Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting – November 27, 2024

Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting was held on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at 7:00 PM, but the date provided for this summary is November 27, 2024, 10:30 AM UTC. This discrepancy is noted without resolution.

The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission met on the date above to discuss one public hearing item, approve prior meeting minutes, and receive staff reports. The key action was the approval of a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the replacement of two culverts with one larger culvert at Pullman Watercourse within Half Moon Bay State Park, following extensive discussion about CEQA exemptions, hydraulic capacity, and erosion impacts.

Approval of Minutes

• The draft minutes from the October 24, 2024, meeting were approved unanimously by the four commissioners present (Commissioner Joanes absent).

Public Comments & Testimony (Non-Agenda)

• Brad Steinwede, a resident on Champ-Leise beside Pullman Ditch, spoke about flooding from upstream water originating at Rocket Farms. He showed video of water nearly overtopping a bridge after only one inch of rain and urged the city to address runoff from Rocket Farms, stating that the culvert replacement alone will not alleviate flooding and may worsen it downstream.

Discussion Items: Public Hearing Item 1A – Pullman Watercourse Culvert Replacement

Project Description: Coastal Development Permit (CDP) PDP-21-071 to replace two failing culverts (18-inch and 24-inch) with a single 54-inch culvert near the western terminus of Pullman Watercourse, within Half Moon Bay State Park. The work includes constructing energy dissipators (plunge pool and rock armoring), replacing guardrails, and restoring access to the beach parking lot and California Coastal Trail. The applicant is California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks). Staff recommended approval based on a Notice of Exemption under CEQA, with State Parks as lead agency.

Staff Presentation:

• Scott Phillips, project planner, provided history: the culverts were installed in the 1980s, one collapsed, and the roadway began failing in 2018. The parking lot and trail have been closed since 2020. The current design incorporates peer review feedback from Waterways Incorporated and is sized for a 100-year storm (180 cubic feet per second).
• Dale Lita, city civil engineer, presented preliminary results of a two-phase Pullman Ditch watershed study. The watershed is 143 acres; upstream bottlenecks (culverts and bridges) limit flow to the state park culvert. Modeling showed that even with a larger 60-inch culvert, peak flows reaching the site would not exceed 180 cfs under current conditions due to upstream restrictions. The proposed culvert is designed for future upstream improvements.

Public Hearing Testimony:

• Jimmy Benjamin (400 Pillar Citos Avenue) spoke against a CEQA exemption, arguing that the project increases capacity by more than 10% (referencing Coastal Act 30610) and that insufficient erosion analysis was done. He cited a 2005 soil study indicating that 2.7 to 4.5 cfs can cause erosion in this liquefiable soil. He urged the commission to not rely on State Parks’ CEQA analysis and to require a full environmental review.
• A written comment from Commissioner Hazel Joanes (submitted as a private citizen) expressed support for approval, stating that State Parks is not responsible for upstream flows and that the city should enforce drainage laws on private property owners.

Commission Deliberation:

• Commissioners questioned the CEQA exemption, particularly the claim of “negligible expansion of use” given the five-fold increase in pipe cross-section (from roughly 16-17 cfs to 80 cfs for non-pressurized flow). Staff and State Parks representatives (Linda Hitchcock, Tim Hyland, engineer Matt) defended the exemption, noting that the culvert is designed to Army Corps standards, the energy dissipators reduce downstream velocity to under 5 ft/s at design storm, and the project is a repair of an existing facility with no increase in public use.
• Commissioner Hernandez expressed concern that the increased capacity could lead to greater erosion downstream, especially if upstream improvements are made later. He cited the city’s recent denial of a nearby project for lack of hydrological analysis.
• Commissioner Gorn questioned why the pipe was sized so large (54 inches) instead of a modest increase (e.g., 10%) and whether such a large pipe encourages future enlargement of upstream culverts.
• The city attorney clarified that CEQA exemption language refers to “use” (e.g., vehicle or pedestrian traffic) not hydraulic capacity, and that no percentage threshold is specified in CEQA. The 10% figure comes from the Coastal Act exception for structures destroyed by disaster, which does not apply here because the project is a public works repair.
• After extensive debate, Commissioner Gorn and Commissioner Ruddock indicated reluctant support, acknowledging the need for public safety and the risk of collapse.

Key Outcomes:

• Motion (made by Commissioner Ruddock): Approve the Coastal Development Permit and acknowledge the Notice of Exemption from CEQA. Amendment (by Commissioner Hernandez, seconded): Add a condition requiring further erosion analysis downstream of the culvert at the time of grading permit application, with results reported to the Planning Commission. The amendment was supported by staff and State Parks.
• Vote on amended motion: 4-0 in favor (Chair Gossett, Vice Chair Joanes absent, Commissioners Ruddock, Gorn, Hernandez, and Gossett all yes).
• The CDP is approved with the added condition.

Director's Report

• Leslie Lacko was introduced as the new permanent Community Development Director. She noted that interim director Steve will remain through December. Upcoming items include an emergency CDP follow-up for the Half Moon Bay landfill and the Ritz Carlton parking lot (December 10 meeting). A study session on objective design standards is postponed.

Planning Commission Communications

• Commissioner Gorn urged urgency in addressing Pullman Ditch drainage issues, including upstream activities by Rocket Farms.
• Commissioner Hernandez reported on an objective design standards subcommittee meeting and requested a cumulative impact analysis on density bonus law scenarios before reporting to City Council.

Adjournment

• The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:50 PM.