By Lennie Roberts, Legislative Advocate
It’s been almost three years since Half Moon Bay began an ambitious update of its General Plan, Local Coastal Program, and Zoning Ordinance. The city has now released the First Public Review Draft of its Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan. Unfortunately, the Draft Plan’s policies regarding protection of sensitive habitats, agricultural lands, and scenic views are wholly inadequate.
CGF’s Advocate Alice Kaufman and I have been involved in this major planning effort since the beginning, attending meetings, commenting on background documents, and letting CGF members and supporters know how you can be involved. We will be speaking up to ensure that the resource protection and development policies in the plan are strengthened, in order to comply with the requirements of the California Coastal Act. Residents of Half Moon Bay overwhelmingly support “preserving environmental resources and open space” and “maintaining the small town character” of the city as well.
The city’s General Plan Advisory Committee will be holding two public meetings in June to review the following Chapters:
Thursday, June 2: Introduction, Land Use and Coastal Access
Thursday, June 29: Coastal Resources and Coastal Hazards
The GPAC meetings are from 6:30-9:00 pm at the Emergency Operations Center, 537 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay.
The Agenda for the June 2 meeting, just posted, only allows for public comments at the end of the meeting. The Coastal Act requires maximum public participation in developing Local Coastal Programs. CGF will be asking the GPAC to provide adequate time to hear from all interested members of the public, including scheduling additional meetings.
Please attend the GPAC meetings if you can, and watch for our Action Alerts for updates, letting you know how you can be more involved. You can find more information on the Half Moon Bay Local Coastal Program update here.
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