There is clear unanimity among Coastsiders that the proposed “Dunes at Half Moon Bay” development is not in the best interests of residents and existing taxpayers. The developer John Vidovich has deep pockets and has been successful in the past in bending local regulations and community legislation in his direction. He uses a combination of attorneys and architectural firms to influence, cajole and “threaten” legal action to persuade community leaders that development is in their best interest. The following link is from HKS, the Architectural firm that’s employed by John Vidovich, and has published a case study on “The Dunes at Half Moon Bay, Eco-friendly Coastal Destination Offers Upscale, Affordable Stays”
https://www.hksinc.com/what-we-do/case-studies/the-dunes-at-half-moon-bay/
This case study is frightening. It conveys a message that “The Dunes at Half Moon Bay “project is a sensitive upgrade to our beautiful town. In fact it will irreparably damage the community with increased traffic congestion, destruction of precious natural habitat, negative environmental impact including excessive noise and light pollution from the 206 bed hotel and 173 RVs, 18 plus hours a day. As residents, we have a significant say in this fight. The existing tax base is far bigger than any development would bring and requires our elected officials to pay attention to the voices of the residents. In this case the developer is asking the elected officials to approve a change in the PUD (Planned Urban Development) regulations that have been in place for decades. With a development like The Dunes of Half Moon Bay, which represents such profound change, we should insist our elected officials turn this into a ballot initiative and let the residents decide.
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Ditto all that Brad wrote. We should not let our beautiful, open space, rural community be completely ruled by money and legal threats. Please let sustainable, needed, useful, local serving, small scale development be the guide for our small, beautiful town. As it is we have horrible congestion in that corridor every day of the week – it’s no longer contained to trapping locals in their homes “only” on the weekends. As it is it easily takes 20-30 minutes to go 4.5 miles from the south approach to intersection of highways 92 and 1 to El Granada on a WEEKDAY afternoon. I don’t know how long it takes on a weekend because I never attempt this. Part of why people come to Half Moon Bay is because it isn’t over-developed like Santa Cruz and other beach towns that have become ugly due to cheezy/cheap looking architecture and over-development. Ruining our dunes with a massive development is irresponsible due to lack of infrastructure alone and will contribute to significantly changing the very nature of this part of the coast. There is a reason regulations were put in place – to stop this very thing. Please do the right thing for this community, not for a developer who doesn’t need to live with the consequences.
Please stop. Put this on the ballot for residents to decide. This is not appropriate for this area. Coastside roads are already congested. Sensitive habitat will be destroyed
Mr. Vidovich must be stopped. His portrayal of the project as being a “sensitive upgrade” to “our* beautiful town is a travesty. It’s not an upgrade, it’s not “sensitive”, it won’t be a “beautiful town” after the project, and it certainly is not HIS beautiful town.
Not here, not now, not ever. A misplaced monstrosity.
Half Moon Bay manages to delicately balance a thriving community that coexists with stunning nature. Dunes at Half Moon bay will irrevocably alter this natural landscape and balanced way of life. Many places on the California coast have been blighted by sprawling development, but do we want to emulate this in one of the few natural places left? Why on earth would we want to plonk a resort in a such a rare ecosystem? This might work in somewhere more suited to urban invasion of natural lands, as you might typically find in Southern California, but surely not here. Half Moon Bay is an antidote to the Bay Area’s pressurized lifestyle. With the anticipated increased traffic and demand on local, limited reaources, our community will lose it’s unique character, and we just become another, albeit beautiful suburb,
Our community is a quiet place of natural beauty. We have always welcomed visitors to come and enjoy the restorative nature of this location. If we allow dunes beach to be overtaken by a development then we lose the one free spot for everyone to enjoy. Nobody should take this beauty away from anyone else who wishes to experience nature.
The PUD (Planned Urban Development) regulations were put in place to control growth on the coastside. There is no reason to change that, particularly now that the existing infrastructure is long overdue for upgrade. The traffic congestion pre Covid 19 was unacceptable with traffic snarled during commute hours and weekends. A large hotel does not bring high paying jobs and that, combined with an RV park will push our already stressed infrastructure over the edge.
We need to uphold the current regulations and look at ways to attract corporations to the coast which will provide good jobs for local residents and reduce rush hour traffic.
The Coastside does not have room for this huge and inappropriate development. The existing natural spaces must not be paved over and occupied. In normal, non-Covid times, Highway 1 is already clogged with traffic on weekends, Fridays, Thursdays, and sometimes Mondays. We don’t have the sewer or water capacity for the people that Mr Vidovich’s plans will add. Our fire seasons have steadily and significantly increased in duration and intensity, and much of the Coastside has been classified as being in high fire danger, some of it extreme fire danger; yet, just as it is now, our one route out of the Coastside will become impassible during an attempted evacuation. These are hard facts of life. There is also the natural beauty of this place to consider; Mr Vidovich’s development will destroy what lies under his development, for both the human beings who live around the space and the wild animals whose habitat the area is. The Coastside has value beyond the money that a developer can put in his bank account. We ~25,000 inhabitants and our quality of life matter more than one man’s moneymaking.
It is very disappointing to review this proposal that undoubtedly will have a huge impact on this protected green space In HMB. Given the scale of this project, the fact that is does not comply with the current PUC regulations, and it’s potential impact it is only fair that that the local taxpayers and residents have an opportunity to play a role in this major decision by putting in on the ballot. I am hopeful that the city of HMB will stay strong and not be lured by the money. If this development goes through, undoubtedly the local tax payers will be responsible for funding the additional infrastructure to support it. Little by little the coast line gets developed and eventually there will be no green space remaining. Once a development like this gets passed others will follow. Once developed, there is no going back. Please choose wisely.
I’d like to see the ‘pretty picture’ of this development include the planned RVs, enough ‘happy couples’ to represent at least 50% of capacity and the crowded dunes and beach. And perhaps a reverse view showing a gridlocked Highway 1 which will be clearly visible from this development. Just so we can get a clearer view of what this will represent. Because it won’t look like those pictures and everyone needs to realize that.
What really amazes me about this proposal is the fact that we’re even having the conversation. If the developer didn’t think he could sway you, as council members, he wouldn’t waste his time. His interest is making money, not the quality of your/our lives who actually do live here and who will face the frightful consequences if he succeeds in his quest. In fact, his game is to tease you with the promise of all those tax dollars the future will bring. It’s stand up time. You cannot allow your integrity to uphold the rules, the history, the desire of residents be tarnished by being swayed for a need for tax revenue. There’s a whole bunch more to living on the Coast than what destruction of big money says it brings…which it doesn’t, BTW. It’s really time to put on your creative thinking hat, if it’s tax dollars you seek. There are many, many ways you could bring in revenue, if you just gave it more than a fleeting thought. Living here IS about quality of life, and that IS the attraction. Don’t go ruining it, please.
What really amazes me about this proposal is the fact that we’re even having the conversation. If the developer didn’t think he could sway you, as council members, he wouldn’t waste his time. His interest is making money, not the quality of your/our lives who actually do live here and who will face the frightful consequences if he succeeds in his quest. In fact, his game is to tease you with the promise of all those tax dollars the future will bring. It’s stand up time. You cannot allow your integrity to uphold the rules, the history, the desire of residents be tarnished by being swayed for a need for tax revenue. There’s a whole bunch more to living on the Coast than what destruction of big money says it brings…which it doesn’t, BTW. It’s really time to put on your creative thinking hat, if it’s tax dollars you seek. There are many, many ways you could bring in revenue, if you just gave it more than a fleeting thought. Living here IS about quality of life, and that IS the attraction. Don’t go ruining it, please.
my letter to HMB city council:
Dear members of the Half Moon Bay City Council,
I am deeply concerned about and opposed to the proposed Dunes-Surf Beach Hotel and RV Park for a variety of reasons, namely, elimination of scenic views and prime agricultural land, environmental impact, and increased traffic congestion.
Scenic views: The proposed site is one of few remaining unobstructed ocean views west of Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. Its beauty can be attributed to views of open space, agriculture, horses against a backdrop of beautiful dunes. These views would be violated by a 4-story parking garage, multiple 2 and 1 story buildings for its 212 bed-luxury hotel, 50-bed hostel, and conference center along with almost 200 recreational vehicles and numerous roads throughout the property.
Environmental impact: The habitat of this area supports monarch butterflies that overwinter in eucalyptus trees at State Parks Sweetwood group campground to the south, and federally protected western snowy plovers at nearby Dunes and Roosevelt beaches along with a wide variety of other wildlife that would be driven from this area as a result of this major development.
Traffic: Currently this stretch of HWY 1 is heavily congested during work and school commute times and on weekends. According to the applicant, there will be an increase of approximately 2500 DAILY vehicle trips in and out of this development onto Hwy 1. This increase is untenable for RESIDENTS who have to use this overstressed strip of HWY 1 to obtain essential services and regular uses. The addition of these vehicles will also severely decrease life-saving emergency evacuations in the event of wildfires (e.g., Quarry Park, northeast of the proposed site, has been identified by Cal Fire as being at high risk).
Earlier correspondence and petitions you have already received about this proposed project unequivocally oppose this project for sound reasons several of which are stated above. The proposal is inconsistent with the Half Moon Bay Local Coastal Program as evidenced by the applicant’s request for discretionary amendments which would require approval by both the City Council and the California Coastal Commission.
I urge you to save taxpayer money by nipping this proposal in the bud now by declining to process the application for the proposed Dunes-Surf Beach Hotel and RV Park.
Sincerely,
Ellen Koland
El Granada resident
My email to the city today:
Good afternoon, I am writing to express my deep opposition to the proposed Dunes Beach Resort. I am not a NIMBY, support building affordable/low-income housing here and have supported several local projects – including some tourism related. However, the Dunes project is simply too much. Its location, its impact on the beach, environment, traffic flow and viewscapes is grossly inappropriate. No amount of hotel occupancy tax can offset the disruption. We’ll ruin the very cash cow (tourism) by gridlock and lose more of what makes the Coastside so unique. And, to make matters worse, I have researched the developer and do not believe he is trustworthy. I don’t believe that what he says he’ll build would actually match any of his promises of minimal impact and aesthetics. I also expect him to try various tactics to get this through (as he has done in the past). I, and many others, will be watching closely for any sign of undue influence on any elected officials or decision-makers. I do not know of a single local who supports this. Not even ONE. That should tell you something. Not here, not now. Please listen to us. Thank you.
I’m with you and totally against this project. It’s a sensitive habitat that must be protected. We’ll miss the plover and native wildflowers when a developer is allowed to build this monstrosity. In their place will be extra garbage and additional traffic.
Our town is already beautiful and doesn’t need sensitive upgrades from developers who seem to have no moral compass. Let’s just take a moment to consider some of the repercussions if The Dunes at Half Moon Bay were to be constructed. 47 acres of coastal habitat would be destroyed. Substantial increases in pollution; we’re talking extra light pollution, CO2 emissions, food waste, sewage, etc. all being pumped directly into our coastal lands. Tax payer and current resident’s confidence in local government would vanish. Population density would increase. And the list goes on. Now, as a taxpayer, do any of these things sound like something you want to financially support? Not sure how you feel, but I know that I won’t allow my income to go toward supporting urbanization and global warming. If you share my values, let’s help this organization urge local representatives to let residents vote on this issue. We can’t allow this wolf in a sheep’s costume to unjustly develop where WE live.
Not to pile on, but this is the behavior of the City of Half Moon Bay that only cares about tax revenue. They proved this when the squatted on the patch of land to build the Beachhouse hotel, a slice of either El Granada or Princeton by the Sea they grabbed and let that hotel be built. We just do not have the road structure to support a place this large. As it is on a Saturday or Sunday there is no way for us folks that live in places like El Granada, Moss Beach or Montara to get into town to buy a quart of milk without being trapped in 30 minutes of traffic to go 3-5 miles. Ehough is is enough, this cannot stand, we have to stop this one
Dear HMB City Council: This project is so ill conceived. Once this ocean front land is gone, it’s gone forever — there’s no going back. In this most recent pandemic, you can see every day how people are staying sane by walking the coastal trails — why would you voluntarily commercialize and squander nature’s gift to this community. This project must be stopped.
Thank you, Brad, for creating this space. Hopefully more and more people will comment so that the obvious truth will get out there. Our precious nature is what makes life here so magical. Once it’s commercialized, it’s gone forever, taking with it, our special way of life.
I absolutely agree that the Traffic on a regular day is atrocious, and don’t even mention the weekends. If you look at the local state beaches, there are multiple garbage cans, however most are filled/overflowing from visitors trash that eventually fly back into the Ocean or grasslands. It would be disrespectful and irresponsible to build a huge hotel area and RV park while we can’t even contain, or seem to keep up with the amount of people that already visit our part of the coast. It’s clear that profits are being put in front of the locals who actually have to deal with the issues it will eventually lead to.
Thanks for reading, just a local voicing my concerns.
DG
If this project goes forward it will open the floodgates of outrageous coastal development. Remind the city council that we vote and some of us are ready to throw our hats in the ring.