Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting – May 14, 2024

This meeting of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission, held on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at the Ted Adcock Community Center, was a continuation from April 30, 2024, and focused on a single major agenda item: a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) and Architectural Review for a proposed 40-unit affordable senior farmworker housing project with a 2,658-square-foot farmworker resource center at 555 Kelly Avenue. The commission heard from the applicant (Mercy Housing/ALAS), staff, and public, deliberated over several hours, and ultimately voted to approve the project with conditions, while also passing an advisory statement to the City Council. The meeting was extended past the normal 10:30 PM adjournment to midnight by a unanimous vote.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar items were presented. The April 30, 2024 minutes were approved after adding a note that public comment had been reopened at the prior meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public comments were not taken as a separate agenda section but were integrated into the hearing. Several community members expressed concerns about traffic safety, parking, and the scale of the project, while others spoke in strong support of the affordable housing and resource center. Commissioner Gorn noted an incident where a sign targeting his family had been placed outside a school, and he asked for respectful discourse.

Discussion Items

• Project Description: A CDP and Architectural Review for a new five-story building with 40 residential units for senior farmworkers (extremely low and very low income), a 2,658-square-foot farmworker resource center operated by Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS), an 18-space ground-floor parking garage, and a lot line adjustment. The project qualified for a Class 32 CEQA exemption (Infill Development).
• Applicant’s Voluntary Concessions: Mercy Housing offered to reduce the building height by 4–5 feet (to 45 feet 6 inches on the four-story Kelly Avenue side and 54 feet 6 inches on the five-story side) and to evaluate changing the unit mix from 8 studios, 26 one-bedrooms, and 8 two-bedrooms to 6 studios, 32 one-bedrooms, and 2 two-bedrooms, while keeping 40 total units. The evaluation would consider funding impacts.
• Clarifying Questions: Commissioners explored many issues: whether a major transit stop exists within half a mile (staff argued yes, citing Routes 117, 294, and SAMTrans microtransit), the definition of “local” for tenant preference, the necessity and size of the farmworker resource center and commercial kitchen, parking demand estimates, traffic safety at the Kelly Avenue driveway and crosswalk, and whether the project scope had crept beyond what the City Council originally authorized in the exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA).
• Architectural Review: Commissioner Hernandez gave design feedback, noting the building lacked strong character consistent with Half Moon Bay. He recommended working with staff to refine materials, roof lines, and massing. The commission also encouraged the applicant to use the city’s mural review process.
• Safety and Parking: Commissioners raised concerns about the intersection at Kelly Avenue and the crosswalk near the Ted Adcock Community Center, citing a recent fatal bicycle accident. City Manager Matthew offered to have staff study the crossing and address safety improvements regardless of the project outcome. Parking concerns in the downtown area were noted but considered outside the project’s direct responsibility.
• Advisory Recommendation: At the end of the meeting, the commission passed an advisory statement (4-1) urging the City Council to: (1) revisit the original project scope from the June 2023 ENA (which envisioned 31 studios and 9 one-bedrooms, four stories), (2) urgently address traffic safety and develop a coherent parking plan for the area around the site, and (3) clarify the definition of “major transit stop” for future state density bonus law applications.

Key Outcomes

• CEQA Exemption: Voted 4-1 (Commissioner Joanes abstained) to find the project categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 (Class 32 Infill Development).
• Architectural Review Approval: Approved 5-0 with conditions that the applicant work with staff to improve design elements (better incorporation of local character, masking of building mass, and use of the city’s mural review process).
• Coastal Development Permit Approval: Approved 4-1 (Commissioner Joanes voted no) with the following conditions:
  • The building height shall be reduced by 4–5 feet to the dimensions offered by the applicant.
  • The applicant shall evaluate changing the unit mix as offered and report back to the Community Development Director with a memo explaining the analysis and its feasibility.
  • The applicant shall work with city staff on a construction management plan addressing practices sensitive to nearby schools (Cunha Intermediate and Our Lady of the Pillar), including construction worker parking, equipment staging, and air quality monitoring.
  • The applicant shall provide a pre-construction assessment of neighboring properties to document existing conditions.
• Advisory Statement to City Council: Passed 4-1 (Commissioner Ruddock dissented) recommending that the City Council consider reverting to the original project scope from the 2023 ENA, prioritize traffic safety improvements at the Kelly Avenue crosswalk, develop a parking plan for the area, and clarify the definition of a major transit stop.
• Meeting Extension: The meeting was extended to midnight by a unanimous vote.

The approved project will now proceed to the City Council if appealed, and the council will also negotiate a Disposition, Development, and Loan Agreement (DDLA) with the applicant.