Planning Commission works to resolve HMB zoning mess By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review September 1, 2004 In yet another attempt to rectify the restrictive zoning codes in Half Moon Bay, the Planning Commission has accepted a staff proposal to "curb the route we've been going so far." That's how Associate Planner Sage Schaan described the process. The 180-degree turn seems the proper course to the commission, too. The city is now pursuing a four-pronged approach in hopes of quickly fixing the problem of substandard lots that make up much of the residential land in Half Moon Bay. Recently, the City Council attempted to address the issue with an urgency ordinance allowing a range of remodeling projects but that effort served to polarize residents. Now the plan is to redefine what constitutes a substandard lot, eliminate the architectural stamp requirement, offer a 250-square-foot exemption for the remainder of substandard homes and put a cap on the sliding scale for floor area ratios. Staff will be presenting those proposals in code amendment form at the next Planning Commission meeting Sept. 23. But other problems remain and will have to be addressed more rigorously during the city's Local Coastal Plan update, which will get underway next month. "It seems every time we turn a corner we find some new problem," Planning Director Jack Liebster said. "Things like the fact that existing houses don't meet the setbacks either on the side or the front, apparently." That issue among others will require more research, he said. Such issues constitute a "more complex and broader scope than what staff is trying to do now," he said. "Now we've sort of opened the Pandora's Box," Liebster summarized. "The city has a tremendous amount of non-conforming situations," Schaan added. The plans being introduced by staff are meant to solve the problem with substandard lots and also dispel residents' fears of "monster homes" being allowed under the recent urgency ordinance that rezoned the majority of homes in the city. "There's sort of a balancing going on here. We have a problem with the California Coastal Commission and the way that we're going to solve that problem is not with rezoning," Liebster said. "What we're trying to do is be as conservative as possible," he said. "We are, in fact, crafting a proposal the Coastal Commission wouldn't have to certify." "It shouldn't be this difficult," said Gino Monteiro, who's planning a small addition to his home. "It doesn't seem like we're getting anywhere with this. What you're doing is promoting growth inadvertently by forcing growing families to move into larger neighborhoods." Ozzie Monteiro had even more harsh criticism for the Planning Commission and city government in general, first comparing the city's zoning law to Internal Revenue Service code. "The city of Half Moon Bay government has failed its citizens for the last few years," he said. "Historically we know what happens to oppressive governments - they come and they go." He and many others think the zoning should fit what's on the ground - and R1 would fit for most homes on lots greater than 5,000 square feet. SETBACKS STILL A SETBACK FOR MAN WHO CREATED STIR By Matt Kapko--Half Moon Bay Review Patric Jonsson is bowing out. After more than three months of lobbying the city, knocking door-to-door, informing residents that their homes are on substandard lots, and seeing numerous approaches taken by the city to remedy the situation, his problem still isn't solved. He put up a good fight - never swaying from his mission - and spent countless hours researching the city's zoning laws, but in the end he can't build the 260-square-foot home addition that led to all his hard work. That's not to say that Jonsson's labors were futile. He helped hundreds of his fellow neighbors' problems, and showed that citizens of Half Moon Bay can make a difference if they're willing to get involved and have the patience to wait for city government to respond. And respond it did. It appears the substandard problem will eventually be solved, but not in time for him to build an addition now. "I'm a done deal. I can't do anything. We gained a lot in the grounds of the other issues," he said. As Jonsson dug deeper into the issues he found more hidden problems that spelled disaster for his plans. Front-setback requirements combined with the city's right-of-way on Kehoe Avenue make it impossible for him to extend his two small bedrooms out front. And a riparian habitat in his backyard restricts him from building there. Jonsson and his wife, Amy, who are expecting there first child on Oct. 3, won't get to expand their small bedrooms for their growing family and likely will have to wait years for their dreams to be realized. "Right now this doesn't feel like home anymore," he concluded. Home