Half Moon Bay Planning Gets Pushback on Hyatt Place Hotel Regarding Visual Barriers, Water Shortage and Traffic

City of Half Moon Bay Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 at 7:00pm by Zoom.

The Draft EIR is available for public review. Comments on the Draft EIR may be submitted in writing or during a Planning Commission public hearing on August 9, 2022 at 7 PM. Deadline for written comments is Tue., Sep. 13 by 5 PM.

The proposed Hyatt Place Project has been under design and environmental review for several years. This private property development proposal has not yet been approved, nor has the robust project and environmental review process that precedes consideration of approval been completed; however, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is now complete and available for public review. The Draft EIR evaluates the “Project” as originally submitted to the City. The Project includes a 129-room hotel. The applicant’s preferred alternative, introduced in June 2021, is evaluated in the Draft EIR as Alternative 2.

The public review and comment period is 60 days, which includes an extension beyond the statutory requirement to give interested parties more time to review the Draft EIR and provide comments. Hard copies are available for review at the Half Moon Bay Library (620 Correas Street) and Half Moon Bay City Hall (501 Main Street). Hard copies and CD format copies are also available for purchase (at the actual cost of copying). Contact the Community Development Department at 650-726-8270 to order a copy.

Comments on the adequacy of the Draft EIR may be submitted in writing or during a Planning Commission public hearing on August 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. The agenda will be posted ahead of the meeting on the Planning Commission Agenda Web Page. The August 9 Planning Commission meeting is an opportunity to learn more about the project and to participate by giving public comment; please note that it is not a decision-making meeting.

 

The deadline for written comments is Tuesday September 13, 2022 by 5:00 PM at City Hall or via email at [email protected].

For more information about the project, you can visit the City’s website. You can sign up for project updates here (click on Hyatt Project Notification).

 

 

The applicant requests City consideration of discretionary actions including a Coastal Development Permit and site and design review. Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed project is required.

As part of the process, the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission must consider community input, review the entire project record including plans and studies, and act to approve or deny the project. The Architectural Advisory Committee will review the project design and make recommendations to the Planning Commission.

Due to the project’s location, final City decisions on this proposal may be appealed to the California Coastal Commission. At various phases of this process there have been and will continue to be opportunities for community discussion and input. A project must complete all elements of this process in order to be considered for final approval.

This comprehensive process helps ensure that a project is consistent with the California Coastal Act, City policies and objectives, is in line with the community’s values, principles, and standards, and takes into consideration environmental protection and support.

Project Location: 5-acre parcel at 1191 Main Street (undeveloped parcel north of the intersection of Highway 1 and South Main Street); 1.45-acre parcel at 1200 Main Street (James Ford Auto Dealership site); and 1.25-acre parcel on the northeast corner of Cabrillo Highway South and Seymour Street (used for James Ford Auto Dealership parking).

Project Update –  Draft EIR Circulation Period:  July 15 – September 13, 2022

July 2022: The Draft EIR is available for public review. The public review and comment period is 60 days, which includes an extension beyond the statutory requirement to give interested parties more time to review the Draft EIR and provide comments. Hard copies are available for review at the Half Moon Bay Library (620 Correas Street) and Half Moon Bay City Hall (501 Main Street). Hard copies and CD format copies are also available for purchase. Contact the Community Development Department at 650-726-8270 to order a copy. 

Comments on the adequacy of the Draft EIR may be submitted in writing or during a Planning Commission public hearing on August 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Agenda Web Page

Please click the link below to join:

Click here to join the Planning Commission Meeting

Phone: 1-408-638-0968, 82118762012#, *650726#

Webinar ID: 821 1876 2012

Passcode: 650726

Deadline for written comments is Tuesday September 13, 2022 by 5:00 PM at City Hall or via email:

 

Hand deliver or mail to:                                   OR                            email:

Hyatt Place EIR                                                                                   [email protected]

ATTN:  Jill Ekas

City of Half Moon Bay

Community Development Department

501 Main Street

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

 

Hyatt Draft EIR: The Draft EIR evaluates the “Project” as originally submitted to the City. The Project includes a 129-room hotel. The applicant’s preferred alternative, introduced in June 2021 (see below), is evaluated in the Draft EIR as Alternative 2.

 

Draft EIR Consolidated Report (without Appendices):

Hyatt EIR Consolidated

 

 

Draft EIR Individual Sections (including Appendices):

 

0.1 Cover Page – Volume I	4.13 Population-and-Housing
02. Table of Contents	4.14 Public-Service Recreation
1.0 Introduction	4.15 Transportation-and-Traffic
2.0 Executive Summary	4.16 Utilities-and-Service-Systems
3.0 Project Description	4.17 Other-Resource-Topics
4.0 Settings Impacts Mitigation Measures	5.0 Alternatives-Analysis
4.1 Aesthetics	6.0 Other-CEQA-Considerations
4.2 Agricultural Resources	7.0 List of Preparers
4.3 Air-Quality	Appendix-A-1-Notice-of-Preparation-and-Scoping-Meeting
4.4 Biological-Resources	Appendix-A-2-Scoping-Comment-Letters
4.5 Cultural Resources	Appendix-B-California-Agricultural-LESA-Worksheets
4.6 Geology and Soils	Appendix-C-Air-Quality-and-Greenhouse-Gas-Assessment
4.7 Energy	Appendix-D-Biological-Resources-Technical-Report
4.8 Greenhouse Gas	Appendix-E-Cultural-Resources-Evaluation-Memorandum
4.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials	Appendix-F-Geotechnical-Investigation
4.10 Hydrology-and-Water-Quality	Appendix-G-Noise-and-Vibration-Assessment
4.11 Land-Use-and-Planning	Appendix-H-Traffic-Impact-Study
4.12 Noise-and-Vibration	Appendix-I-Drainage-Memorandum-Alternative-2

 

Previous Project Information:

June 2021:The project applicant has brought forward a new project alternative which will undergo design review and be considered in the EIR as the applicant’s “Preferred Alternative.” The revised project includes the following, with key changes highlighted in blue:

• 102-room hotel (reduced from 129 rooms) including the following:
  1. Two main buildings:  One 3-story building, and one 2-story building
  2. Incorporated conference rooms
  3. Various site and service amenities
  4. Wetland restoration
  5. Multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path
  6. Bicycles and facilities and EV charging stations
• Expansion of the existing auto dealership to the south
• Eight lot subdivision for duplex development on the north side of Seymour Street

The updated project plans can be viewed here. Project plan sets are also available at City Hall for review by appointment at the Community Development Department (650) 726-8270.

Scroll down for information about next steps including upcoming meetings, as well as past versions of the plans and previous public meetings.

 

Tuesday – June 29, 2021 – Joint Study Session:

• Planning Commission and Architectural Advisory Committee
• 7:00 PM via Zoom
• Virtual meeting information will be posted on the Planning Commission Agenda Page at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting.

The purpose of the joint study session is to reintroduce the project to the community, Planning Commission, and Architectural Advisory Committee in that it has changed significantly since the previous public meetings. The focus of the session will be project updates and design details.

Story poles were installed for this Study Session

Community members may study the story pole installation which depicts the overall height and footprint of the two main hotel buildings. The story poles will assist the Planning Commission and Architectural Advisory Committee in their consideration of project design, bulk, mass, and potential impacts on visual resources. 

Community members are invited to attend and encouraged to make comments during a public forum portion of the session.

The Study Session will not focus on the EIR, which is not yet complete. Later in summer 2021, the EIR should be ready for public review and will be considered by the Planning Commission at a public hearing.

Subscribe to email updates for this project, or other newsletters and email periodicals (scroll down to select the lists to which you’d like to subscribe).

Please email [email protected] with any comments, questions or concerns.

2017: The applicant has been developing the proposal for the hotel project for more than two years. An environmental consultant was hired in April 2017, and preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is underway, at the applicant’s expense. A biological resources report evaluation was prepared and circulated to regulatory agencies for comment in fall 2017.

2018: A Notice of Preparation (NOP) was circulated from March 22 – April 20, 2018, and a Planning Commission Study Session was held on March 27, 2018 to gather input on what issues should be addressed in the EIR. A further study session, on the project design, was held by the Planning Commission on October 9, 2018 to gather input and to provide further comments.

2019: Refined project plans were submitted to the City January 29, 2019.  This included a reduction in the number of guest rooms, reduced overall square footage and parking as well as moving the proposed buildings outside of a 100-foot wetlands buffer.  Preparation is underway for circulation of a draft EIR for public comment in the near future.

• Notice of Preparation for Hyatt Place Hotel Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
• Biological Resource Evaluation Technical Report Peer Review

January 2020: Revised site and elevation plans were submitted to the City January 2020 by the applicant.

• Revised Elevation – Jan. 2020
• Revised Site Plan – Jan. 2020

July 16, 2020: Architectural Advisory Committee Meeting 8:30 AM – Remote/Virtual Meeting

• Updated 7/15/20 Site Dimension Plans and Sections
• Introduction to Submittal – March 2020
• Architectural Concept – March 2020
• Plan Elevations – March 2020
• Perspective Sections – March 2020
• Landscape Plans – March 2020

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