The Public Advisory Committee (PAC) began its work in April 1997 and completed its recommendations to the City July 28, 1997. Members of the PAC were all residents of the City, and were asked to represent important constituencies within the community, including business, environmental, neighborhood, recreational, tourist, agricultural, and governmental interests.

The first order of business for the PAC was to draft and adopt a Mission Statement and Groundrules to provide a structure for their decision making process. Assisted by a professional facilitation team, the PAC then agreed to take part in six plenary meetings and three smaller fact-finding workshops. The purpose of the fact-finding sessions was to research basic issues vital to understanding land use issues in the City. Fact-finding sessions focused on urban infrastructure; natural, coastal, scenic resources and parks and recreation; and, economic development, commercial and visitor-serving land uses. At each fact-finding session, PAC members heard presentations from City and special district staff and consultants, and started to draft written agreements on important land use issues being considered by the full PAC.

In its six meetings from April-July, 1997, the PAC has reached a series of agreements related to future land use in the community that will form the basis of the revised Land Use Element of the City's General Plan. Two of the PAC meetings were open to the public to give testimony to the PAC. The PAC incorporated many public concerns and comments made at these two meetings into their recommendations to the City.

This report contains specific recommendations, in the form of Principles and Implementing Strategies, for each of the following areas:

ð Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources

ð Residential Development

ð Circulation

ð Economic Development

ð Commercial Land Uses

ð Parks and Recreation

ð Agriculture

Please refer to the individual sections of this report, Chapters 6.1 - 6.7

to read the individual Principles and Implementing Strategies for each of these land use themes.

In addition, the PAC drafted and ratified a section of this report titled "Implementing the Vision." This includes methods and procedures to help ensure that the PAC's recommendations to the City, contained in Chapters 6.1 - 6.7, are actually implemented. Please refer to Chapter 4.1 of this report to review the PAC's specific recommendations for implementing the results of their work.

As the attached report is relatively short, the reader is urged to read it for him or herself, in its entirely, before reaching attempting to reach conclusions about any individual section or recommendation. This report can only be properly understood if it is examined in total, to understand how the land use Principles and Implementing Strategies it contains relate to one another, and how they collectively will help guide future land use and land use decision making the City.

Section 2

Mission Statement of the

Public Advisory Committee

The Public Advisory Committee ratified the following Mission statement to guide development of the Land Use Element recommendations in Section 6:

Overarching Objective

The overarching objective of the Community Planning Process is to undertake a crucial first step, using a community-based, collaborative decision-making process, to create a vision for the future land use of the City of Half Moon Bay.

Purpose

The purpose of the Community Planning Process is to discuss and develop principles related to land use issues and concerns associated with the Land Use Element of the City of Half Moon Bay General Plan. The principles that are developed will provide guidance to the City Council as it updates the Land Use Element.

Goal

The goal of the Community Planning Process is to conduct an open, facilitated discussion among several citizen representatives of the community to obtain their input on topics such as:

1) The general location and type of future land uses in the City;

2) How natural, visual, and open space resources should be planned;

3) The relationship between future land use and economic development;

4) The relationship between future land use and transportation;

5) The relationship between future land use and the capacity of key infrastructure, such as water supply, waste water treatment, utilities and communications.

Joint Fact-Finding Process

These discussions, carried out during five plenary meetings of the Public Advisory Committee, will be supported by a parallel joint fact-finding process, conducted by convening three meetings. Each fact-finding meeting will focus on a set of technical information, such as economic development, land use or infrastructure, to assist the Public Advisory Committee in its discussions of these topics.

Community Participation

The deliberations of the Public Advisory Committee will be open to the public and allow for focused public testimony at two of its five meetings. Community members can also contribute their ideas to the process by communicating directly with members of the Public Advisory Committee during the process.

Section 3

Public Advisory Committee Groundrules

The Public Advisory Committee (PAC) ratified the following groundrules to guide deliberations, meeting conduct, information-sharing, media contact, and to define the role of the facilitators.

Representation

1. The personal integrity and values of each member will be respected by other members. This includes the avoidance of inattentive behavior, personal attacks, and stereotyping. The motivations and intentions of members will not be impugned.

2. Commitments will not be made lightly and will be kept. Delay or absence will not be employed as a tactic to avoid an undesired result.

3. Disagreements will be regarded as problems to be solved rather than as battles to be won. Every member will check back with his or her respective organization or constituency and will be responsible for keeping them aware of ongoing Public Advisory Committee (PAC) decision making processes and time lines.

4. PAC members will give regular briefings of PAC proceedings to their peers, senior staff and/or governing boards after each PAC meeting. Significant comments and questions expressed by the peers, senior staff and/or governing boards of organizations on the PAC will be communicated back to the PAC at its next regular meeting.

5. Every member is responsible for communicating his or her position on issues under consideration. It is incumbent upon each member to state his or her interests. Voicing these interests is essential to enable meaningful dialogue and full consideration of these issues by the PAC. If a PAC member does not regularly attend PAC meetings or communicate their view point on an issue, it is assumed that they agree with the principles, decisions, or recommendations made by the PAC. If a member cannot attend a PAC meeting and conveys his or her interest to another member, staff or one of the facilitators, the source of that comment will be clearly conveyed to the PAC.

6. If a member cannot make a scheduled PAC meeting, that person can designate an alternate to attend and represent him or her. If an alternate is not designated, the PAC member should, whenever possible, communicate his or her comments orally or in writing directly to the facilitators. PAC members can also contact the facilitators between meetings at any time to discuss their concerns and needs related to this dialogue.

Information Sharing

1. Members are asked to provide pertinent information for items under discussion at all PAC meetings. This means that PAC members have an obligation to share any specific information, including possible or pending decisions within or by the agencies, groups or constituencies they represent as well as information in the form of reports, memos and studies which may affect the deliberations of the PAC.

2. Claims of privileged or confidential information will not be asserted lightly.

3. Tentative or sensitive information will be treated as such.

Working Group Meetings and Joint Fact-Finding

1. An essential component of the work of the PAC is the need to reach agreement, to the greatest extent possible, on a variety of technical data including land use, economic development, and infrastructure.

2. In order for the PAC to succeed in reviewing and discussing these issues, three Working Group meetings will be convened to focus on specific topics. The Working group shall consist of a smaller group of PAC members representative of the different viewpoints and interests of the full PAC. Each PAC member should, if possible, attend a minimum of one Working Group meeting. The Working Group will review and discuss technical issues and develop preliminary recommendations which will be brought to the full PAC for its review and discussion.

Ratification and Single Text Approach

1. PAC members will use a single text approach for all items to be ratified. This simply means that all comments on written documents under consideration by the PAC, such as the Mission Statement and Ground Rules, are to be made on the actual documents, so they can be easily understood and integrated into the revised text. Changes to draft written agreements proposed outside of regular PAC meetings via separate memos, letters, phone calls and faxes will not be accepted.

2. As the PAC discusses and makes decisions on different issues, the facilitators will assist PAC members by drafting language that reflects the emerging consensus. Draft statements that are prepared in this manner will then be circulated for review by all PAC members, using the single text approach. The facilitators will then integrate comments into a revised statement, which in turn will be presented to the next plenary meeting of the PAC where the facilitators will seek ratification. This pattern of drafting, revising and ratification will be the primary method of seeking agreements that emerge from discussions held by the PAC.

Media Contact and Observers

1. When discussing the proceedings, deliberations, and process of the PAC with the media, members will be careful to present only their own views and not those of other members on the PAC. Members are encouraged to suggest that media representatives contact other PAC members who may have different points of view. The temptation to discuss or represent someone else's point of view or interests in discussions with the media should be avoided.

2. Observers, including representatives of the media, are welcome to attend PAC meetings, and are requested to identify themselves to the PAC or the facilitators prior to the start of each meeting. Staff will provide a copy of these Ground Rules to observers.

3. If it so desires, the PAC may establish a Media Subcommittee, representative of all the interests serving on the PAC, to jointly draft periodic press releases to accurately convey the proceedings of the PAC to the media.

4. While the PAC is studying, discussing, or evaluating issues, the members will not make public statements prejudging outcomes. Such statements can inhibit creative discussion and the group's ability to modify draft proposals.

Timetable and Work Products

1. The PAC is committed to participating in this process until it completes its work, by the end of July, 1997.

2. The PAC will have five plenary meetings and three Working Group meetings.

3. The PAC is committed to cooperatively participating in a facilitated process to examine and try to reach agreement on a set of general land use principles as the City begins its work to update the Land Use Element of the General Plan. PAC members will endeavor to develop principles on topics such as:

1) The general location and type of future land uses in the City;

2) How natural, visual, and open space resources should be planned;

3) The relationship between future land use and economic development;

4) The relationship between future land use and transportation;

5) The relationship between future land use and the capacity of key infrastructure, such as water supply, waste water treatment, and utilities and communications.

Role of the Facilitators

1. The roles of the neutral facilitators will be to guide the discussion, ensure that all parties have a chance to be heard, work to clarify and narrow areas of disagreement, record areas of emerging consensus and other key themes and help articulate next steps.

2. The facilitators will prepare meeting agendas and single text documents based on discussions at PAC meetings.

3. The facilitators will be responsible for developing draft and final single text documents that reflect the emerging consensus of the PAC.

Section 4

Implementing the Vision

4.1 Introduction

The Land Use Element recommendations will require various implementation tools such as zoning, capital improvement programs, and design guidelines. Some implementing tools will require funding to implement, such as the recommendation for an economic development program which will require paid staff. Other implementation techniques, such as urban design guidelines for Downtown, are policies that will be enforced on an on-going basis during the City's course of business.

Essential to implementing any of the recommendations, however, is ongoing community involvement and an open dialogue between citizens, City staff, elected representatives, and project sponsors. The Land Use Element of the General Plan provides a set of values and policies upon which the community will make future land use decisions. These values and policies will not, on their own, lead to good decisions. Rather, the citizens and City need to continue to exchange views, assess opportunities, and make decisions that realize the vision expressed in this process.

4.2 Recommendations

The PAC recommends several strategies below to ensure that the substance and spirit of the recommendations are implemented:

1. Integrate PAC Recommendations into Revised General Plan

The format of the PAC's Land Use Element recommendations should be retained in the updated General Plan. Specifically, the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies are structured to reflect a value or goal statement with a potential implementation technique. The 1985 LCP does not have broad goal statements and hence does not communicate a cohesive vision. The updated General Plan should reflect the community values expressed in the PAC's recommendations.

2. The PAC's Recommendations should Guide the Work of the General Plan Consultant

A committee, including former PAC members representative of the different interests, should guide the General Plan update process. The PAC should review the consultant's (or staff's) draft material at key milestones to ensure that the intent and spirit of the PAC's recommendations during the community visioning phase is carried forward into the revised the General Plan. A similar process of review and discussion used by the PAC to develop its recommendations could be used for this next phase in the process.

3. Prioritize PAC Recommendations

The Potential Implementing Strategies in this document are either policies or programs. Most policies are on-going efforts, used by the City when reviewing applications for land use changes or new developments, planning, and building infrastructure and providing public services. Some of the programs, however, require funding and City staff resources. These programs should be prioritized by a committee which includes former PAC members to provide the City (and in some cases, other agencies and community organizations) guidance in appropriating funds and initiating these programs.

4. Establish City Liaisons with Regional Agencies, Elected Commissions and Boards, and Organizations

The policies, programs, and capital projects of other regional and county agencies and organizations can either help or hinder implementation of the Half Moon Bay's land use plan. For example, San Mateo County's land use policies, Caltrans' transportation plans, and Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District's park acquisition plans can each affect Half Moon Bay's land use patterns. It is vital that the City communicate its plans to other agencies and be informed and involved of their plans and projects. In addition, other agencies and organizations may have potential funding for projects and programs recommended in the updated General Plan.

Several organizations and agencies that staff or citizen committee liaisons could make contact with include:

ð San Mateo Council of Governments

ð SamTrans

ð Board of Supervisors

ð State Assembly and Senate Representatives

ð Water and Sewer Agencies

ð School District

ð Harbor District

5. Establish Citizen Task Forces to Provide Input on Program Implementation

The City has limited staff resources to oversee implementation of many of the Land Use Element policies and programs. The PAC recommends that the City appoint a collaborative citizen task force to participate in implementation of certain programs recommended in this document. The task force should include people with diverse points of view and have some knowledge of the issues. For example, the Commercial Land Use section recommends that an overall commercial land use plan be developed. This project should have a citizen task force to oversee development of the plan. These task forces could extend the limited staff resources of the City.

6. Communicate Results of PAC Process to the Community

After this ratified document is complete, the City and PAC members should work to disseminate the results to the community. Several methods could include the following:

ð Distribute a press release prepared by a subcommittee of the PAC representative of the different view points;

ð Post an electronic version of the final document on the World Wide Web;

ð Provide copies of the document in the City Hall and Library; and,

ð Distribute a summary of the report in the ãCity Notesä which is mailed out to all residents.

Though diverse points of view were represented, the Public Advisory Committee's (PAC) work yielded recommendations that form a coherent vision for Half Moon Bay. The PAC envisions a community with steady economic growth and increased housing and job opportunities for its residents while it preserves its natural and scenic resources and small-town character. The PAC acknowledges Half Moon Bay's limited infrastructure capacity and remote location from job centers and proposes a community development strategy that builds upon current assets: ocean, hills, creeks, natural habitat, scenery, highly-skilled work force, historic downtown, and location as a visitor destination. By building on these assets, the community can grow economically in a way that preserves the very reasons why people live in Half Moon Bay.

Section 5

General Principles

for Overall Land Use

The Public Advisory Committee ratified the following land use principles to guide overall land use in Half Moon Bay. These principles also served as a foundation for developing the specific land use principles in Section 6.

1. The small rural and historical character of Half Moon Bay should be preserved.

2. ?The natural beauty of Half Moon Bay's landscape should be preserved.

3. Natural resources within the City, including marine, coastal, open space and stream resources, and appropriate public access to these resources, should be preserved, enhanced, and restored.

4. ?Half Moon Bay should continue to be a tourist destination because of its location, natural landscape, and coastal resources. Existing economic benefits of tourism should be maintained. Future increased economic benefits from tourism are desirable if they don't general significant adverse environmental impacts which cannot be mitigated.

5. The 3% annual residential growth rate is a reasonable maximum limit.

6. Future commercial development should provide services to both city residents and visitors.

7. ?Future residential and commercial development should support the community's goals for economic development and a high quality of life. This development should be tied to sufficient capacity of public infrastructure, especially the capacity of highways and local streets.

8. The City should attract companies to Half Moon Bay which will provide economic development opportunities without causing significant environmental impacts. This should include providing jobs with a range of wage and skill levels to existing residents who would then not have to travel out of town to work.

9. Future development in Half Moon Bay should be planned to integrate alternative transportation modes including pedestrian and bicycle transit with traditional vehicular transportation for travel within town.

Section 6

Principles and

Potential Implementing Strategies

6.1 Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources

A. Discussion

The hills, blufftops, creeks, and ocean of Half Moon Bay contribute significantly to its sense of place. Developed urban areas, surrounded by agricultural open space on one side and the ocean on the other, create a beautiful, tranquil, natural environment uncommon in the Bay Area. Half Moon Bay's natural setting and beauty are the principal assets that attract residents to live here and visitors to recreate and relax here.

Sensitive natural habitat areas, such as streams, wetlands, dunes, marine resources, and bluff tops, need to be inventoried in order to protect, restore and maintain them. Overuse and increased urban development in proximity to these areas can cause degradation if not managed properly. To ensure that new development does not negatively impact these resources, the City needs to conduct appropriate biological and economic assessments of its natural resources.

The 1985 Half Moon Bay Local Coastal Plan, Chapter 3, "Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas," contains a description of natural resources possibly found in Half Moon Bay and several policies to protect these areas. The chapter is a copy of the County of San Mateo's General Plan, with some changes. When the General Plan is

updated, the natural resource element will need to be revised to reflect recent data on local environmental conditions and changes in state and federal habitat protection regulations.

The Principles and Implementing Strategies below should be used to guide the update of the Land Use Element. The recommendations comprise a general vision for natural, coastal, and scenic resources as far as overall land use planning is concerned.

The following key issues form the basis for the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: Implementing ordinances and policies to protect sensitive habitat near or within new developments with clear standards suitable for enforcement do not exist. The City has had experience with project sponsors destroying natural resources consciously or inadvertently prior to obtaining project permits.

Issue 2: The City has a poor record of mitigation monitoring.

Issue 3: New environmental data have emerged regarding special status species and sensitive habitat since the LCP was adopted in 1985. The existing conditions discussion of natural resources in the LCP is not current. Definitions of sensitive habitat and performance standards for uses within sensitive habitat do not reflect actual conditions in Half Moon Bay or current environmental management techniques. For example, the definition for establishing riparian habitat boundaries and required buffer zones are inadequate.

Issue 4: Riparian corridors, wetlands, beaches, dunes, and coastal bluffs are valuable resources which should be protected, restored, and maintained.

Issue 5: The City is the enforcement agency for addressing Coastal Commission regulations and policies locally. The current LCP may not comply with all current Coastal Act policies and regulations.

Issue 6: In 1992 the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) was established and became part of the national marine protection program, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Half Moon Bay Coast is

part of the MBNMS which extends from San Simeon north to the southern boundary of the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary near San Francisco. This designation requires compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. Prior to approving land use plans, future developments, and zoning changes, the City of Half Moon Bay must assess possible impacts to the MBNMS to ensure compliance with all applicable federal regulations and protection of our marine resources. This includes watershed impacts from land use within the city, including increased sedimentation, toxic runoff, non-point pollution impacts, and concentrated flows to creeks and the ocean, as well as downstream impacts to sensitive marine habitat.

Issue 7: Half Moon Bay has the majority of its natural habitat and coast intact and in good health. This presents an opportunity to preserve the resource and make the natural environment an integral part of the built environment.

Issue 8: The scenic quality of Route 1 is an important economic and environmental asset.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-1:

Protect, restore, and maintain natural habitat and enhance biological diversity. Prevent adverse impacts to rare, endangered, or threatened species from urban development and overuse of natural areas.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Preserve and enhance the ecological health of contiguous, intact habitat as a high priority. Avoid using off-site mitigation as a technique for displacing native habitat for urban development.

1-2: Develop and maintain a citywide biological inventory to identify areas for preservation and areas suitable for urban development.

1-3: Conduct a comprehensive update of the 1985 LCP Chapter 3, ãEnvironmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas.ä

1-4: Preserve and enhance riparian and wetland areas through application of the riparian and wetland protection policies in the updated General Plan.

1-5: Preserve and enhance natural, coastal plant and animal communities through proper environmental review of new projects and application of habitat protection policies in the updated General Plan.

1-6: Protect the ecological value and condition of other natural habitat such as beach cliffs, bluff tops, and monarch butterfly over-wintering habitat.

1-7: Develop and maintain a plan to avoid impacts to rare and endangered species.

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-2:

Integrate natural resource values and planning principles with the City's land use planning decisions and design review process.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Educate project sponsors about the natural resource protection goals and policies of the City early in the design development process so that habitat protection is an integral element of site and master planning.

2-2: Consider opportunities for acquiring natural habitat areas for permanent public open space and natural parks.

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-3:

Revise the City's environmental and design review process to ensure effective protection of natural resources and compliance with federal, state, and City policies and regulations.

Potential Implementing Strategies

3-1:?Establish specific criteria for the protection of natural resources as part of the City's environmental review process. Work with project sponsors early in the master planning and site planning process to address and minimize environmental impacts.

3-2:?Develop an effective enforcement program to ensure project sponsor compliance with the City's environmental goals and policies.

3-3: Develop an effective, City-sponsored mitigation monitoring program.

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-4:

Protect and enhance the quality of ground water, surface water, creeks, and the ocean. Understand the potential for the City to impact and be impacted by the marine and aquatic environments within and adjacent to Half Moon Bay.

Potential Implementing Strategies

4-1: Develop and maintain a current hydrographic map of the watercourses in the City's jurisdiction with special emphasis on the ocean terminus. Such maps should clearly indicate the extent of riparian habitat and buffer zones as defined by the updated General Plan.

4-2: Determine the historical and predicted long-term erosion patterns along the City's shoreline. Policies affecting siting of new development along the shoreline should be compatible with these long-term predictions.

4-3: Determine the predicted tsunami run-up patterns and implement notification and evacuation plans.

4-4: Urban or recreational development near sensitive marine environments should not be permitted unless adequate management measures are assured to prevent degradation of the sensitive environment.

4-5: Use available data on water quality to define critical water quality parameters and identify potential watershed problem areas.

4-6: Adopt performance goals for watershed management measures in terms of the critical water quality parameters. For example:

- Reduce postdevelopment loadings of total suspended solids (TSS) so that the average annual TSS loadings are no greater than predevelopment loadings.

- Maintain postdevelopment peak runoff rate and average volume at levels similar to predevelopment levels.

4-7: Define planning and design standards that prevent pollutant loadings to the greatest extent possible and treat unavoidable loadings. Measures to be considered could include setbacks, buffers, open space, wet ponds, constructed urban runoff wetlands.

4-8: Implement structural practices to control urban runoff through infiltration, filtration, and detention.

4-9: Adopt planning and design standards that eliminate, reduce, and/or facilitate maintenance of urban runoff control and treatment facilities.

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-5:

Protect and enhance the scenic resources of the hills, blufftops, beaches, beach access routes, and significant natural features. Retain the open, natural quality of the coast and hills by requiring new development to be in character with natural land forms and to minimize obstructions of important views and viewsheds.

Potential Implementing Strategies

5-1: Conduct an update of the 1985 LCP Chapter 7, ãVisual Resources,ä and ensure consistency with other revised elements of the General Plan to address urban design standards, protection of scenic areas among other issues.

5-2: Planned Unit Development proposals should protect important views and viewsheds.

Natural, Coastal and Scenic Resources Principle-6:

Provide beach shoreline access while minimizing environmental impacts to bluff top and shoreline habitat.

Potential Implementing Strategies

6-1: Protect ocean cliffs and cliff edges from recreational activity that causes erosion or cliff retreat. Develop trail access and regulations which discourage people traversing sensitive habitat to access beaches.

6-2: Provide adequate parking for beach access to discourage beach parking in areas which may impact habitats. Conduct a citywide study to determine the type, location, and fee structure of parking facilities for beach access.

6.2 Residential Development

A. Discussion

The residential development principles and objectives presented below address design guidelines, type, mix, and general location of residential development in Half Moon Bay. The following key issues, identified in stakeholder interviews and at Working Group meeting #1, form the basis for the Principles and Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: Many residential neighborhoods in Half Moon Bay are dispersed in a patchwork of developed and undeveloped areas (urban reserve or PUD designations). This makes developing public amenities or commercial services in various neighborhoods less feasible because the population is too small to support the investment. Also, dispersed developments separated by large private parcels limit pedestrian access to other parts of the community.

Issue 2: Some established neighborhoods have vacant parcels distributed throughout, which in some cases, create a barren, uncomfortable quality.

Issue 3: Residents want affordable housing so that seniors, young people, and low-wage earners have the opportunity to live in town if they choose.

Issue 4: The majority of residents must use a motor vehicle to go shopping and access parks and several other public amenities resulting in increased use of Route 1.

Issue 5: Most types of residential development are a financial burden on the City.

Issue 6: The City of Half Moon Bay has a significant jobs-housing imbalance. There are significantly more residents in Half Moon Bay than jobs.

Issue 7: The paper parcel subdivisions which exist in Half Moon Bay in both the downtown and along the old Coast Railroad right-of-way were created during the first half of the century. Property owners do not necessarily have a "vested right" to develop their property on these lots. A vested right is a right which has become absolute and fixed and cannot be defeated or denied by condition or change in regulation. To have a vested right to develop, the owner must either have a vested tentative subdivision map conforming to the current general plan and zoning ordinance and record a final map prior to map expiration or have been issued a building permit and made substantial progress toward construction. Owners of paper parcels must conform to the current day zoning codes and general plan.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Residential Development Principle-1:

Design and site residential development in ways that create a cohesive, compact land use pattern for Half Moon Bay. In-fill residential development should be encouraged in existing neighborhoods or close to existing neighborhoods to minimize construction of new public infrastructure.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Develop a phasing plan to guide growth in a logical, cost-effective manner throughout town.

1-2: Limit ãleapfrogä development patterns by directing new residential development close to existing development and roads.

1-3: Actively promote in-fill development of vacant lots in established neighborhoods and consider mixed uses where appropriate.

1-4: Encourage development of multi-family housing in and near downtown.

Residential Development Principle-2:

Assure a balance of different housing types, densities, and costs to serve individuals and families of different sizes, income levels, ages, and special needs.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Integrate different housing types in new residential areas. Avoid creating homogenous developments that serve only one social group.

2-2: Provide housing opportunities for people with special needs, such as the elderly or disabled, close to public amenities and commercial areas.

2-3: Conduct a study to determine the appropriate amount of different housing types necessary to serve local employees in an effort to create a jobs-housing balance.

Residential Development Principle-3:

New residential development should include a balance of commercial and public uses to minimize the need for motor vehicle travel for commercial and public conveniences.

Objectives

3-1: Encourage small neighborhood commercial development in areas to the north and south of downtown which could serve existing and future neighborhoods and limit trips to downtown. Ensure safe pedestrian and bicycle access to neighborhood commercial areas.

3-2: Provide neighborhood parks within close walking distance to where people live.

Residential Development Principle-4:

Residential development should pay for direct infrastructure and public amenity needs of the new neighborhood through project construction or impact fees.

Residential Development Principle-5:

New residential developments should be designed to preserve the character of the natural landscape of Half Moon Bay and not negatively impact coastal, natural, or scenic resources.

Residential Development Principle-6:

Provide incentives to owners of paper parcel lots to consolidate their lots to allow for appropriate development.

Potential Implementing Strategies

6-1: Encourage owners to consolidate lots by establishing zoning districts which specifically detail the size and configuration of developable parcels.

6-2: Consider use of redevelopment to purchase and consolidate lots.

6-3: Provide incentives through the Residential Growth Control process to join lots to provide for a more desirable lot pattern.

6-4: Use development agreements between the City and developers of areas which include several small lots to encourage the consolidation of lots and the preservation of park and open space.

6-5: Explore the use of transfer of development rights from small lots to larger parcels located close to downtown or on infill sites.

6-6: Develop ãarea plansä to consolidate lots in a logical, appropriate manner.

6.3 Circulation

A. Discussion

Circulation issues are inextricably linked with land use policies: land use decisions can impact the capacity and convenience of the city's circulation system while a well-planned circulation system can affect development patterns. The Circulation Principles and Implementing Strategies reflect this relationship and describe how land use and circulation planning can work together to realize the Overall Land Use Principles for Half Moon Bay.

The following key issues form the basis for the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: Route 1 and Route 92 limit traffic capacity because of steep terrain, too few lanes, and speed limits. This limited capacity impacts Half Moon Bay most severely during weekday commute periods and weekends when visitors come to and travel through Half Moon Bay.

Issue 2: Traffic capacity improvements planned for Route 1 and Route 92 over the next four years may decrease congestion during peak travel times, but will not substantially increase traffic capacity.

Issue 3: Devil's Slide will likely be limited to one lane in each direction for the foreseeable future, even if the tunnel is constructed. This will limit regional traffic capacity for trips north to San Francisco.

Issue 4: Future development in communities to the north and south of Half Moon Bay will contribute to local traffic congestion.

Issue 5: Traffic capacity limitations for Route 92 and Route 1 will be a constraint on the type, amount, and location of development in Half Moon Bay. Decisions on new development will need to address, in particular, the amount of Coastside vehicle commute trips generated into and out of Half Moon Bay.

Issue 6: Pedestrian and bicycle access from residential neighborhoods to parks, schools, commercial areas, and downtown is either inconvenient, unsafe, or unavailable. Many residents use a car to access local destinations that could be accessed on foot or by bicycle if safe facilities were provided.

Issue 7: Most residents must use Route 1 for any local trip. There is no north-south collector street for neighborhoods located east and west of Route 1 to travel through town. Also, there are few pedestrian routes linking different neighborhoods.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Circulation Principle-1:

Reduce vehicle commute trips out of Half Moon Bay by promoting public and high-occupancy transportation modes, and by linking land use planning and economic development policies with transportation planning.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Actively promote the ride-share program through active outreach to commuters and by increasing the convenience and information about the program. Explore opportunities for developing a ride-share parking area for multiple uses. On weekdays, commuters would park their car and carpool or vanpool to work. On weekends, the parking area could be used as a staging area where tourists can park their car and tour downtown and the coast using alternative transportation modes such as a shuttle or bicycles.

1-2: Attract businesses and industries to Half Moon Bay which will provide jobs to residents with varying incomes and skill levels and improve the jobs-housing balance.

1-3: Promote tele-commuting as a way to reduce commute trips.

1-4: Work with SamTrans to determine ways to increase frequency and consistency of bus routes.

Circulation Principle-2:

Reduce vehicle trips of residents driving within Half Moon Bay by providing safe, non-vehicular access to, and parking facilities for, public amenities and commercial services, and by developing compact residential areas.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Integrate neighborhood commercial services in new residential development where design and economic feasibility allow.

2-2: Provide neighborhood parks within safe walking distance from where people live. Residents should not have to cross Route 1 to access a neighborhood park.

2-3: Encourage development of in-fill housing close to downtown with safe, convenient pedestrian access.

2-4: Encourage high-density, compact development with mixed uses and, where possible, close to existing amenities such as parks, schools, or commercial areas.

Circulation Principle-3:

Increase pedestrian and bicycle travel within the city by developing a comprehensive trail system that is safe and that highlights the natural beauty of the landscape.

Potential Implementing Strategies

3-1: Create a pedestrian system within each neighborhood which will provide several well-maintained routes for people to access key destinations such as schools, beaches, parks, and shopping areas.

3-2: Provide a trail route and bridge connecting neighborhoods north and south of Pilarcitos Creek (west of Rt. 1).

3-3: Provide safe pedestrian access from Arleta Park to downtown.

3-4: Create a trail which does not adversely impact natural habitat paralleling Pilarcitos Creek linking the coast to downtown.

3-5: Provide safe, pedestrian access across Route 1 somewhere between Frenchmans Creek to the north and Main Street to the south with a crossing at Frenchmans Creek and Grandview Boulevard.

3-6: Create a safe, aesthetic pedestrian and bicycle facility along Foothill Boulevard as part of the design. Extend the trail to the residential area north of Frenchmans Creek.

3-7: Extend the coastal trail to the southern city limits.

3-8: Provide for safe pedestrian and bicycle crossing of Route 1 at Kelly Avenue.

3-9: Develop a route to schools program.

3-10: Develop and fund a trails maintenance program.

Circulation Principle-4:

Increase the efficiency of existing roads through effective transportation management techniques to maintain an acceptable level of service.

Potential Implementing Strategies

4-1: Conduct a feasibility study of providing north-south collector routes east and west of Route 1 connecting neighborhoods to each other and to downtown without negatively impacting neighborhoods with additional traffic or creating negative environmental impacts to sensitive coastal resources.

4-2: Develop and fund a road maintenance program.

4-3: Reduce dependence on Route 1 by providing access to commercial areas that do not require travel on Route 1 while minimizing disturbance to sensitive coastal resources.

6.4 Economic Development

A. Discussion

A healthy economy in Half Moon Bay can help the City achieve its General Plan goals and sustain a strong municipal tax base. A good business environment serves local households and tourists with retail goods and services, provides jobs and livelihoods to residents, and generates revenue for the City. Economic development strategies are as important for sustaining a high quality of life as are open space and natural resource preservation strategies.

The City needs a coordinated economic development strategy to attract appropriate businesses, ensure a sustainable tax base to fund city services, and guide future land use. The use, character, and economic productivity of undeveloped land along Route 1 and 92 and in Downtown have not been defined yet. The type of use and design of these and other undeveloped areas could have a lasting effect on how Half Moon Bay is perceived, both as a place to visit and to conduct business.

The Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies below are intended principally to guide future land use planning decisions and policies and do not constitute a comprehensive economic development plan. The Public Advisory Committee strongly recommends that the City develop a comprehensive economic development strategy based on community values and insights.

The following issues form the basis for the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: If the City maintains its current level of city services and achieves anticipated revenues from all current sources, the City will have to begin a deficit spending pattern for the 1998-99 and subsequent annual budgets.

Issue 2: Currently, the City has no plans for increasing revenues in the short term. The majority of City revenues consist of a portion of sales tax, property taxes, transient occupancy tax, and park use fees. Several techniques that could be used to increase revenues include: bolstering sales activity, attracting tourists, and raising certain taxes and fees. Raising taxes and fees, however, may be inconsistent with other goals of economic development.

Issue 3: The City has not evaluated the efficiency and method of delivering public services. The City needs to conduct an audit and strategic planning process to identify customer needs, desired services, and methods of delivering services efficiently. This process could reduce City expenditures.

Issue 4: Many residents purchase retail goods out of town because of out-of-town jobs, and limited selection and non-competitive pricing in town. This leakage of economic activity reduces disposable income spent in the City, job opportunities, and sales tax revenues.

Issue 5: The natural resources and cultural history of Half Moon Bay present important assets to attract visitors and generate economic benefits. There are a number of cultural events and attractions in Half Moon Bay and the Coastside which also present opportunities for generating economic benefits for the City.

Issue 6: Currently there is a significant jobs-housing imbalance. Many people employed in Half Moon Bay with low paying jobs do not reside in Half Moon Bay. Many residents must commute outside of the city to get well-paying jobs to match their skill level.

Issue 7: The Coastside's two hotels, three motels, two extended stay facilities, and 14 bed and breakfasts are sold out almost every weekend during the summer months. Mid-week occupancy, however, is well below capacity. For every dollar spent on lodging, two and a half dollars are spent in the community on recreation, dining, and retail goods.

Issue 8: Without new and sustained business activity, the City will not have increased revenues from economic activity.

Issue 9: The City General Plan contains a number of goals and policies which require various infrastructure improvements and new programs. The cost of implementing the General Plan needs to be determined.

Issue 10: Economic activity in Half Moon Bay is affected by land use and economic activity in the larger Coastside region.

Issue 11: Maintenance of and future improvements to Route 1 and Route 92 are essential for continued economic growth.

Issue 12: The intellectual and technological resources of Silicon Valley and the values of the greater Bay Area as a tourist destination present a potential economic development opportunity.

Issue 13: Telecommunications facilities and infrastructure in Half Moon Bay are inadequate.

Issue 14: Local economic activity has not been studied adequately to develop a financial model or formulate economic development strategies.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Economic Development Principle-1:

Cultivate a diverse, strong, sustainable local economy which produces meaningful jobs for people with a range of skills, provides retail goods and services for residents and visitors, preserves our environmental resources and small-town character, and builds a strong municipal tax base.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Prepare an economic development model and strategy which identifies businesses to attract and retain and ways to increase City revenues and decrease expenditures. Determine how the natural, scenic, and agricultural assets of Half Moon Bay can generate additional economic benefits.

1-2: Establish and fund an economic development program to implement the economic development strategy.

1-3: Work in partnership with the Coastside Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, the County, and other agencies and organizations to implement elements of the economic development strategy.

1-4: Involve the community in developing an economic strategic plan.

1-5: Examine techniques to increase financial benefits to the City from wholesale sales.

Economic Development Principle-2:

Build a vibrant tourist industry centered around Half Moon Bay's natural, cultural and scenic assets, beaches, fishing and agricultural industry, and historic Downtown. Improve information and facilities for visitors to encourage longer visits and increased spending.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Improve orientation signs for visitors along major roadways.

2-2:?Encourage development of an interpretive facility which informs and educates visitors about the area's natural, cultural, and historic resources and activities including the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

2-3:?Encourage development of educational and recreational activities and facilities which teach children, tourists, and residents about the area's agriculture industry.

2-4: Encourage educational and recreational activities which teach children and tourists about the fishing industry and Pillar Point Harbor. Work with the Harbor Commission to increase visits by school children and tourists.

2-5: Work in partnership with the Coastside Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, the County, and other agencies and organizations to develop a marketing strategy which promotes a defined image for Half Moon Bay that attracts beneficial economic activity.

2-6: Explore ways to increase night time business activity in Downtown and elsewhere in town.

2-7:?Develop a Gateway Plan to improve the aesthetic quality of the main entrances to the city and orients motorists to the community's important resources and attractions.?

Economic Development Principle-3:

Expand the visitor-serving economy by increasing mid-week and off-season opportunities for tourists and businesses.

Potential Implementing Strategies

3-1: Identify visitor market segments which would attract people to Half Moon Bay during the mid-week. Develop and promote diverse seasonal activities to attract visitors at slow tourist times of the year.

3-2: Encourage private development of an appropriately sized conference facility for groups.

3-3: Work with local organizations to expand existing and create new recreational, sporting, and cultural events for visitors and residents which take place at times other than summer weekends.

3-4: Work with appropriate agencies and private enterprise to establish convenient and cost-effective transportation and shuttle service to and from San Francisco International Airport.

Economic Development Principle-4:

Attract and retain businesses which will build a strong local economy and enhance Half Moon Bay's cultural, social, and environmental assets.

Potential Implementing Strategies

4-1: Encourage businesses, through special incentives and programs, to hire local workers, purchase local goods and services, and reinvest profits locally.

4-2: Support job placement programs to match the skills and expertise of job seekers with the needs of local and regional businesses.

4-3: Create a business-friendly regulatory and permitting environment within the City. Institute permit streamlining and revise certain ordinances to respond to the needs of small business. Assist new small businesses in completing and expediting necessary permits.

4-4: Institute a business retention and expansion program which helps businesses which are at risk due to the lack of additional space or infrastructure.

4-5: Attract coastal-dependent businesses which can benefit from the beaches, harbor, and location within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

4-6:?Attract businesses which can benefit from Half Moon Bay's proximity to Silicon Valley and the availability of a highly-skilled and highly-educated work force.

4-7: Develop incentives and programs, such as an ãincubator space,ä loans, and technical assistance, to support entrepreneurial business efforts of area residents.

Economic Development Principle-5:

Strengthen Half Moon Bay's position as the center for retail goods and services on the Coastside.

Potential Implementing Strategies

5-1: Attract retail businesses to Half Moon Bay that can be developed in a way that is consistent with local architectural character and not negatively impact scenic resources.

5-2: Achieve a balance of local and visitor-serving retail businesses.

5-3: Assess and mitigate local regulatory and permitting impediments for retail businesses to establish and open operations efficiently.

5-4: Acknowledge and respond creatively to situations where current ordinances may be difficult to apply to existing developed areas of historic Downtown. This must include completing a practical and workable circulation and park plan ordinance.

6.5 Commercial Land Uses

A. Discussion

Downtown Half Moon Bay is an attractive, comfortable shopping environment for residents and visitors. The convenient parking (midweek), street trees, sidewalks, and old buildings create an inviting atmosphere for buying goods, eating lunch, and completing errands. Outside of Downtown, however, there is a scattered patchwork of commercial uses with a physical character inconsistent with the scenic and historical qualities of Downtown.

Land along Route 1, Route 92, and Main Street presents a pivotal opportunity to define the future economic life and physical character of Half Moon Bay. The community could continue with project-by-project developments without an overall vision or plan, develop more auto-dependent shopping centers like Strawflower, or encourage mixed-use commercial developments to serve different retail and office needs. Alternately, Half Moon Bay could institute strategies to preserve undeveloped land along major routes and retain a strong rural character which could yield indirect economic benefits as well.

Whatever course is taken, the City needs a clearly defined strategy about the type and location of economic activity it wants to encourage (as recommended in Section 6.3). Once a strategy is researched and adopted, the land use plan must reflect the strategy and be used as an implementation tool for economic development.

The following Commercial Land Use Principles and Implementing Strategies should be used to guide commercial, retail, and industrial land use decisions so that a cohesive urban land use pattern emerges. The Economic Development Principles earlier in this chapter were used to develop the recommendations below.

The following issues set the context for the Principles and Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: Route 1 and Route 92 provide significant visual resource value to visitors and residents. Main Street and Downtown are also important visual, historic, and economic resources.

Issue 2: The shopping centers with large parking areas on Route 92 and Route 1 are not consistent with the small-town, rural character of Half Moon Bay and are not pedestrian-oriented.

Issue 3: On weekends, parking in Downtown is difficult to find.

Issue 4: Commercial buildings have been constructed which are not consistent with the character of Half Moon Bay.

Issue 5: The design of various types of commercial and industrial developments is determined by the applicant's business plans. This is because the City lacks overall urban design goals which should be incorporated into the applicant's design.

Issue 6: The design of Route 1 near Downtown does not attract motorists into the Main Street area. Many motorists drive through Half Moon Bay unaware of the historic Downtown area and its shops and galleries.

Issue 7: Most residents in Half Moon Bay must drive to Downtown to go shopping due to the lack of neighborhood-based retail services.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Commercial Land Uses Principle-1:

Promote commercial and light industrial development which preserves the small-town, rural and historic character of Half Moon Bay, is aesthetic and consistent with scenic qualities, minimizes impacts to natural and coastal resources, and minimizes impacts to existing infrastructure, including roads. Promote commercial development which implements the economic development strategy.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Develop design guidelines to address appropriate building type, size, scale, style, materials, signs, and setbacks for different commercial and light industrial areas.

1-2: Ensure compatible land uses so that commercial and light industrial uses do not negatively impact residential, agricultural, or institutional uses.

1-3: Support mixed use commercial and light industrial developments which combine various office, retail, and residential uses. Integrate open spaces and outdoor seating areas into new commercial developments.

1-4: Encourage pedestrian-oriented office and retail and light industrial development design by using design techniques such as placing parking lots behind buildings, creating safe pedestrian linkages to adjacent areas and across roads, and providing bicycle racks and employee showers at offices. Allow for the adaptive reuse of existing industrial buildings.

1-5: Encourage development of adequate office facilities for new and expanding businesses which are consistent with the existing historic, small-town urban design qualities of Half Moon Bay. Provide mixed uses within and proximate to new office development to provide pedestrian and bicycle access to other services for employees.

Commercial Land Uses Principle-2:

Direct appropriate, new commercial development in areas based on an overall commercial land use plan.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Ensure a balance of visitor-serving and local-serving uses. Avoid development of a large concentration of tourist shops or restaurants in one area.

2-2: Develop a commercial land use plan which identifies the type of commercial, retail, office, light industrial, and visitor-serving uses desired in different parts of the town. Adjust current zoning ordinances to provide for changes that would allow for the economic development and commercial land use goals in this document.

2-3:?Evaluate commercial development proposals in terms of how effectively the proposed urban design, economic development, and commercial land use goals of the City are achieved. Consider incentives for developers to create projects that enhance the community's proposed land use goals as well as the business needs of the developer.

2-4:?Develop and implement a plan to extend the urban scale and character of Downtown to encompass both sides of Route 1 from Central Avenue on the south to the Main Street/Route 1 intersection on the north. Use urban design elements such as landscaping, paving treatments, and safe street crossings. Encourage development of new visitor-serving and retail uses. The goal is to strengthen Downtown as Half Moon Bay's commercial center and to encourage more stops and local spending by motorists traveling through Half Moon Bay.?

Commercial Land Uses Principle-3:

Preserve the historic and architectural qualities of Downtown and promote a consistent urban design character for the undeveloped portion of Main Street. Promote the Downtown core as the community's Central Business District.

Potential Implementing Strategies

3-1: Develop a downtown preservation and development plan, as part of the updated General Plan, which specifies design guidelines for type, height, setback, and architectural character of new buildings.

3-2: Modify current zoning ordinances to provide for changes in historic building use to encourage new businesses and renovation and expansion of existing businesses in the spirit and quality of the original building.

3-3: Extend the commercial and mixed land use pattern and urban design character of Main Street farther south to

Route 1.

3-4: Discourage the construction of chain stores, big box retail, factory outlet stores, and large scale retail facilities which may compete with Downtown business.

6.6 Parks and Recreation

A. Discussion

Parks and recreational opportunities are essential for a healthy living environment in urban areas. Parks increase property values and provide economic benefits to the community. Residents use parks to enjoy and learn about the natural environment, play sports, take children for outdoor play, and hold social, community, and cultural events. Different types of parks are needed for different functions. Neighborhood parks provide close-to-home recreation and open space opportunities. Community parks provide larger facilities for group events, active recreation, and organized sports. Regional and open space parks are less developed and highlight natural systems and environment for passive recreation and educational use.

The City prepared a park and recreation master plan in 1990 and incorporated the study with some modification into its General Plan in 1995 as its Park and Recreation Element. The document outlines the City's goals and policies to guide park acquisition, development, operations, and maintenance.

The park and recreation principles and potential implementing strategies in this section do not comprise a parks and recreation vision. Rather, the Public Advisory Committee developed these recommendations to assure consistency between the Land Use Element and the Park and Recreation Element.

The following key issues form the basis for the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: There is a significant deficiency in park land relative to existing population when the City-adopted standard of eight acres per 1,000 population is applied. Both the city as a whole has a deficiency and each neighborhood, except for Frenchman's Creek, has a park deficiency.

Issue 2: Many neighborhoods do not have parks within safe or reasonable walking distance.

Issue 3: The City General Plan does not have an Open Space or Conservation Element to address open space goals and policies.

Issue 4: The 1995 Parks and Recreation Element reflects the proposed buildout assumptions of the 1985 LCP.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Parks and Recreation Principle-1:

Provide sufficient natural open space parks and community parks to serve the educational, recreational, social, and spiritual needs of the Half Moon Bay community.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Reduce or eliminate the current park deficiency (based on 8 acre/1,000 population standard) by aggressively implementing the park acquisition goals of the Park and Recreation Element.

1-2: Provide funding for ongoing maintenance of new parks.

1-3: Develop an Open Space Element and Conservation Element the updated general plan which addresses various topics including natural, passive open space parks, public access to areas of natural significance, and greenbelts within and around the City.

1-4: Identify and map proposed parks and open spaces on the revised Land Use map in the updated Land Use Element.

1-5: Link park and recreation facilities with bicycle and pedestrian trails.

Parks and Recreation Principle-2:

Incorporate newly revised Park and Recreation Element goals and policies into land use planning decisions and into the review and approval process of development projects.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: The City Park and Recreation Department should be involved in design review of all private and public development projects.

2-2: Planned unit development proposals should consider opportunities for park and trail linkages to serve future residents.

2-3: Educate project sponsors about the goals and proposed parks outlined in the Park and Recreation Element early in the design process so that park planning is integral to master planning and site planning of new developments. Provide project sponsors incentives to provide additional park land through density bonuses and other techniques.

2-4: Develop and enforce a program to ensure project sponsor compliance with agreed upon park and trail improvement plans.

2-5: Consider trail development opportunities for bicycle, pedestrian, and equestrians during the design of new roads and bridges.

2-6: Consider and mitigate the impacts of parks on adjacent neighborhoods and land uses in the park and trail design process.

2-7: Incorporate passive open space into new office and commercial development.

6.7 Agriculture

A. Discussion

Agriculture has been and remains integral to Half Moon Bay's economy and landscape. Crop fields, pastures, cut flower fields, green houses, and nurseries contribute to Half Moon Bay's rural landscape. The climate, soils, and rural setting make agriculture a natural, viable industry. In recent years, urbanization, increased traffic congestion, and greater global competition have made certain agriculture and floriculture operations less economically viable. Some agriculture companies have responded to these changes by ceasing operations or changing crop types to remain competitive.

Local policies are only one factor that affect agriculture's long term viability in the Coastside region. The City, however, can use land use policies and public works decisions to preserve agriculture, limit urban-agriculture conflicts, maintain low property taxes, and ensure adequate water supply and transportation facilities, which will help maintain favorable economic conditions for agriculture. The Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies below address such land use policies which can maintain and possibly improve conditions for agriculture.

The following key issues form the basis for the Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies:

Issue 1: The agriculture industry is an economic, cultural, and scenic value to the City and community.

Issue 2: Urban/agriculture conflicts have increased in recent years. Some residents have complained about noise, chemical spraying, and dust. Agricultural land needs to be contiguous with compatible uses to allow efficient operations. When agriculture is adjacent to residential, office, and retail uses, adequate buffers are necessary to limit impacts to agriculture and people.

Issue 3: Local availability of several farm support services, such as farm supplies and mechanical equipment sales and repair, have diminished in recent years, which has increased operation costs for local farmers. Many services and supplies are located far from Half Moon Bay. Also, increased traffic congestion has increased local transportation costs and made delivering products more expensive and less reliable at certain times of the day.

Issue 4: Agriculture competition from other regions in the United States and from other countries have priced some products once grown on the Coastside out of the marketplace. Farmers may need to be able to make rapid changes in their operations to remain competitive.

Issue 5: The high cost of local housing has reduced the availability of qualified farm workers.

B. Principles and Potential Implementing Strategies

Agriculture Principle-1:

Preserve existing agriculture land and operations in Half Moon Bay.

Potential Implementing Strategies

1-1: Revise the Agriculture Element of the 1985 LCP to reflect current issues and needs of the agriculture industry and community of Half Moon Bay.

1-2: Establish and support a local right-to-farm ordinance.

1-3: Limit urban-agriculture conflicts by encouraging compatible and contiguous agriculture land use. Support farmers in their efforts to adopt biologically-based farming practices which are profitable, rely less on chemical inputs, and minimize conflict between urban and agricultural land uses. Require adequate buffers between new adjacent development and agriculture.

1-4: Support establishment of businesses that provide agriculture services to local farmers.

1-5: Support a strong county agriculture preserve program and county right-to-farm ordinance.

1-6: Consider strategies for making agriculture a visitor-serving amenity which could generate income for farmers and the city. Support local agriculture marketing efforts.

1-7: Support provision of adequate and sustainable water supply for farmers and all other water users.

1-8: Streamline the permitting process to allow efficient and flexible agricultural land use changes (e.g., ability to convert a small parcel to a different use).

1-9: Support zoning amendments that will allow agricultural processing facilities to be developed on the property of the farm producing the crop.

1-10: Institute an agriculture or conservation easement purchase program.

1-11: Work with local and regional agricultural organizations to support efforts to maintain the viability of agriculture in Half Moon Bay.

Agriculture Principle-2:

Allow the conversion of agriculture land in a way that is consistent with the City's land use goals and is mitigated through the protection of nearby agriculture land.

Potential Implementing Strategies

2-1: Evaluate the fiscal impacts to the City of agriculture conversions to non-agriculture or non-open space uses.

2-2: Maintain current agricultural general plan designations of ãopen space preserve,ä ãhorticulture,ä and ãagriculture.ä

2-3: Permit the conversion of ãurban reserveä land to non-agriculture use, only after alternatives for continuing agriculture use have been examined by the City and farmer. Develop a phasing plan for converting ãurban reserveä land in the City to urban uses based on the quality of soils, proximity to urban infrastructure, and adjacent land uses.

2-4: Institute ordinances to allow for such techniques as transferable development rights and open space purchases, to preserve agriculture land when farmers apply for a land use conversion.

Section 7

Recommendations

for Future Fact-Finding

The Public Advisory Committee's recommended revisions to the Land Use Element include a number of studies and fact-finding efforts necessary to develop and enforce appropriate land use policies and programs.

Itemized below are the potential implementing strategies that recommend fact-finding efforts. The numbers refer to the principle and potential implementing strategy for the land use principles in

Section 6.

Natural, Scenic and Coastal Resources