|
| Plans for rezoning near Cameron's Inn proceed By Lewis Rutherfurd-[ lewis@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 3:42 PM PST The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission has approved rezoning for a plot of one-time agricultural land in the Wavecrest area. The action will need approval from the City Council and the California Coastal Commission to become valid, and will constitute a change to the city's Local Coastal Program and zoning map. The motion was passed by a 5-0 vote at Thursday's meeting of the commission, after two previous postponements. The ultimate project in question is a plan to build a campground and RV park on land adjacent to Cameron's Restaurant and Inn. The rezoning phase was postponed at the recommendation of City Attorney Adam Lindgren, due to two resignations on the Planning Commission and concerns that the required four-fifths vote could not be validated with only three commissioners. Rezoning, from the A-1 Exclusive Floriculture designation to Commercial Visitor Serving, is the first step toward a campground, said Half Moon Bay Planning Director Steve Flint. Permits for the buildings themselves are a separate proposition, and will follow the same route to the Coastal Commission - if the rezoning is approved. The project would be a joint endeavor between Cameron Palmer, the owner of Cameron's, and Nurserymen's Exchange, the Coastside's biggest agricultural employer. The land is a nearly 8-acre strip adjacent to Cameron's, Wavecrest Road and the large, new Peninsula Open Space Trust acquisition. It also borders land owned by former Planning Commissioner Don Heinz, who has been embroiled in permit disputes with the city for several years. The Nurserymen's plot was once used to grow flowers and potted plants, but has been idle since 2005, according to an economic viability evaluation from the applicant in the city's staff report. The report notes that for the last 30 years, growing on the parcel depended on piped in water and utilized relatively poor soils. It also notes a decline in revenue per acreage from all San Mateo County floral and nursery sales, since 2001. "The rationale is that commercial and visitor-serving uses are encouraged in our LCP," said Flint of the rezoning. He noted that agricultural lands are also highly prized, but that the parcel in question was no great prize. "What the state is really pushing for is the retention of prime farmlands," said Flint. "This was container-based growing with poor soils. It really isn't a loss of prime land, and then there's the economic viability. This facility has been closed for quite a while." An e-mail sent to media representatives throughout the Bay Area Tuesday, took exception to some elements of the motion, notably a larger sewer line for the new facility is expressly excluded as a condition for approval. The Review could not verify the source of the e-mail on Tuesday. "(The sewer line) was part of the initial application," said Flint. "There's nothing wrong with doing an analysis of the greatest possible impact. The Coastal Commission indicated problems with a growth-inducing, larger sewer line." Flint noted that much of the surrounding area was undeveloped due to inadequate sewer capacity. A larger line would open up the potential, leading to concerns about crossing wetlands with access roads, and other issues that new development would present in the sensitive coastal area, he added. The Coastal Commission asked that the zoning change and plans for new construction on the site be considered separately, said Flint. Studies and plans for the new facility, including the sewer line, are not yet firm, he added. "They're scaling back the infrastructure," he said. "You can always scale back a project - you can never make it more intense. The rezoning has not been scheduled to come before the council. But notification requirements make it likely that it won't be on the agenda until the March 18 meeting, Flint said. |