But What About...

A local developer wants to build a large, 102 room hotel to be run by Hyatt, on the triangle of land across from the fire station, plus up to 16 townhomes just north of there. The problem is the height of the buildings – 34 feet tall, running for 500 feet along the highway – it will block the views of hills and ridgelines that we see now every day as we drive, bike and walk past there.

City code and regulations control what can be built on any particular piece of land. This 5 acres is right next to Highway 1, which is officially designated as a “Scenic Corridor”. What we can see as we drive up and down Highway 1 has special legal protections, simply because it is part of what makes this place special. In this case, specifically, the views towards and of the gorgeous rolling hills to the east all the way up to the ridgelines. So, there is a strong legal basis for objecting to the height and size of this very large project.

HMB's identity is intertwined with it's beauty and rural personality, not only for everyone's enjoyment but for our economic viability.

The current occupancy rate for Coastside hotels is only 55%.  We do not need another large hotel . There is plenty of excess capacity. Another hotel will only draw from other existing locally owned hotels, threatening their viability, not add significantly to the overall numbers and tax revenue.

Yes they should!  And we fully support the landowner's right to build on their land.  But the development must follow the laws of the land and build within the height restrictions of view corriders.  The current hotel design far exceeds that lawful height.

This project has been in the works for eight years. Initially proposed at 148 rooms, it was even bigger and more intrusive than the current 102 room plan, but then 16 townhomes got added to the project. The downsizing from 148 to 102 hotel rooms was in response to sustained public pressure, but the project is still 34 feet tall and over 500 feet long, blocking views of the hills which are legally protected in City code.

Not only would this new hotel and townhomes permanently block our views of the background hills, and increase traffic in the area, if approved at this size it would be at odds with Planning regulations.  To make matters worse, this would be used as precedent for the next oversized and inappropriate development somewhere in town, you can count on that. Some change and growth in Half Moon Bay is inevitable, but it needs to be managed sensibly and reasonably, and it must be done in accordance with existing laws. The laws, rules and regulations were put in place specifically to preserve the unique and beautiful nature of our surroundings. The laws reflect our values, and must be respected and followed. We are not saying that the developer must leave the land empty – he has a right to develop his property, but any development must conform to all existing rules and regulations. And this project very clearly does not.

Well, actually, it would. See our "Before and After" page of real-life photos, with the actual mass of the building blocked out in comparison views. With the length of the buildings at 500 feet and 34 feet tall, we would lose views of the hills for long distances traveling up and down Highway 1. The problem is, the Final EIR cherrypicked its viewpoints for presentation, and then manipulated the photos with flattened aspect ratios to minimize the visual impact of the hotel buildings. That's just not right. City code prohibits new development from blocking ANY views of the hills, in unambiguous language.

Some buildings along Highway 1 were built before current regulations existed to protect our views. Gradual loss of views is what led to writing those regulations to protect the remaining views. More recent decisions about building may have been in violation of the regulations, but.. "Three Wrongs Don't Make a Right" -- Benjamin Rush, Signer of the U.S. Constitution. Past bad decisions should not be used as precedent for breaking the rules yet again. Once views are gone, they are gone for good, and cannot be replaced. As someone has said, "You eat the salami one slice at a time". A lot of small decisions add up to cumulative impact. But this project is not small, it would be a big impact in one step.

The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission DENIED this project October 22, 2024, based on unallowable blocking of views due to the height of the project. But that is not the end of it - the developer has appealed the denial to City Council. Please see the TAKE ACTION page for details, we will update as this situation develops. TAKE ACTION - button below!