Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting - June 10, 2025
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Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting - June 10, 2025
The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission met on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 7:00 PM in a hybrid format. The commission approved five agenda items: a five-year coastal development permit for the Ritz-Carlton employee parking lot, a use permit for a new AT&T small cell facility, a resolution finding the five-year Capital Improvement Program consistent with the General Plan, a sign permit for Stone Pine Cove, and a retroactive mural sign permit. Public comment and the director's report highlighted an unpermitted grading incident by Caltrans at the intersection of Highways 1 and 92.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the May 13, 2025 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jimmy Benjamin (former commissioner): Expressed distress over the scraping of vegetation at the southeast corner of Highway 1 and 92, noting the area is a prominent alluvial channel. He urged the city to impose consequences for unpermitted development and requested remediation measures.
- David Gorn (vice chair, speaking as a citizen): Voiced strong disapproval of the grading, stating the site had been transformed to flat, barren ground with three new gravel roads. He questioned how the work could occur without a stop-work order for three days.
Discussion Items
- 1.A – Ritz-Carlton Off-Site Employee Parking Lot (PDP-23-070): Staff presented a request for a five-year limited coastal development permit for an existing employee parking lot at 2251 Cabrillo Highway South and 1602 Miramontes Point Road. The project includes stormwater bioretention areas, pervious concrete sections, ADA upgrades, bicycle parking, and LED lighting. The lot has a history of temporary extensions since 2002; the current owner, Midpeninsula Open Space District, will only lease for five years. The applicant (Anthony Lombardo) requested the five-year extension to find a permanent location. Staff recommended approval plus an additional condition for a photometric plan to address neighbor concerns about light spillover. Commissioner Gossett raised concerns about maintenance of bioswales, citing poor examples elsewhere in town. The commission approved the project unanimously (5-0) with the added condition.
- 1.B – AT&T Small Cell Facility (PDP-25-011): Staff presented a proposal to replace an existing utility pole at 766 Main Street with a taller pole (35 feet 4 inches) to accommodate 5G small cell equipment. The pole is owned by PG&E, and the facility is not co-located, requiring a use permit. FCC shot clock deadlines apply (90-day decision period ending June 27). The applicant noted construction would take about a day per phase. Commissioner Hernandez suggested exploring aesthetic improvements (e.g., planters or banners) but the pole is PG&E property. The applicant (NextEdge/AT&T) was open to ideas with PG&E’s approval. The commission approved the permit unanimously (5-0) with an encouragement for staff to work with PG&E on incorporating the pole into the city’s sign program.
- 1.C – Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (FY 2025-26 to 2029-30): Associate Engineer Dale Eden presented the CIP, which includes 29 projects across seven categories (stormwater, economic development, parks, etc.). The program is a five-year version for flexibility, with projects previously reviewed as single-year. Key projects include the stormwater master plan update, Highway 1 North improvements, East Side Parallel Trail, and Smithfield redevelopment. The commission discussed the Pillar Point Creek restoration project (Commissioner Rems), stormwater management priorities, and concerns about discharges from Rocket Farms into the SAM wastewater treatment plant. Commissioner Gorn asked about the Carter Park outdoor theater (no permanent sound system). The commission unanimously adopted a resolution finding the CIP consistent with the General Plan.
- 1.D – Stone Pine Cove Sign Permit (PDP-25-021): Staff presented a proposal for a permanent freestanding sign (5 ft 3 in x 12 ft) at the neighborhood entrance, made of concrete and stone veneer. The sign is not illuminated and is similar to signage at Cypress Cove. The commission approved the sign permit unanimously (5-0).
- 1.E – Retroactive Mural Sign Permit (PDP-25-024): Staff presented a proposal to retroactively approve a mural at 735 Main Street by artist Julie Ableman (also painted the mural at Cunha’s Country Store). The mural is already in progress and is supported by the Main Street Streetscape Master Plan. The commission approved the permit unanimously (5-0), with commissioners praising the artwork’s beauty and community excitement.
Director’s Report
- Caltrans Violation: Director Lako reported that Caltrans graded a large area at the corner of Highways 1 and 92 without a permit. The work occurred on Wednesday, June 4; a stop-work order was issued by Thursday morning. The city is meeting with Caltrans on June 11 to discuss restoration and mitigation. The site is privately owned and leased to a contractor.
- Redondo Beach Road Gate: The California Coastal Commission appealed the city’s permit for the gate. The city withdrew the application after council prioritized the issue; the project will not return to the commission for at least a year.
- Champs Elyse Project: Approved by council; the lawsuit was withdrawn, and the Coastal Commission appeal period remains open until June 19.
- Certificates of Compliance: Two certificates were issued after extensive research by staff.
- Upcoming Items: Director’s hearing on a mobile home, a home at 400 Redondo Beach Road, and a solar structure at City Hall parking lot. Next planning commission meeting will include the initial study/mitigated negative declaration for the Smithfield project and an update on objective design standards.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1.A: Approved unanimously (5-0) for a five-year coastal development permit with conditions including a photometric plan.
- Item 1.B: Approved unanimously (5-0) for a 10-year coastal development permit and use permit, with encouragement to explore aesthetic enhancements with PG&E.
- Item 1.C: Adopted resolution unanimously (5-0) finding the Five-Year CIP consistent with the General Plan.
- Item 1.D: Approved sign permit unanimously (5-0).
- Item 1.E: Approved retroactive sign permit for mural unanimously (5-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to our June tenth, twenty twenty five meeting of the Hapoom Bay Planning Commission. Our meetings are broadcasted live on Pacific Coast TV's website as well as Coast Local Channel Twenty Seven. A few brief public comment etiquette items to review for us in person and for those that are on the Zoom platform. At that time, community members are welcome to speak on any items that are not listed on this meeting's agenda. For those items listed specifically on tonight's agenda, during the time of that item being discussed, the chair will designate a specific time for public comment opportunities. I plug allegiance through the flag of the United States of America. One nation under individual with liberty and justice for all. May we have a roll call, please, Bridget? Yes, Commissioner Gossett. Here. Commissioner Hernandez. I am present. Commissioner Rems. Here. Vice Chair Gorn. I'm here. Chair Reddick. Here. All Planning Commissioners are present. Consideration of minutes of our meeting from our last meeting, which was May 13. Is there a motion to approve those minutes? So moved. Seconded. Thank you. All those in favor say aye, please. Aye. Any opposed, say no. I think it's unanimous. That brings us to the portion of our meeting as at every meeting where the public is invited to address the planning commission on any issues that uh people feel uh would like to, other than what's on our agenda for uh later tonight. I have a green card from former Commissioner Jimmy Benjamin who wants to uh speak in public hearings hope in the public hearing now. Thank you, and good evening, commissioners and staff. It's nice to see you again. Um I didn't have a chance uh at the last meeting to formally thank you for the recognition. I know uh Sarah and Brian, I'm sure feel the same way. It's touching, and as I have often tell people, it is our privilege to have been able to serve. So thank you for your ongoing service, and um I'm looking forward to hearing more of the great work that you're going to be doing. Um I I wanted to speak tonight because uh having come back from uh being with my father on the East Coast, I was disturbed to see the scraping of vegetation at the intersection of Highway 1 and 92 on the southeast corner. Um I understand that the council has uh raised the issue, member of council, and the staff has issued a stop work order and that it's being pursued. I'm I'm grateful for that. Um it is literally the most prominent alluvial channel in the city of Half Moon Bay, and the idea that it would not be um obvious that a project in this area that bared the soil in that area is it defies logic. I will grace, I will give the developer the charity of my silence. But I do believe that there are opportunities to remediate and that we will take them. The observation, however, is that we invite projects like this whenever we allow development that is not permitted to occur, and it has no consequences for the person that's developing. Um I'm reading a staff report, and I'm still a little tired, so it's entirely possible that I'm missing it, but I'm I have not yet located the remediation aspect of a biological report that covers the unpermitted development that was north of WAVE that staff has been working with the developer for. I'm I'll read it more carefully, and I'm looking forward to finding it, but I will be commenting, I'm sure. Um at the last meeting where you heard the GO farm, you also heard my sad story of uh development by the uh Andrini families uh on the 18-inch culvert that was not permitted to adjacent to Highway One. The city is well aware of some of its own um indiscretions with respect to unpermitted development. And if these things don't have consequences, the Lutheran Church even. If these things don't have consequences, we're gonna continue to invite these problems. And so that the solution of that problem begins here with you, with you to try to discourage these kind of behaviors with appropriate sanctions and follow-up to make sure that they do not occur.
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