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| Planning Commission hears both sides of Big Wave By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 2:48 PM PST About 100 people, nearly all of them Coastsiders, voiced their opinions on the proposed Big Wave project before a wall-to-wall audience at a county Planning Commission hearing Wednesday morning. Speakers on both sides of the project showed up in force. Some donned Big Wave sweatshirts and gave emotional testament to the need for affordable housing for developmentally disabled people. Others read from elaborate PowerPoint presentations packed with facts pertaining to the history and geography of the proposed project site in Princeton. Big Wave is a proposed development on Airport Street calling for a three-story, four-building office complex paired with a live-in wellness center for developmentally disadvantaged people. County planners recently released a two-and-a-half-inch thick draft Environmental Impact Report detailing the perceived effects of the project to the Coastside community. But many Midcoast residents came to the meeting to point out the devil in the details of the report, calling it an inadequate and misleading characterization of the development and its impacts. Their arguments hung mainly on accusations that the report presents a skewed depiction of the project’s size, drainage plans, disruption to wildlife, and traffic congestion in Moss Beach. “In any event, the mitigations are flawed,” said Kathryn Slater-Carter, who occupies seats on the Midcoast Community Council and Montara Water and Sanitary District. Meanwhile, parents of developmentally disabled children – from both sides of the hill – touted the project’s wellness center as a saving grace that would create a haven for people currently without means to support themselves. Half Moon Bay City Councilwoman Naomi Patridge spoke out on the need for jobs and housing for those people, saying Big Wave offers them “a chance for independence.” Others, including Half Moon Bay City Councilwoman Marina Frasier, supported the project on the merits that the office park would cut commute traffic on Highway 92 and bolster local businesses by keeping workers on the coast. The public comment period to weigh in on the project and the draft EIR ends Dec. 24. People can submit comments to county Planer Camille Leung at (650) 363-1826. |