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.
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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.
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