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| Harbor District will seek residential permit on Burnham Strip By David F. Smydra Jr. [ david@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Thursday, September 6, 2007 12:23 PM PDT The San Mateo County Harbor District will request county permits to build a residential property on the Burnham Strip in El Granada, recently released district documents show. District Manager Peter Grenell confirmed that the permits will be for a one-family house that could be built on a 6.19-acre portion of the strip that the district owns. The documents were part of the agenda packet for the Harbor District's meeting Tuesday night. The district would probably never build the house, however, instead using the acquired permits as leverage to maintain the property's value. The applicable zoning restrictions are expected to tighten this December if the California Coastal Commission approves a Local Coastal Program amendment that would otherwise prohibit the land's owner from building a residential house. Securing the Coastal Development Permit now could enact a "grandfather clause" in the pending LCP amendment, allowing a house to be built even if the new zoning is approved. If used, the grandfather clause might protect the current value of the land. The district is actively trying to sell the parcel for $1.3 million. Some public agencies have been eyeing the property for their own public works projects with the expectation that the new zoning would drop the price by as much as 90 percent. Should the county approve the district's permit application, those agencies would need to gather significantly more cash in order to acquire the property. The application package, which will include requests for a CDP and a use permit, would be submitted to the San Mateo County Planning and Building Department later this fall. A consulting firm is preparing the application package now, and Harbor District staff expects to review it by Sept. 14. The Harbor District has long found itself in tight financial straits, and could use the cash infusion from a full-market-value sale of the Burnham Strip property. The district has been trying to pay down a 30-year loan from the state's Department of Boating and Waterways that presently totals $19 million. |