Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Special Meeting - May 18, 2025
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Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Special Meeting - May 18, 2025
This meeting of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission began with a special recognition ceremony for former commissioners who served between 2021-2024, followed by the regular meeting at 7:00 PM. Key actions included approval of minutes, receipt of a temporary use notification, and extensive review of two vegetation management and fire abatement programs using goat grazing. The commission approved amendments to both coastal development permits, imposing new monitoring and consultation conditions.
Consent Calendar
- Meeting Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the draft minutes from March 25, 2025, and April 8, 2025.
- Temporary Use Permit Notification (PDP-23-024): The commission acknowledged receipt of the director's intent to approve a temporary coastal development permit for the Happa Bay Golf Links 2025 events at 2 Miramontes Point Road. The proposal includes a 60x100 foot clear span tent, a 15x20 foot entry canopy, and a 20x30 foot prep and busing tent, consistent with previous years.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mike Ferrara (online): Expressed disappointment about the Coastal Commission's appeal of the planning commission's decision on the Redondo Beach Road gate, describing it as an elegant, low-cost method for restricting automobiles while allowing pedestrians and bicyclists. He requested staff reports on who filed the appeal and what they cited.
- Mike Ferrara (later during goat grazing hearing): Speaking as the former appellant on the Beechwood/Glencree property, he raised concerns about past goat intrusions into wetland areas and emphasized the need for strict monitoring of boundaries. He urged the commission to ensure goat herders respect no-grazing zones and to have consequences for violations.
Discussion Items
- City of Half Moon Bay Vegetation Management and Fire Abatement Program (PDP-19-033): This program review was triggered by a five-year condition in the original coastal development permit (CDP). Staff proposed modifications to the grazing condition, replacing the previous "minimum six-inch stubble height" requirement with a Residual Dry Matter (RDM) methodology. Biologist Jesse Brinton-McBean explained that RDM measures pounds of dry vegetation per acre (targeting 500-1,500 lbs/acre) and is more appropriate for mixed vegetation. A proposed change for the SAM property (PDP-010-14) also eliminates a 50-foot buffer from riparian vegetation, based on evidence that managed grazing poses minimal risk to California red-legged frogs and San Francisco garter snakes. Commissioners discussed fire hazard monitoring in ungrazed areas and potential erosion. Commissioner Hernandez proposed amendments including annual consultation with the fire marshal to confirm monitoring of ungrazed areas, and monitoring for overgrazing defined as below 350 lbs/acre RDM.
- Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Fire Fuel and Invasive Weed Reduction Program (PDP-010-14): This is a separate but related permit for SAM-owned property north of Bev Cunha Country Road. The same RDM methodology change and the elimination of the 50-foot riparian buffer were proposed. The presentation and public comment were combined with the city program due to overlap. The commission applied the same amendments as for the city program.
Key Outcomes
- Motion on City CDP (PDP-19-033): Commissioner Hernandez moved to approve the amendment to the existing CDP with the following conditions: (1) a five-year review period; (2) annual request to the fire marshal for affirmative confirmation that they have a process for monitoring ungrazed areas for fire hazard; (3) monitoring for overgrazing defined as below 350 lbs/acre RDM, and for other erosion caused by the program. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (4-0).
- Motion on SAM CDP (PDP-010-14): Commissioner Hernandez moved to approve the amendment with identical conditions: five-year review, fire marshal consultation, and overgrazing/erosion monitoring. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously (4-0).
Director's Report
- Leslie Lacko reported on two director's hearings: approval of an expanded child care facility at 565 Redondo Beach Road (replacing expired CDP, with added parking and traffic control), and approval of a self-storage facility (46 cargo containers) behind Bikeworks at 520 Kelly Avenue. Additionally, a hearing was held for an addition at 440 Greenbrier Road.
- Coastal Commission Updates: The Hyatt appeal was found to raise substantial issues, so a future hearing will occur. The Redondo Beach Road Gate permit appeal by Commissioners Carol Hart and Linda Escalante is scheduled for the June 11-13 meeting in San Diego. An attempted appeal of an emergency CDP for a state parks coastal trail diversion was resolved by changing the application to move the trail back from the bluffs.
- Upcoming meetings: The May 27th meeting may be cancelled due to applicant postponements.
Commission Communications
- Commissioner Hernandez shared information from a masonry conference related to rebuilding after the Palisades fire, noting California's master plan to add 500,000 skilled tradespeople trained in sustainable methods. He discussed innovative ADU templates and block-level fire-resistant design concepts being developed in Southern California.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, everybody, for being here. I'm gonna go ahead and call uh to order the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission meeting for May 13th, 2025, and ask Bridget to uh to do to recite the protocol for online attendance, et cetera. Good evening, and welcome to May 13th, 2025 Penning Commission meeting. This portion is a special meeting. Um, and we are live on PC TV as well as our language um translation is is definitely um up and running as well. Um so we just wanted to uh start this meeting with us to recognize some former commissioners that we um haven't been able to have the chance to because of uh our pandemic and other um things that have been going on with um the city. So I'm gonna turn it over to Commissioner Ruddick to start us out. Thank you, Bridget. Yes, as Bridget said, tonight is a a special occasion uh prior to the regular meeting at seven o'clock. We have the pleasure of honoring uh four planning commissioners who left their offices uh in the in the previous years, and I was fortunate enough to work with with all four of these folks. And um I was amazed uh uh from from my earliest days on planning commission to learn uh at their sides and work uh side by side with them. Each of these four folks, three of whom are sitting here, Jimmy Benjamin, Sarah Polger, and and Brian Holt were and Hazel Johannes is uh is the fourth one. Uh I was amazed at the uh subject matter expertise and knowledge that all of these folks brought to their role as planning commissioners combined with uh incredible uh work ethic and good judgment to always uh find a way to help Half Moon Bay adhere to our land use plans and everything that we had to and and worked so hard to make Half Moon Bay an even better uh place to live and work. So I'm I'm pleased to that we're uh that we're honoring you folks with this reception tonight. Would anyone else like to say anything before we uh break for our reception? Um I I guess um now that I've been up here a little while, I realize how much work it is. And so really honestly, I would say thank you so much for um for all those years of doing this. Um because it's really just for Half Moon Bay. And that's that's um that's a real um, I don't know, noble commitment. And um, so thank you all. I would also like to uh say the same to each of you. I um I like going back and listening to old meetings, and I've learned so much from all of you, all three of you, and uh Hazel's not here, but thank you so much um for your service and your expertise and the willingness to volunteer. All three of you, and uh Hazel's not here, but thank you so much for your service and your expertise and the willingness to volunteer. Thank you. Um, since two thousand thirteen, fourteen, fifteen or so, when you guys were actually before the planning commission and very involved in the general plan in the L C L U P. And so I think um behalf of Jill not being here, but I worked pretty closely with you guys, and I just wanted to thank you. It was a lot of um we did there's a lot of work that happened behind the scenes of just really just being involved in a lot of adcock meetings and lots and lots of hours and so and a lot of input. So um, thank you for doing that for our community. Thanks so much. So with that, we can enjoy some refreshments. Yeah, those refreshments, and we'll be back on live. If there's anyone, I don't know if there's anybody from the public on Zoom that would like to speak. Okay, we'll be back at seven PM. Maybe thirteen twenty twenty-five. Um we're back on I just want to see um then you can do the punch for us. Um, here earlier but had Steph away. And then Commissioner's gonna be one of the blue join us on the legends. Uh we have minutes from March 25 and April 8. That if commissioners have digested these, we could uh have a motion to approve those. So moved. Are we approving both sets of minutes at the same time? It's either I think everybody was present at both. I have to look it up, but I think they're both. Okay. I will second that. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. Thank you. That's passed.
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