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Record of Proceedings

Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting – March 16, 2026

Planning Commission — Monday, March 16, 2026
BodyHalf Moon Bay, California
SessionPlanning Commission
DateMonday, March 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:08:44

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
5:02

I can go over those.

5:03

We're live this evening on Channel 27 and on PC TV.

5:08

We have Spanish interpretation.

5:11

And we will allow three minutes for speaking in person.

5:15

And then those of you that are on Zoom.

5:18

I will go ahead and turn it back to Chair Gordon.

5:21

And it looks like we are short to plan commissioners.

5:25

Can we have a roll call, please?

5:26

Yes.

5:27

Commissioner Delago.

5:29

Here.

5:29

Vice Chair Hernandez.

5:31

I am present.

5:32

And Chair Gorn.

5:34

I'm here.

5:34

Absent.

5:35

We have Commissioner Rems and Commissioner Ruddick.

5:38

Okay.

5:42

I think Commissioner Rims is at that at a training session.

5:46

Yes.

5:47

For the planning commission.

5:48

So he's doing planning commission work.

5:51

I wanted to.

5:53

Oh, let's do the draft minutes.

5:55

Let's approve those minutes.

5:57

We can't.

5:58

Yeah.

5:58

Pardon me.

6:00

I realize that we have a Commissioner Short.

6:02

I wasn't present for last time.

6:04

Oh, you weren't present.

6:04

That's right.

6:05

We can just hold off to those meetings.

6:07

And I recuse myself for half which is weird.

6:10

But we'll just hold off.

6:12

We'll hold those to next time.

6:14

I'm gonna open the um public comment to anything that is not on the agenda tonight.

6:20

So if you have anything to talk about that is not on the agenda online, raise your hand or in here, come to the podium.

6:28

I am seeing none.

6:30

Yeah, I have none in.

6:32

I am not opening um public comment.

6:35

And we are moving on to our first item, which is the measure D rankings.

6:41

Um that one is yours.

6:45

Good evening, Chair Gorn and planning commissioners.

6:48

Tonight I'll be presenting to you the scoring for the 2026 Measure D applications for outside of downtown.

6:59

A little overview on the meeting.

7:02

I'll take us through some background on Measure D, uh, the review process and the scoring criteria.

7:09

Uh I'll overview the submittal summary for 2026 and we'll discuss uh staff's recommendations and the actions we're looking for from the planning commission tonight.

7:26

So measure D is the city's growth management system.

7:30

This was approved via a voter initiative back in 1999 and first became effective in 2009 here in Half Moon Bay.

7:39

It requires that all new residential units first receive a Measure D allocation before moving forward with uh other permitting uh and can accommodate up to 1.5% of population growth annually.

7:52

This is split between the downtown and the outside of downtown with an additional point five percent that can be allocated downtown at the council's discretion.

8:02

Uh this is approved, has been historically approved annually, therefore measure D has been accommodating 1.5% annually.

8:12

The purpose of Measure D is to manage the rate and quality of development in the city on an annual basis, and it provides for uh limited exemptions, um just one-for-one replacements and density bonus units.

8:28

Measure D can be broken down into four key phases, such as uh the annual unit authorization.

8:38

This occurred back in December 2025 for this upcoming year, the initial application period, which we just went through in January, and then the scoring ratification is the phase that we are currently in, uh, where we're asking the planning commission to finalize the scoring for 2026.

8:59

And then if applicable, there could be transfers later on.

9:03

We'll discuss that briefly later in the presentation.

9:08

The scoring ratification phase that we're in right now is only necessary if we receive more applications for allocations than are available.

9:20

Uh so this year uh I'll discuss how many were available and how many were received, but this was the case where we received more uh people applying for allocations than we had to issue outside of downtown.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing - Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████37%
Affordable Housing██████████████████18%
Housing███████████████15%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Comment█████████9%
Public Engagement█████5%
Pending Litigation███3%
Youth Programs███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting – March 16, 2026

The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission met on March 16, 2026, to discuss the Measure D allocation rankings, the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report, and the Director's Report. Commissioners voted to ratify scoring for the 2026 Measure D applications and award allocations, and acknowledged receipt of the housing element progress report with direction to include a forecast of likely projects. Public comments addressed ADU allocations and state compliance issues.

Consent Calendar

  • Draft minutes from the previous meeting were tabled due to a commissioner absence.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Amy Miller (owner of 59 Guerrero, Miramar): Expressed hope to build an ADU for her aging parents. Her application scored well except for location-based criteria beyond her control.
  • David Beaumont (representing the CARE trusts): Argued that ADUs should be exempt from Measure D under state law, and that affordable housing units should also be exempt. He requested that the partial allocation awarded to his project (544 Filbert Street) be inverted—awarding the point for the single-family home instead of the ADU—to allow the design review process to begin before September.

Discussion Items

  • Measure D 2026 Rankings: Staff presented 70 total allocations (47 downtown, 23 outside downtown). 17 allocations were set aside for an affordable housing project at 940 Main Street via a phasing agreement, leaving 6 allocations outside downtown. 21 applications were received for 26 allocations, with 75% for ADUs. Staff recommended awarding allocations to ADUs and asked the Commission to choose between 544 Filbert Street and 303 Filbert Street for the final allocation. Commissioners questioned the allocation math, noting that Half Moon Bay's population has not grown at 1% per year. Staff noted that City Council directed a correction to the formula. The Commission also discussed the six-month wait for September transfers; a 30–60 day process was proposed.
  • 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report: Staff presented the third report of cycle six (2023–2031), noting the housing element was certified in February 2026. The city has issued building permits for Creekside (fourplex, four single-family, one ADU) and 11 ADU permits in 2025. Commissioners requested a forecast of probable projects when the report goes to City Council to demonstrate compliance and avoid builder's remedy litigation.

Director's Report

  • Birgita Bauer Letters: Regarding the RV park near Surfers Beach. Staff visited the site and found the Harbor District largely in compliance; one minor violation remains for an annual RV usage report. Signage improvements are underway.
  • Pillar CEDO's Creek Fence Project: Following prior approval, the fence will be extended to Belleville with property owner permission. CEQA evaluation is being updated.
  • Hiring: Two new planners (associate and assistant) were hired; a senior planner position will be re-advertised due to another departure.
  • Permits Issued: Two tree removal permits and one sign permit (Half Moon Bay Brewery).
  • Upcoming Agenda: 925 San Mateo Road (storage units) and Verizon Tower on Carter Hill.

Commissioner Comments

  • Commissioner Del Negro shared a wildlife photography webinar featuring local bobcat photos.
  • Vice Chair Hernandez noted the successful robotics competition across the street and congratulated the high school basketball teams on their NORCAL Division Four championship.
  • Chair Gorn reminded residents to check on neighbors after a recent incident.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion 1 (Measure D): Approved the staff recommendation to ratify scoring, award allocations, and give the final allocation to 544 Filbert Street. The motion also included a recommendation to City Council to consider shortening the downtown reallocation process from six months to 30–60 days. Passed unanimously (3–0, with two commissioners absent).
  • Motion 2 (Housing Element Report): Acknowledged receipt of the progress reports and directed staff to include a forecast of probable projects when presenting to City Council. Passed unanimously (3–0).

Meeting Transcript

I can go over those. We're live this evening on Channel 27 and on PC TV. We have Spanish interpretation. And we will allow three minutes for speaking in person. And then those of you that are on Zoom. I will go ahead and turn it back to Chair Gordon. And it looks like we are short to plan commissioners. Can we have a roll call, please? Yes. Commissioner Delago. Here. Vice Chair Hernandez. I am present. And Chair Gorn. I'm here. Absent. We have Commissioner Rems and Commissioner Ruddick. Okay. I think Commissioner Rims is at that at a training session. Yes. For the planning commission. So he's doing planning commission work. I wanted to. Oh, let's do the draft minutes. Let's approve those minutes. We can't. Yeah. Pardon me. I realize that we have a Commissioner Short. I wasn't present for last time. Oh, you weren't present. That's right. We can just hold off to those meetings. And I recuse myself for half which is weird. But we'll just hold off. We'll hold those to next time. I'm gonna open the um public comment to anything that is not on the agenda tonight. So if you have anything to talk about that is not on the agenda online, raise your hand or in here, come to the podium. I am seeing none. Yeah, I have none in. I am not opening um public comment. And we are moving on to our first item, which is the measure D rankings. Um that one is yours. Good evening, Chair Gorn and planning commissioners. Tonight I'll be presenting to you the scoring for the 2026 Measure D applications for outside of downtown. A little overview on the meeting. I'll take us through some background on Measure D, uh, the review process and the scoring criteria. Uh I'll overview the submittal summary for 2026 and we'll discuss uh staff's recommendations and the actions we're looking for from the planning commission tonight. So measure D is the city's growth management system. This was approved via a voter initiative back in 1999 and first became effective in 2009 here in Half Moon Bay.

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