The City of Half Moon Bay needs your input!
The City of Half Moon Bay is considering major changes to the existing Land Use Policies that may severely impact the majority of homes and lots in Half Moon Bay. The proposed changes could result in massive restrictions and red tape for the simplest of projects. Selective policies are being fast tracked to the Coastal Commission without adequate public review. The City of Half Moon Bay has not released the new Land Use Map that would provide specific details of where and how the new policies will affect you!
Citizens need to come to the meeting Feb. 3, 2005 at the Ted Adcock Community Center at 7:00 pm to voice your concerns.
Something as simple as a bathroom addition might be DENIED because highways are congested, water pipes are too small and schools are too crowded. Building permits could be blocked until more traffic lights are installed and Highway 92 is expanded, for example.
Homes on the West side of Highway 1 would be limited to a 16 foot maximum height and/or a single story based on a loose definition of public ocean views. The City may be making your home a non-conforming structure.
Most people support Measure D, the 1% growth initiative, BUT .. Measure D is being manipulated to lump home additions and remodels in with brand new large scale developments (like Wavecrest) and apply similar severe restrictions.
Environmental habitats and public services (like highways) are being used as tools to limit what you can do with your home. (for example – ditches become “Riparian habitats” which leads to buffer zones, expensive biological testing and bans on additions or remodels)
All of these issues are being raised to the City Council and Planning Commission at the Workshops, but so far there has been little response or explanation back from them.
The most disturbing factor is that we don’t have a complete, coherent plan of how all these new policies will impact the community. We need to ask questions and understand the full ramifications of these proposals before they are sent to the California Coastal Commission.
The City owes its residents full disclosure of how these policies impact our property rights.
The City of Half Moon Bay is current holding a series of Local Coastal Plan Update Workshops. These meetings are where major City policies are being written that will determine how home development and the upgrade of public services will be controlled over the next 20 years. You should be aware of these meetings because these policies will directly affect you. Get involved and come to the meetings.
If you are interested in learning more about this, reply to the following email address: Citizenswithcoastalproperty@yahoo.com or call Terry Gossett at 650-563-9508. You can also go to the source and write the Mayor (Jim Grady) or any City Council member at: 501 Main St, HMB, CA 94019 OR contact George Bergman, SMC Planning at 650-363-1851.