s ongoing issues with its stormwater and drainage systems should also be a priority going into the new fiscal year, councilmembers agreed, though they debated whether to address it via a master plan or continued, targeted issues on streets with the worst drainage, like Kehoe and Pullman. 

“The problem isn’t going to go away. I think it’s going to get worse, and we are wasting water every year, and we’re gonna be wasting more every year, as we get more and more big storms,” Penrose said. “I think it comes to the table as a real priority.” 

Existing work in problem areas can continue while the council weighs the development and implementation of a more long-term plan, staff said. 

New health care district?

The City Council also reached a consensus for looking into the possibility of a new health care district for the coast, which could ostensibly tax residents in order to offer health care services and possibly fund or manage an urgent care center. As conversations around a health care district continue, the City Council will need to decide how active a role, if any, it will play in supporting a future initiative. 

“One of the things we might look at that might make things easier for our aging population and our underserved is a health care district,” Vice Mayor Deborah Penrose said. 

Since the 2024 closure of the coast’s only emergency services facility, the gap in health care services has worried local leaders, and a special district could help bridge that gap. 

Other priorities

Half Moon Bay’s fiber-optic connections, which provide internet and cellular connection for residents, is also a major concern, Chidester said. Currently, those connections come from the south end of town and move to the north end, meaning disruption to the system takes out “everything downstream.” 

The city requires new fiber-optic connections from the north, Chidester emphasized, however, he acknowledged the issue will require support from a larger entity, like the state, to solve. 

“This is probably more of an advocacy and seeking solutions [priority] … we’re not gonna solve this problem ourselves,” he said. 

The council also expressed interest in the newly-planned pool at Half Moon Bay High School, though councilmembers were careful to delineate support for facility access from promises of financial investment. Supporting community access at the new facility is separate from participating in its development, Penrose said. 

“That statement doesn’t cost us anything to make — all it is is saying it,” she said. 

Other new priorities from the council include the development of affordable housing at all income levels, particularly for teachers and essential workers, as well as an inventory and review of its coastal access routes.