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| Coastal Commission appeals play out By Lewis Rutherfurd--[ lewis@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 12:43 PM PST The California Coastal Commission will not consider an appeal against the Carnoustie subdivision in Half Moon Bay, but will hear arguments on permits for a single-family home in the city, held by the Pastorino family. George Muteff, a Redondo Beach Road resident and former candidate for City Council, appealed Carnoustie, a 32-unit subdivision of Ocean Colony adjacent to Redondo Beach Road. Muteff had argued that planned construction traffic for the project had been improperly routed along a narrow stretch of the road - and that the developer had not been required to widen and improve the road to enhance safety and improve public access to the nearby beach. Muteff had also cited safety issues for a daycare facility at the intersection of Redondo and Highway 1 and claimed several inconsistencies concerning protections for endangered species habitats near the project. Coastal Commission staff found that no substantial issues were raised in the appeal - that adequate mitigations were in place for endangered species near the work area and that standard safety measures during construction would suffice. The commission voted unanimously to uphold the report and dismiss the appeal at its Nov. 16 meeting. Commissioners did not comment on the appeal. "I am not surprised and I am deeply disappointed," said Muteff of the vote. "My position is very clear and I have not budged." A roster of local environmental and property rights activists wrote letters to the commission on the issue. Those opposing Muteffs' appeal included John Lynch, Mike Ferreira, Hal Bogner, Sofia Freer, Kathryn Slater-Carter, Ken King, James Henderson, Dana Kimsey, Scott Boyd, Stephan T. Freer, Lennie Roberts and Charise McHugh. In favor were Dale Dunham, Lucy Lopez, Terrence Gossett, Jerry Steinberg and Ron Sturgeon. Muteff said only the letter from McHugh, CEO of the Half Moon Bay and Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau, surprised him. "The chamber is supposed to promote local business and not take sides," said Muteff, adding that he has canceled his membership. Bruce Russell, the Carnoustie developer, was not surprised by any of it. "We're obviously very pleased with the result," said Russell. "But we felt the appeal had no merit." Final construction plans for the project were delayed by about two months, as were plans for 11 units of low-income housing in downtown Half Moon Bay associated with the development, said Russell. But Carnoustie construction should begin in the spring and building plans for the downtown units are in the final stages. A Coastal Commission hearing on the Pastorino project was postponed at the request of the applicants. Plans returned to the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission on Nov. 8 so that environmental protections could be added to the city's approved Coastal Development Permit before the Coastal Commission's review in December. The city's Planning Commission voted unanimously to add the protections. But former commission chair Kevin Lansing, the project's appelant, filed a letter protesting city variances that would allow the house to be built in an open space reserve zone on less than the standard acreage. "The stated purpose of the proposed CDP amendment is to cure a defect in the original project that was approved by the city. However, only one type of defect is being addressed, while other more serious defects are being ignored completely. This is dishonest," wrote Lansing in part. But Half Moon Bay Planning Director Steve Flint rejected claims that the city's action to grant the Pastorinos to build on 20 acres instead of 50 were improper or illegal - and said the Coastal Commission agreed. "They discussed substantial issues and found none," said Flint. "The purpose is to allow agricultural use to continue,' Flint said. "It's not like we're opening the floodgates to allow subdivision on this land." |