The Half Moon Bay City Council denied an appeal of a concrete crushing plant next door to the Hilltop mobile home park at its meeting on January 15. You can watch the entire proceedings below.
If you’re pressed for time, I recommend watching the eloquent testimony of the appellant [ Quicktime | Flash ] and the response of the city council [ Quicktime | Flash ].
Not having followed this case closely, I don’t have an opinion about whether this use should have been approved. But I was startled at how little interest the council showed in the amount of noise this use would create for mobile home park residents. CCWD commissioner Jim Larimer showed up with an SPL meter to testify that the city’s limit of 65 dB was about what he encountered in his Passat, which he seemed to think was appropriate. There was also some discussion of the noise from Highways 92 and 1.
It got me thinking about whether there should be more discussion and understanding of the issue of noise pollution on the Coastside.
- Opening | Quicktime | Flash |
- Report out of closed session | Quicktime | Flash |
- City Council reports | Quicktime | Flash |
- Oral communications | Quicktime | Flash |
- Staff reports | Quicktime | Flash |
- Consent calendar | Quicktime | Flash |
- Appeal of Planning Commission approval of concrete crushing near mobile home park | Quicktime | Flash | Docs |
- Waive permit fee for Saso Gale house at 684 Terrace Ave [moved from consent calendar] | Quicktime | Flash | Docs |
- Appointment to Parks & Recreation and Planning Commissions [deferred] | Docs |
- Amend animal control agreement | Quicktime | Flash | Docs |
- Agreement to lease Seacrest gym | Quicktime | Flash | Docs |
Residents of the Midcoast may think that self-rule will deliver them to the promised land. Well, not if they become part of HMB.
I’ve lost track of how many City projects have been appealed ever since Naomi Patridge & Co. came to power in November 2005. Some examples:
A friend of Naomi Patridge & Co. is given a pass to build a monster house in a neigborhood of small historic cottages—in violation of the LCP. http://talkabout.hmbreview.com/topic.php?t=587&c=1&d=m
Another friend of Naomi Patridge & Co. receives an illegal variance that allows the project to be fast-tracked. Owners of other similarly-zoned parcels have to wait while the City processes a time-consuming zoning change. http://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2007/10/F5b-10-2007.pdf
Then of course there is the example of Don Heinz, who is not a friend of Naomi Patridge & Co. Don was not offered the kind of special treatment noted above; instead, Don is ordered to cease and desist. http://hmbreview.com/articles/2007/08/15/news/local_news/story01.txt
The latest example is the Andreini rock crusher, the subject of this video. A virtually identical project was denied by the City several years ago due to noise and dust impacts to the high school and the nearby residential area. This time it gets approved by Naomi Patridge & Co.