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OWN VOICE. From Granada Community Services District (GCSD) Board member, Nancy Marsh, on September 24th, 2025.
It is good to try creative problem solving but also important to work with the actual scale and facts.
I noticed the attached poster today on a car, but contrary to its assertions, modifications to the Granada Community Park plan can’t solve the Caltrans highway parking problem. And it IS Caltrans’s problem to solve, not El Granada’s.
Caltrans wants to put class 2 bike lanes on Hwy 1 between Coronado and Capistrano. Their first “try” was to claim that Hwy 1 parking has never been allowed on this stretch so they didn’t need to mitigate the loss of parking.
The Coastal Commission disagreed in November 2024 and has required Caltrans, as a condition of their CDP (Coastal Development Permit), to come up with a plan by Nov 14th, 2025 to accommodate 75 beach access parking spaces that would be lost without highway parking, which must be within walking distance (1/4 mile) of the Surfers Beach stairs (see excerpt below).
Caltrans has not yet put a solution on the table (nor any public outreach that I’ve heard of).
Rest assured that they have been in touch with GCSD to explore, but the current GCSD space can not solve their 75-car hwy parking loss problem. Because: By Caltrans reckoning, in their response to the appeal of their CDP, the current unimproved dirt lot can accommodate 60 cars on the GCSD side of the property and 30 cars (not the 75 imagined in this drawing!) on the Caltrans Right of Way (total of 90 cars).
Len Erickson, reporting to Midcoast Community Council (MCC), last year, studied a wide date range of Google Earth photos and determined that on a busy day (like a sunny September weekend) these lots ALREADY hold 60-80 cars. They absolutely cannot accommodate an ADDITIONAL 75 cars from the highway.
Further – the informal dirt lot has never been permitted. If it were to be permitted in the current location, there would have to be 35 foot set-backs from the riparian areas on either side, plus a setback from the road.
That would reduce the total available parking by 1/3 from 90 to 60 spots – again, no room for 75 more!
This is one reason the park plan moved the parking to the other side of the Portola drainage.
The second reason was to make the most of ocean views. There is a lovely view of the ocean and the surfers from what is now the dirt lot. There are no ocean views from the new parking lot placement.
What I know from GCSD’s park outreach and anyone listening to the current north Burnham strip parking (Harbor District) pushback knows, is that the last thing anyone in our neighborhood wants is traffic from outside the neighborhood being directed into the neighborhood.
It’s already crazy on busy weekends, especially at the Obispo/Coronado/Hwy 1 intersection.
IMO there are a few reasonable things Caltrans could do:
1) Put a 2-way Class 2 bike lane in their ROW on the east side of the Hwy on this stretch, rather than on the hwy.
2) Use their 60 foot ROW all along the east side of the Hwy 1 for a frontage road with angle-in parking and sidewalks to the stop lights at either end.
3) Don’t put class 2 bike lanes on this stretch and leave the Hwy 1 parking as is (have they actually done a survey to quantify bike users?).
From 11/2024 Coastal Commission appeal: Caltrans Exhibit 10, page 215. Coastal Commission Staff Report.
The study area, which covers a smaller subset of the overall Project area, extends inland 0.25 mile from the MHW along an approximately one -mile stretch of coastline between Coronado Street and Capistrano Road.
This study area was established based on concerns raised in appeals of the Project’s CDP regarding the conversion of the unregulated use of the shoulder on SR 1 to a bike path facility for a one-mile stretch between Coronado Street and Capistrano Road. The visiting public currently utilizes the unregulated shoulder along this stretch of SR 1 to access Surfers Beach at the southern end and commercial establishments like Sam’s Chowder House at the northern end.
The study area was buffered out 0.25 miles from MHW because this is a common distance used to represent a reasonable walking distance for pedestrians.
An inventory of public parking areas and parking occupancy within these areas was conducted in this study area. A summary of how this inventory was compiled and quantified is provided below, and a map of public parking in the study area is provided in Appendix A.
More on Caltrans’ Highway 1 Multi-Asset Roadway Rehabilitation and Appeals on Coastside Buzz
Coastal Commission Appeals for Caltrans Hwy 1 Multi-Asset Project at Surfers Beach Parking and Half Moon Bay Crosswalks; October 30, 2024
Half Moon Bay City Council Accepts Caltrans Multi-Asset Maintenance Project with Understanding that Kelly and Poplar Crosswalks Need Critical Safety Redesign in Near Future; May 29, 2024
Caltrans Multi-Asset Roadway Rehab Project will Remove Hwy 1 Surfer Beach and Sams Restaurant Parking; February 29, 2024
COMMENTS? NegDec for Caltrans Highway 1 Rehabilitation Project: State Route 1 Multi-Asset Roadway Rehabilitation Project; November 16, 2022
CalTrans Presentation on Hwy 1 Multi-Asset Roadway Rehabilitation of Pavement, Guard Rails, Bus Stops, Drainage and Cameras; August 4, 2022
City of Half Moon Bay’s Jurisdiction at Surfer’s Beach Allows Them to Pressure Caltrans for a Pedestrian Crossing; February 17, 2022
More on GCSD on Coastside Buzz
Granada Community Services District
Regular Board Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the District’s meeting room.
Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.
Granada Community Services District (GCSD) Agendas and Zoom Links
Granada Community Services District (GCSD) PCTV Videos
The District is responsible for parks, recreation, garbage and recycling services in the unincorporated areas of El Granada, Princeton, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Clipper Ridge, and Miramar.
GCSD Regular Board Meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the District’s meeting room, and are normally shown on Pacific Coast TV (PCT) (Cable channel 27) at 6:00 am on Wednesday and at 11:00 am Saturday following the meeting (but check the schedule as show times can vary).
Mission Statement
To protect public health and safety, preserve our environment, and maintain fiscal soundness by providing high quality service for wastewater, solid waste collection, recycling, and serving the community’s needs for parks and recreation, through responsible operations and management.
The Granada Sanitary District was formed in 1958 under the California Sanitary District Act of 1923. In October of 2014, the District was reorganized as the Granada Community Services District under California Government Code 61000 et seq. The District is responsible for parks, recreation, garbage and recycling services in the unincorporated areas of El Granada, Princeton, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Clipper Ridge, and Miramar. The District is also responsible for the sewage collection system and disposal for approximately 2,500 residences and businesses in these same unincorporated areas as well as the northern portion of the City of Half Moon Bay. Garbage and recycling services are provided by Recology of the Coast under a franchise agreement with the Granada Community Services District.
The District office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located on the third floor of 504 Avenue Alhambra, El Granada. To contact the District please call (650) 726-7093. Regular board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30p.m.
The GCSD board from left: Wanda Bowles, Barbara Dye, Jen Randle, Nancy Marsh, Matt Allen; Hope Atmore, Assistant General Manager.
2025 Board of Directors
Board members serve four year terms, and are elected on a staggered two year basis in even numbered years. Board members receive $145 per meeting as compensation for their service on the board.
Jen Randle
Position: President
Term: 2022-2026
Email Address: jrandle@granada.ca.gov
Barbara Dye
Position: Vice President
Term: 2022-2026
Email Address: bdye@granada.ca.gov
Wanda Bowles
Position: Director
Term: 2024-2028
Email Address: wbowles@granada.ca.gov
VACANCY~ Jill M. Grant RESIGNED 4/23/2025. >>>. Matt Allen appointed May 15th, 2025.
Position: Director
Term: 2022-2026
Phone: 530-338-5716
Email Address: jgrant@granada.ca.gov
Nancy Marsh
Position: Director
Term: 2024-2028
Email Address: nmarsh@granada.ca.gov
Board members serve four year terms, and are elected on a staggered two year basis in even numbered years. Board members receive $145 per meeting as compensation for their service on the board.
Staff
General Manager: Chuck Duffy, Dudek & Associates
Assistant General Manager: Hope Atmore
Legal Counsel: William Parkin, Wittwer Parkin LLP
District Engineer: John Rayner, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
Administrative Assistant: Nora Mayen
Author: mdrag
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