Half Moon Bay City Attorney's Impartial Analysis of Measure I

This Measure is to decide whether an ordinance adopting the North Wavecrest Redevelopment Plan (the Plan) will be approved or not. The Plan was approved by Half Moon Bay's Community Development Agency, the City Council, and the Planning Commission which approved the Plan for consistency with the City's General Plan.

The Plan is for a redevelopment project area within the City of Half Moon Bay consisting of approximately 490 acres generally bounded by State Highway 1 (Cabrillo Highway) to the east, Arleta Park (Magnolia Street) to the north, Ocean Colony (Redondo Beach Road) to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Much of the project area is platted into five old paper subdivisions and is primarily undeveloped. Several unofficial dirt roads criss-cross the site. There are no utility services to the area.

The project area is currently zoned for single family residential (1,650 units) which is inconsistent with the City's adopted Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LUP). Under the LUP, (adopted in 1985), the project area has a maximum potential for residential units of 950. Under the Plan proposed in this Measure the maximum number of residential units would be limited to 750, a portion being for affordable housing. The residential units are subject to the 3% growth limitations of Measure A (adopted by the voters in 1991). Measure A allows slightly more than 100 residential units to be allocated for construction, city-wide, annually.

Other uses for the project area include recreation, commercial recreation, visitor serving commercial, educational, and public recreation/open space uses to be further defined in one or more specific plans to be adopted by the City Council. Included with the Public improvements under the Plan are a community park of 35 acres, ocean front improvements to the trail/walkway and setback area of the bluff tops, preservation of areas adjacent to riparian corridors. The Plan provides the Community Development Agency (CDA) with powers, duties and obligations to implement and further the program formulated for the Plan.

The CDA is given power under the Plan to acquire property in all portions of the project area. This enables the project area to be planned in a unified manner and allows assembly into larger parcels of the many small and substandard parcels. The CDA is also authorized to install and construct public improvements, to prepare building sites, dispose of real and personal property, and enter agreements with other public bodies. The CDA may acquire land and otherwise provide for low and moderate income housing. The CDA may also borrow funds and issue bonds. Tax increment revenues, which are the increase in annual property taxes attributable to improvements and subsequent increases in assessed value of property in the project area, provide the revenue for CDA activities. City-wide taxes will not be effected.

A majority "yes" vote of those voting will effectively approve the Redevelopment Plan, and a majority "no" vote will disapprove the Plan. If disapproved the plan cannot be reconsidered by the City for at least one year.

/s/ Robert J. Lanzone
City Attorney

THE ABOVE STATEMENT IS AN IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEAUSURE I. IF YOU DESIRE A COPY OF THE ORDINANCE, PLEASE CALL THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AT 726-8270 AND A COPY WILL BE MAILED AT NO COST TO YOU.


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