I changed Coastsider’s templates this morning, caching some items on the page that were previously generated every time a page was loaded. The site is now loading a lot faster, at least for me.

A few readers have told me that Coastsider has been slow lately. Let me know if you’re getting better performance today, or whether you’re experiencing any problems.

The city of Pacifica is looking to add a major widening of Highway 1 to its general plan, according to Planning Director Michael Crabtree.  The expansion, called the Calera Parkway, runs south from Reina Del Mar to Fassler Avenue [Google map] and is intended to increase circulation on a sometimes-congested portion of the highway.

The Calera Parkway is one of the most growth-inducing projects currently planned on coastal San Mateo County.  The project, if implemented, would not only affect Pacifica, but would feed traffic through the tunnels to be built at Devil’s Slide and onto the Midcoast.

The Sierra Club said in June 2002 that the Calera Parkway project would have "a significant adverse growth inducing impact on traffic and circulation" on surrounding land forms such as the quarry and hillsides.

What kind of growth? In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors, the San Mateo County Association of Realtors said that it opposes designating the old Caltrans freeway bypass in Montara as open space because "being adjacent to the new tunnel, these properties would be ideal sites [for homes] given their proximity to transit."

The Calera Parkway would be part of a revision to of the the city’s general plan, which was adopted in 1980 and is showing its age.  Among the elements to be revised are the Noise Element, the Historic Preservation Element, the Housing Element, and Circulation (traffic) Element.  The Government Code requires the Circulation Element of any General Plan be correlated with the Land Use Element.  This has the effect of a vicious cycle of improved traffic circulation driving development, creating demand for more improvements in traffic circulation.

Taken to its logical conclusion, the result of this process could look a lot like Daly City.

Bob Pilgrim

The proposed parkway will run from Reina del Mar to Fassler Ave. Click on the image for a larger version.

Bob Pilgrim

The area around the proposed parkway is already developed, and more development is in the pipeline.  LOS means "level of service" and LOS = F is the lowest level. Earthmetrics did the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in 1986.  Click on the image for a larger version.

Bob Pilgrim

If you think Pacifica badly developed, take a look at Daly City. Things could get worse. Click on the image for a larger version.

This year, five of the eight Sustainable San Mateo County award recipients were on the Coastside. The annual Sustainable San Mateo County awards honor individuals and organizations demonstrating sustainability in action. The local winners were:

• Jacobs Ranch/Del Cabo, Inc.
• Pietro Parravano, Harbor Commissioner
• Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County
• Elkus Youth Ranch: Honorable Mention
• Hogg Residence, Half Moon Bay, Green Building Awards: Honorable Mention

From the Sustainable San Mateo press release:

Jacob’s Ranch/Del Cabo, Inc. began as organic herb farms in Pescadero. It has expanded into one of the largest organic herb farms in the country and was the inspiration for a venture into Mexico that has turned into an even bigger business. CEO Larry Jacobs and his wife Sandra Belin partnered with Mexican farmers, forming a coop of more than 200 small family farmers growing organically and selling worldwide.

Pietro Parravano, San Mateo County Harbor District Commissioner, has shown leadership at the local up to the international level working for permanent systemic change in the area of sustainable ocean resource use and protection. His work has included education, mobilization of stakeholders, policy change, and coordination and leadership on sustainable practices and programs.

Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County embodies the principles of sustainability in several ways: improving and sustaining environmental quality by recognizing that the diversity and ecological integrity of the coasts are necessary to the well being of the whole earth; promoting equal, free, and open access to County beaches for all people; educating the community about water quality, pollution, coastal ecology and biodiversity; and supporting businesses that embody sustainable practices in accordance with the CERES (formerly Valdez) Principles.

The Cargill South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project was hailed by environmentalists as the "holy grail." Senator Dianne Feinstein said, "Cargill is clearly doing a major public good and deserves deep appreciation." The project frees up 16,100 acres for use by local, state and federal wildlife agencies, increases Bay tidal wetlands by nearly 50 percent, and preserves 25 square miles of open space. It also improves water quality, flood control and provides crucial habitat for endangered species. At the same time Cargill’s investment in technology and productivity shrinks their industrial footprint by over 60% but preserves nearly 400 permanent, living wage jobs.

"Getting Green at Central" is a grass roots effort at Central Elementary School in Belmont that has inspired the whole school to recycle everything from aluminum to tennis shoes-and in the process saved enough money to build a new play structure. They have received worldwide recognition for their efforts, including the President’s Environmental Youth award, and they have inspired many other schools to follow their example.

Receiving honorable mention, Elkus Youth Ranch in Half Moon Bay for nearly a quarter century has been offering opportunities for students and teachers to experience environmental science, California history, animal care and agriculture programs. The ranch hosts about 9000 visitors annually-with a special welcome for urban, disabled and inner city youth.

The 2005 Green Building Award winner, d’Souza/de la Torre Residence in Belmont (Architects: David Arkin & Anni Tilt, Arkin-Tilt Architects; Builder: Ebcon Development, Inc.; Owners: Gladwin d’Souza & Martina de la Torre) is being honored for the holistic approach to sustainable design. The project incorporated recycled materials, sustainable site selection and uses, innovative heating and cooling systems (both passive and active) and included multi-functional use of space to reduce the overall building size.

Receiving Honorable Mention is the Hogg Residence in Half Moon Bay (Architect: John Hermannsson, Architect A.I.A.; Builder: Spectrum Development; Owners: Alec & Michelle Hogg). Commendable was the complete re-use of the existing structure and the owner’s and architect’s commitment to look at all options, carefully consider material selections, and maintain sensitivity to the community and surroundings.

Click "read more" to see Surfrider’s press release on its award.

Wavecrest is continuing its headlong plunge into the murky mysteries of wetlands mitigation. This is a little complicated, but stay with me.

The developers are have applied for a permit from US Army Corps of Engineers, in order to avoid a slower permit process with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. However, it is still not certain that the Corps will decide it has jurisdiction over Wavecrest.

The challenge is that the Corps has jurisdiction only over U.S. waterways, such as wetlands, but Wavecrest wants to develop on the non-wetlands portion of the site. They plan to mitigate any federally endangered California Red-Legged Frog habitat damage in the developed non-wetlands with frog breeding ponds in the wetlands.

How do you get the Corps to assert jurisdiction over non-wetlands? It’s called a "but-for". That’s right, a "but-for". If development of the non-wetlands could not take place but for the construction of ponds in the wetlands, a case can be made for the Corps having jurisdiction over the entire property.

A couple of weeks ago, the Corps told me that they thought the application was only for the wetlands, and not for the entire site. It turns out that, as I had originally written, Wavecrest’s developers are seeking a permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which would allow them to build on the non-wetlands portion of the property and mitigate this with California Red-legged Frog breeding ponds within the wetlands portion.

The Corps has not decided whether it has jurisdiction.

The first step in the process will be a new delineation of wetlands on the property. According to Holly Costa, Regulatory Project Manager with the Corps, the delineation is scheduled for April 5 and 6. This will involve walking the entire property and taking core samples, to determine what portion of the site is wetlands. The highly contentious original delineation, which was approved in 1999 by the Corps and expired in August, is at the heart of the five-year Wavecrest controversy and central to issues raised at the California Coastal Commission. After the delineation, the Corps will decide if it has jurisdiction. This will be done in consultation with the applicant and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

If the Corps determines that it has jurisdiction, the process would require the Corps to consult with the US Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act for potential effects on Red-Legged Frogs and San Francisco Garter Snakes.

According to Costa, while this process will require just as much work as developing a Habitat Conservation Plan with the USFWS, the time to completion would be shorter.

A section 404 permit also requires a 401 Water Quality Certification, which is issued by the State Water Quality Control Board, via a Regional Water Quality Control Board; and, for projects such as Wavecrest that fall within the Coastal Zone, California Coastal Commission approval. Without either of these, the Section 404 authorization is invalid.

Cunha Middle School has been chosen to participate in the first annual San Mateo County School Pool Pilot Program. Parents who participate will receive a free $20 gas card for pooling two days or more.

The program has created a Web site where parents can meet others on their commute route. You can also contact Kim Mulligan at the Regional Rideshare Program at 510.273.2065, or [email protected]

To request a gas card application or if you have questions about the program,  call Tanya Mirosnkoff, Program Representative for the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, at (650) 588-8170, or [email protected]

Coastside Peace is holding a workshop that promises to teach you to speak and listen in a way that heals rather than hurts. Their Compassionate Communication Workshop will be held Saturday, March 12, from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM at the Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel in Montara.

Click "read more" to see the press release.

Slowly, for nearly a decade, volunteers have been removing invasive plants from the beaches of Half Moon Bay’s 170 acres of state beach so that native plants, such as the California poppy, can return to our open spaces. Each parcel must be weeded repeatedly until the seeds of the invaders have been eliminated.

"We’ve seen a lot more rabbits up at Francis Beach because now they have the type of ground cover they can hide in," said Ken Robertson, a volunteer with the Half Moon Bay Dune and Restoration Project. "Everything feeds on everything else. We’ve noticed a big turnaround in the ecosystem."

There’s a wonderful article on this labor of love by the Half Moon Bay Dune and Bluff Restoration Project at the San Mateo County Times web site.

Anthony Tashnick, 20, of Santa Cruz, won this year’s Mavericks big wave surf contest, according to the AP story on the Merc’s site. Defending champion Darryl "Flea" Virostko dropped out of the contest at the last minute because of injuries from a wipeout in Hawaiii a few weeks ago. Virostko has been the only man to win Mavericks in the three years it has been held: 1999, 2000 and 2004.

The Half Moon Bay City Council unanimously decided to appoint a replacement for the remaining 2 1/2 years of Sid McCausland’s term.

McCausland formally resigned at last night’s meeting, clearing the way for his replacement.

There will be a notice (and presumably an article) in next Wednesday’s Half Moon Bay Review.  The Review is a local newspaper that is published on most Wednesdays. However, the process is already known.

Anyone wishing to serve in McCausland’s seat needs to go to City Hall and fill out a form stating they are willing to serve, attaching information about their background, especially in public service, and a short statement of why they want to be a member of the City Council. Applications are due by Wednesday, March 23.

There will be a special meeting on Monday, March 28 at 7pm to interview candidates and choose a replacement. If necessary, the process can continue to the regular City Council meeting the following night. The replacement must be chosen within 30 days of the vacancy, which would be March 31.

In other business, the City Council voted unanimously to support Keet Nerhan’s application to add a drive-thru restaurant to his gas station at the intersection of Highways 1 and 92.  The application will come back to the Council next month for final review in a month.  There had been a dispute between the Planning Commission and Nerhan over whether earlier traffic studies had been adequate to approve the drive-thru.

"I think the Planning Commission did its job," Mayor Jim Grady told me. "They need to be conservative."

According to one observer, Council member Mike Ferreira joked that the station would probably cause more traffic than the drive-thru if Keet would lower his prices.  Toni Taylor loosened things up further, noting that everyone in the room was laughing except Keet.

The Coastside Livability Series  is holding a seminar and workshop on "Investing for Sustainability at a Personal and Community Level".

Christopher Peck is the principal and owner of Holistic Solutions, a socially-responsible investing advisory firm in Sebastopol, California. He will explore what we can do to make our dollars work for our values at a seminar Thursday March 3rd at 7:30 PM at the Ted Adcock Community Center, 535 Kelly St. in downtown Half Moon Bay.

This will be followed by a workshop the following Sunday, March 6th at 1:00 at the Johnston House Depot Building, to plan community-based initiatives to put our money to work reshaping our community and increasing our ability to ride out economic disturbances in the national economy.

Click "read more" to see the complete press release.