Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting Summary – March 25, 2022
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Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting Summary – March 25, 2022
Note: The agenda and raw transcript identify this meeting as Tuesday, March 22, 2022, while the supplied meeting timestamp is March 25, 2022. This summary uses the supplied date in the title and notes the discrepancy.
The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission met remotely, with Acting Chair Rick Hernandez presiding. The brief meeting included the swearing-in of new Planning Commissioner Margaret Gossett, unanimous approval of prior meeting minutes, a continuance of the 880 Stone Pine Corporation Yard Upgrade Project to a special meeting on March 29, 2022, and several administrative reports. No public comments were made.
Consent Calendar
- The draft minutes from the March 8, 2022 meeting were approved unanimously by the two commissioners present who had attended that meeting (Vice Chair Hernandez and Commissioner Benjamin).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the general public comment period, and no public testimony was taken on the continued public hearing item.
Oath of Office
- New Commissioner Margaret Gossett was administered the oath of office, affirming support for the U.S. and California constitutions. She was welcomed by Acting Chair Hernandez and Commissioner Benjamin, and her seating established a quorum.
Public Hearing Item: 880 Stone Pine Corporation Yard Upgrade Project (PDP-21-053)
- Public Works Superintendent Todd Seeley, representing the applicant (City of Half Moon Bay), requested a continuance to a date certain within 10 days, specifically a special meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
- The reason for the continuance was that staff needed more time to work through project details related to a comment letter received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- Staff’s original recommendation was to adopt an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and approve a Coastal Development Permit, Architectural and Site Design Review, and Tree Removal Permit. The revised recommendation was to continue the item.
- The commission agreed to continue the item without conducting the public hearing. Commissioner Gossett made her first motion to continue to March 29, seconded by Commissioner Benjamin; the motion passed 3-0 (Commissioners Gossett, Benjamin, and Hernandez voting yes).
Planning Director's Report
- Planning Director Jill? (last name not stated) reported on a City Council study session earlier that day regarding budget priorities for the next fiscal year, which will include work on affordable housing and the housing element.
- Upcoming work includes the housing element, implementation of the land use plan, a new zoning map, land use designations such as rural coastal, a workforce housing overlay, downtown up-zones from R2 to R3, and plan development area updates.
- The director noted that both the housing element and implementation plan will need CEQA coverage, and a contract environmental consultant with housing element experience is being brought on.
- Agenda forecast: a special meeting on March 29 for the continued project; April 12 for Measure D rankings; and April 26 for a parklet/sidewalk cafe program public hearing.
- The building electrification ordinance and the PV/EV ordinance have been adopted. Possible training opportunities include AB 1234 ethics training and CEQA training.
- Architectural Advisory Committee (AAC) meetings will move to the fourth Thursday of the month starting in April; a special AAC meeting was scheduled for March 23 at 8:30 a.m. Staff encouraged commissioners to observe AAC meetings.
Commissioner Communications
- Commissioner Benjamin requested a PDF copy of the League of Cities planning commissioner handbook; staff agreed to investigate.
- Benjamin also suggested training on hazards or the safety element, noting the commission’s existing in-house expertise could be complemented.
- Acting Chair Hernandez and Commissioner Benjamin mentioned possible travel in April, and staff reminded them that pandemic-era Brown Act rules still allow remote participation from any location.
Key Outcomes
- Swore in Commissioner Margaret Gossett.
- Approved the March 8, 2022 minutes unanimously (2-0).
- Continued PDP-21-053, the 880 Stone Pine Corporation Yard Upgrade Project, to a special meeting on March 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. by a 3-0 vote.
- Adjourned unanimously; the meeting was noted as nearly the fastest commission meeting on record.
Meeting Transcript
Could we spiel? Go ahead. Let's get started. Okay. Sorry, my little. I've got too many things up right now. Okay. All right. Okay. So good evening and welcome to our Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 Planning Commission meeting. A couple of items to go over before we officially get started. This meeting is live on Comcast, local Channel 27 and on the Pacific Coast TV's website. We have just a few in the audience this evening in attendance. And for those in attendance and or would like to call in at some point. We will have the chair open up the general public comment period for those items that are not on the agenda. And then he will also open up public comment during specific items listed on the agenda. And during those times, we'll um recognize the speakers by raising their uh virtual icon hand, and I will help to assist the public, allowing each person to speak for the allowed three minutes. Um if you are on telephone this evening, star six to mute and unmute, star nine to raise and unraise your hand. Um and then as of right now, I believe there's no public comment. Um if there are um during the presentation, um, it will be talked about with our planner Doug. Um, I think you guys still continuing our um remote access, our remote meetings, and I will hand it over to interim chair um Hernandez to officially begin this evening's meeting. Good evening. Uh, can we please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? Yes. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible liberty and justice for all. So with the minutes, oh I guess we'll call first, sorry. Then we have a special agenda order tonight, Bridget. So I'm okay. Um Commissioner Gossett. Here Commissioner Benjamin. Here and Vice Chair Hernandez. I am present. And Commissioner Ruddick is absent this evening, and so is uh Chair Gorn. So go ahead. So um Jill, I'm gonna turn over to you for a special item. Thank you. Thank you. Acting Chair Hernandez. Um we are, I'm sure, as the commission uh staff is very um excited to welcome new commissioner Margaret Gossett, and um we got all the paperwork buttoned up last Friday. So she is officially a commissioner, but uh we feel it's very important to um acknowledge um the welcoming of the commissioner and um to have the oath of office the uh part of our our way of um having a public acknowledgement of that. And so I'm prepared. I've been deputy by the city clerk to administer the oath of office in this case. So if Mr Gossett is game, I will go ahead and um begin and you can um please repeat after me. Are you ready? I Margaret Gossett do affirm that I will support and defend the constitution of the United States. I'm Margaret Gassett, you've affirmed that I will defend the Constitution of the United States. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. Margaret, I just skipped the line. I okay, thank you.
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