The county has listed 16 properties it owns within Half Moon Bay city limits that it could offer the city in exchange for the Arnold Way property, according to county records.
All or some of those properties would be traded to the city for the 1.1-acre Arnold Way parcel next to the Lesley Gardens retirement home.
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Although large in area, the county’s properties would fetch only a modest price on the market because the parcels have little potential for development, officials say. The county parcels are spread throughout open-space land and their price would be based on their preservation value.
Planning Director Steve Flint said the city is hoping the land deal can be a step toward extending the Coastal Trail. But that goal will require compromise between the county and city along with the Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Coastside Land Trust.
“These four entities will have to be brought together on this plan,” Flint said. “Who knows?”
The city has also been examining a different stretch of county property for the Coastal Trail that would run further inland, south of Railroad Avenue, and would connect with Smith Field.
Ultimately, City Manager Michael Dolder said the city will have to pursue a fair value for its land in this deal.
“The property has value and we want to make sure we get something in return,” Dolder said. “The specifics of this outcome we don’t know until we get into these negotiations.”
If a deal is made, county planners would use the Arnold Way parcel to build a three-story building with at least 20 apartments for seniors, along with three more two-story buildings that would include an undetermined number of senior homes. The middle of the parcel might also feature a swimming pool.
This parcel would be one of three main areas that would be developed for the senior campus. The project is intended to provide affordable living for low-income seniors, and a way to consolidate services and amenities for the older population.
The fate of the senior campus depends on further funding from government agencies, especially the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Officials say that funding remains uncertain and could stall construction, which was originally expected to begin this year.
Janie Bono, executive director of the Coastside Adult Day Health Center, said the slow pace of government turnaround could mean the construction will have to wait until 2012.
“Once we know funding is secure, there’s still another nine months just for it to get through logistics,” she said. “Everyone is still on board, but this (HUD) money is taking time.”
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