Affordable Housing

See separate webpage for proposed Cypress Point affordable housing in Moss Beach.

San Mateo County Department of Housing

Definition of Affordable

Housing is considered affordable if rent/mortgage/utilities do not exceed 30% of household income.  Affordable housing means housing with a contract rent or price which is affordable by low and moderate income households, and subject to income and cost/rent restrictions for the life of the development.  Low income is a household with income, adjusted for household size, which does not exceed 80% of area median household income (income & rent limits).  

Community Plan

In the 1970’s Midcoast residents, with the aid of County planners, created the Montara – Moss Beach – El Granada Community Plan, adopted in 1978, which formed the basis and was incorporated by reference into the County Local Coastal Program (LCP).  The Community Plan Goals & Objectives include:
4.4: "Provision of housing affordable by low and moderate income families should be a priority of new residential construction, particularly if government subsidies are available."  

Growth Rate Limit

LCP Policy 1.23 limits the number of new dwelling units constructed in the urban Midcoast to 40 per year, including new second units. New units with affordability restrictions for low and moderate income can exceed the annual limit, but the growth rate average over the three-year period, that includes the year of building permit issuance and the following two years, must not exceed 40 units/year. 

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s, 2nd units)

LCP Policy 3.22 allows a total of 466 approved ADUs in the Coastal Zone, in R-1 (single-family residential) zoning districts, where parcel size is at least 5,000 s/f.  Size of the units is limited to 700 s/f or 35% of the floor area of the principal residence, whichever is greater.

LCP Policy 1.23 limits new Midcoast residential building permits, including ADUs, to 40 units per year.  These policies supersede recent changes in State law prohibiting quotas on ADUs.

Height Limit

LCP Policy 3.13 limits affordable housing to two stories to mitigate the impact on surrounding neighborhoods. 

Water/Sewer Capacity

LCP Policy 3.12(a) designates affordable housing as a priority land use for which water and sewer capacity will be reserved. Where a portion of a site (i.e. North Moss Beach site) is required to provide affordable housing, consider the entire development proposed for the site as a priority land use for which water and sewer capacity will be reserved. MWSD answers to questions 8/4/16 re capacity for Cypress Point.

Midcoast Affordable Housing Sites

There are three undeveloped sites (table) in the Midcoast, designated in the Local Coastal Program (LCP) as potential affordable housing sites (Policy 3.15). Their land use designation (medium-high density residential) allows up to 16 dwelling units per acre. In the major Midcoast LCP update certified in 2012, the affordable housing provisions are retained. 

North Moss Beach site

1986: a 148-unit project known as Farallone Vista, with 52 affordable units, received all necessary County approvals, but was not built due to water supply problems (zoned PUD-124).

2014: Moss Beach Skate Park (at this site) was demolished after neighbors complained - MCC 4/23/14 agenda #4c minutes

2015: owner California School Employees Association listed the property for sale at $4.9 million.

2016: Local non-profit MidPen Housing signed option to purchase.

2021: LCP amendment and new PUD-140 down-zoned the parcel to medium density, reduced the number of units from 148 to 71, and increased the percentage of affordable units to 100%.

2024: Coastal Development Permit, Coastside Design Review, grading permit, and General Plan map amendment approved by Board of Supervisors. Conditions of Approval

South Moss Beach site

12.5-acres at Etheldore --

2000: Moss Beach Highlands 128-unit project, with 73 affordable senior units, received County approvals. (MCC)

2004: On appeal to the CoastalCommission, CCC staff report recommended denial, after which the project was withdrawn. Specific reasons for denial (p. 3-4) were: development on a hilltop or ridgeline visible from Hwy 1, development on slopes greater than 30%, extensive cut/fill and use of retaining walls, and development adjacent to a wetland and sensitive habitat. The staff report also noted changed circumstances since certification of the 1981 LCP including lower than expected Midcoast growth, construction of the tunnel instead of a bypass through Montara & Moss Beach, and acquisition of the immediately adjacent Rancho Corral de Tierra for permanent open space.  

2014: Expansion of HMB airport safety zones reduced allowed density on over half this site (bordering Etheldore) to one dwelling unit per two acres. 

El Granada site

LCP Policy 3.15 lists “6-acre North El Granada” affordable housing site, and requires 30% of units be reserved for low-income households and 20% for moderate income.

There are six adjacent undeveloped parcels owned by Cabrillo Unified School District totaling 12.45 acres (mapped in brown on the right). The northern-most parcel (2.93 acres) has General Plan land use designation Medium High Density Residential and is zoned for affordable housing. The other 5 contiguous parcels (totaling 9.52 acres) have General Plan land use designation “Institutional” (presumably for a school) but are zoned medium density residential.

SMC Housing Element update, March 2024 draft, proposes all six parcels to be re-zoned to medium high density residential (maximum density 60 units/acre).