The County Times has a good article by Julia Scott on the Coastal Commission’s letters to the county regarding its LCP update [Coastsider’s coverage and pdf’s of letters].  It briefly examines the traffic, flooding, and sewer problems that have been exacerbated by current development.

The county’s plan does not call for widening Highway 1, preferring to rely on public transit, turn lanes and road improvements already in place at key highway intersections.

Supervisor Rich Gordon, who represents the Coast, said that future Boards of Supervisors could decide whether to widen the highway using Measure A funds.

"I respectfully disagree with them," he said of the Coastal Commission staff. "I believe there are activities that we can do that will improve highway flow."
...
"We don’t have a lot of growth in the county, and it (the Midcoast) is one place where there are still large, developable lots," said Gordon. "We have to build the infrastructure to the rate of development.

"If we’re unable to do that, development won’t be able to move forward," he added. "You won’t be able to build a home on most of the lots in El Granada without adequate sewer connections."

"Poles, Commercial, Residential"

In this second installment of his video column,  Neil Merrilees: Right Here In the Middle, Neil takes us on a walk down Mirada Road in Miramar and gives us a insightful look at our building codes in action.

The video is available in two formats: A small Flash version for older computers or slower connections, and a larger Quicktime version for newer computers and faster connections. | Quicktime | Flash |

Viewers watching my video of Monday’s workshop on a proposed development adjacent to Farallone View Elementary School might get the impression that Montara residents are hostile to developers. As a Montara resident, I can say that nothing can be further from the truth. Take this modular home, photographed Wednesday, for example. Close inspection of the photo hints that this lovely portion of a home is built in Nebraska by modular builder Timber Creek. It’s headed along Third/Kanoff/George to a multi-house development on Date made up of similar modular homes—most locals are probably unaware of this busy, new construction zone.

But the immediate neighbors know. One has kindly put up a brightly colored, handmade sign with the words, "Flood Zone," emblazoned upon it. Don’t you feel the love?

A developer who wants to subdivide a lot next to Farallone View Elementary met with community members Monday night.  We have video of the meeting. | Quicktime | Flash |

There’s also a great deal of information, including the history of the application, on the county’s Online Permit Center.

The California Coastal Commission has sent the county a list of questions and requests for additional information regarding its proposed changes to its Local Coastal Program. The fourteen pages of requests in two letters can be downloaded from Coastsider [pdf].

In addition to what appear to be routine requests for backup information and maps, the Commission has asked the county:

• A more detailed explanation of the buildout estimates in the plan, including whether 25-foot-wide substandard lots were assumed to bebuilt on as-is or merged.
• A determination of whether the infrastructure (roads, water, and sewer) is adequate for the buildout.
• An analysis of traffic impacts of the buildout plan and how the county plans to address them.
• An explanation of how the county plans to meet priority visitor-serving needs for water, if priority water is reallocated to residential uses.
• An analysis of the impact of the proposed rate of growth on infrastructure and an explanation of why second units and affordable housing is not included.
• A more detailed explanation of how the county’s proposed lot merger program would work.

That’s only quick summary of a detailed and moderately technical 14-page document. Download it yourself and post your questions, comments, and clarifications on Coastsider.

There will be a workshop Monday evening to discuss a proposed seven-house subdivision near Farallone View Elementary in Montara. The workshop will be in the Farallone View multipurpose room from 5:30 to 7:00pm.

A major subdivision of seven houses is proposed. This proposed subdivision would be the equivalent of a block in length and would be built on a proposed extension of Kanoff Avenue. The proposed extension would start at the tiny portion of Kanoff north of (and parallel to) Second Street. It has two houses on it. Six lots would be 7,200 sq. ft., one is 7,658 sq. ft.

This "new" portion of Kanoff Avenue would run on an angle between Farallone View Elementary School and Third Street to Le Conte Avenue. There it would join into Third Street. Third Street’s name changes to Kanoff Avenue at Le Conte. (Kanoff Avenue—also known as Third Avenue—runs for about two blocks, and then the street name changes to George Street.)

At Kanoff Avenue north of Second Street, the proposed Major Subdivision is adjacent to open space land. Locals refer to the area as "the wetlands." A portion of the new street (which is on an angle) is between Cabrillo School District Land and Third Avenue.

The purpose of the pre-application workshop is to provide for and foster early public involvement and input before the applicant submits the necessary planning applications initiating the County’s formal review process. The developer is Ken Menasco of 14366 Antone Court, San Leandro, CA 94578

A map showing the location of this proposed Major Subdivision has been provided to the Coastsider to post on the website.

If you would like to provide input/concerns/viewpoint for an article in the Half Moon Bay Review, contact:

726-4424 - Nick Casey, Half Moon Bay Review

726-7054 - FAX number to send FAX to Nick Casey

If questions, suggested individuals to contact are:

650-363-1829 - Matt Seubert, Project Planner, Planning & Building Dept

650-363-1930 - Jim Eggemeyer, head of the Planning & Building Dept

650-363-4569 - Supervisor Gordon, with the Dept of Supervisors

Martha W. Puff

In a letter to friends and supporters, the two property rights organizations fighting the expansion of the the expansion of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District have summarize their case, listed their accomplishments in the last two years, and announced some new directors. You can see the original documents by clicking on the link below.

Citizens for Responsible Open Space and Californians for Property Rights have announced there are four elements to their appeal.

• The trial court standard of review was too deferential to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
• LAFCO’s notice of public hearing was insufficient
• LAFCO didn’t properly respond challenges to maps and boundaries
• LAFCO used the wrong total for registered voters and was too strict in disqualifying petition signatures.

A sinkhole measuring 11 feet deep and 30 feet wide has opened below the sidewalk on Beach Blvd near Pacifica Pier, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

Sinkholes are common along Beach Boulevard, although rarely do they go undetected for so long, according to Holmes. He said the city had already detected two smaller gaps developing under the sidewalk closer to Paloma Avenue, a quarter-mile away. The last big problem developed after the El Niño winter storms of 1998, when part of the seawall was so weak that it pulled away from the street and collapsed into the ocean. The water rushing in created a sinkhole about 30 feet north of the current one, according to Holmes.

...Public Works parks supervisor Ron Fasconda, explained that over time, the force of the waves had eroded the protective metal sheet at the base of Pacifica Pier. The water then worked its way behind the concrete-reinforced rocks piled up behind it and started digging the sand and dirt out from underneath the sidewalk. He said the repairs would only take a couple of days once begun.

Caltrans will begin excavation for the Devil’s Slide tunnel by late March or early April, reports the Mercury News. Caltrans expects to complete the bridge over Shamrock Ranch at the south entrance by the end of 2008.

Pacifica has moved one step closer to Calera Parkway Project—widening Highway 1 between Fassler Avenue and Westport Drive. The San Mateo County Transportation Authority has approved $1.2 million toward an environmental review.

The project has been in the works for 18 years.

The last step in what the environmental review process — which precedes the engineering process, the bidding process and eventually, the construction process — will focus on gaining approval from federal and state regulatory agencies, such as the California Department of Fish and Game, the California Coastal Commissionand U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Transportation Authority spokesman Jonah Weinberg.

No doubt, many Pacificans are hoping that the review will jump-start the highway widening — but some wish that the regulatory agencies will put the kibosh on the proceedings. Leading the charge against construction is the Sierra Club, which believes that expanding Highway 1 will infringe upon a coastal zone inhabited by such endangered species as the red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake.

Opponents are also concerned that the highway widening will fuel development on Pacifica’s hillsides that will eliminate any traffic congestion relief.