Half Moon Bay City Council / Planning Commission / Architectural Advisory Committee Special Joint Work Session

On December 19, 2024, the Half Moon Bay City Council met jointly with the Planning Commission and Architectural Advisory Committee to consider state housing legislation and possible adoption of interim objective design standards for multifamily development. The agenda packet available in the source materials is dated Monday, December 16, 2024, creating a date discrepancy with the provided meeting timestamp; this summary uses the supplied date of December 19, 2024. Staff recommended receiving the presentations and either adopting the Interim Objective Design Standards or directing staff to notice a special City Council meeting for December 23, 2024.

State Housing Legislation Briefing

• Housing Programs Manager Mike Noce reviewed major State housing laws. He noted that Half Moon Bay’s RHNA allocation for Cycle 6 is 480 units and that more than 300 new housing laws have been enacted since 2017.
• SB 35, originally adopted in 2017, created a streamlined ministerial approval process (SMAP) for qualifying projects in jurisdictions not meeting RHNA, but it exempted the Coastal Zone. SB 423 extends SB 35 through 2036 and, beginning January 1, 2025, applies it in the Coastal Zone, including Half Moon Bay.
• Qualifying SB 35/423 projects generally must meet objective standards and include at least 10 percent affordable units (for projects over 10 units), with other affordability options available.
• Staff described State Density Bonus Law, including AB 1763’s “super density bonus” for 100 percent affordable projects near a major transit stop: an 80 percent density bonus, or unlimited density and up to 33 additional feet/three stories. AB 2553, effective January 1, 2025, modifies the definition of “major transit stop” by lowering peak bus frequency to 20 minutes or less and excluding on-demand transit from meeting that frequency.
• Staff presented sample sites: 940 Main Street (MidPen Housing, 52-unit Measure D application, all affordable, SB35/423-applicable); 498 Kelly Avenue (CUSD site, preliminary 60-unit workforce housing proposal); Hilltop Mobile Home Park (not SB35/423-applicable, 33-unit pipeline project); and 740 Purisima Street (for sale, no application, with five existing rental units that could not be demolished under SB35/423).
• Planning Commission members and Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about density bonus, super density bonus, Measure D allocations, and whether major transit stop determinations would be ministerial. Councilmember Ruddock expressed strong concern about relying on on-demand transit to qualify a site as a major transit stop, stating that Half Moon Bay does not currently have a major transit stop and that past interpretations should not be repeated.

Interim Objective Design Standards Draft and Discussion

• Community Development staff and MIG, Inc. presented the draft interim objective design standards, organized into eight categories: site layout and building orientation; massing and articulation; materials and colors; entrances, windows, and doors; roof treatment; off-street parking, garages, and carports; landscape design; and other site and building features.
• The draft applies general standards citywide, with separate standards for small-lot developments (four or fewer units, no more than 28 feet tall, no commercial component) and large-lot developments (more than four units, or taller buildings/mixed-use projects).
• Staff described prior engagement, including an Architectural Advisory Committee walking tour, Planning Commission/AAC study session on November 12, 2024, and ad hoc subcommittee input. The draft uses “menus of options” for articulation so no single architectural style is mandated.
• During discussion, Architectural Advisory Committee Member Hooker urged striking the draft requirement that any floor above the first floor be limited to 80 percent of the first-floor footprint and stepped back four feet, saying it would preclude some architectural styles; Council agreed to remove it from the interim standards. Commissioner Hernandez asked about limiting stucco on large structures; the group agreed to apply the 60 percent stucco cap to large-lot development rather than by building height.
• Discussion also addressed accessibility and adaptable units; participants acknowledged existing Title 24/ADA requirements and directed staff to consider whether objective design standards could require more in a future phase.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dan Hagerty, a member of the public, expressed concerns about State one-size-fits-all housing policy, the potential loss of Half Moon Bay’s small-town character, density bonus laws, the accuracy of RHNA growth projections, and evacuation risk from additional development. He also objected to the framing of contemporary versus modern architectural styles. His comment was truncated due to time.

Adopted Amendments

The Council adopted the resolution with several amendments agreed during the meeting, including:

• Striking the 80 percent upper-floor footprint/step-back requirement.
• Removing duplicate window/opening standards and fixing typographical errors.
• Prohibiting vinyl fencing and clarifying that vinyl/plastic fencing materials are prohibited.
• Adding membrane roofing to the permitted roofing materials table, with future consideration of visibility limitations.
• Revising the stucco standard so the 60 percent cap applies to large-lot development rather than all buildings over two stories.
• Replacing a parking-access standard with a reference to Title 24 compliance.
• Adding decomposed granite and root barriers to tree-well standards and striking a large-lot parking-planter curb standard.
• Adding a resolution recital and resolved clause stating that, consistent with State statutory definitions, the City will not use on-demand transit to qualify a location as a “major transit stop” unless directed otherwise by State law.

Key Outcomes

• The City Council adopted the resolution adopting the Interim Multi-Family Residential Objective Design Standards, as amended by staff, by voice vote with all Councilmembers present voting aye and no reported noes.
• Adoption occurred before the January 1, 2025 effective date of SB 423 ministerial review in the Coastal Zone, and staff was directed to make the adopted standards publicly available before the City Hall holiday closure.
• The joint bodies did not schedule the December 23 special meeting because adoption was completed at this meeting.
• Staff will continue work in 2025 on final objective design standards, with further Planning Commission and AAC input, including future consideration of architectural style palettes, accessibility provisions, stucco limits, membrane roofing visibility, utility/backflow screening, and tree standards.