2023-2031 Housing Element Update

Final Draft Cycle 6 Housing Element - September 2025

In early 2025, a fourth draft of the Cycle 6 Housing Element was presented to the City of Half Moon Bay Planning Commission and then to the City Council. The fourth draft addressed HCD’s earlier comments on the third draft Housing Element, which it sent in its letter dated November 5, 2024. The fourth draft did not address HCD’s comments on Measure D and the City’s dwelling unit allocation system because the City was still waiting on HCD to resolve discrepancies with the Coastal Commission’s guidance on Measure D. However, the City wanted to make a good-faith effort to move forward with certification of the Housing Element and start HCD’s sixty-day review over again. The Planning Commission recommended submitting the document again for HCD review, independent of HCD’s pending Measure D decision. The City Council voted on March 18, 2025, to send the fourth draft to HCD for review (See below). On May 20, 2025, HCD sent a response to the fourth draft per the statutory 60-day review time.

HCD Response to revisions in the fourth draft Housing Element dated May 20, 2025.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has specific timelines and noticing requirements for Housing Elements that the City must follow. One of those requirements is to release revisions to the Draft Housing Element for a 7-day public comment period in advance of formal submittal to HCD. The City has made various minor edits to the Housing Plan (Goals 1 thru 6) including modification and expansion of potential funding sources and Housing Resources (Opportunity Sites--: Site #3: 300 Block of Church Street —see page C-30-32 and Site #9: 604 Poplar Street—see pages C40-41) of the Second Draft Housing Element dated August 28, 2024 in response to HCD comments. The revisions were made to align with City Council direction from their August 7 special meeting on the Draft Housing Element.  The updates include revisions made between the July 30, 2024 draft and this new August 28, 2024 draft and are highlighted in blue. None of these revisions are in response to HCD.

Staff anticipates submitting the August 28, 2024 Third Draft of the Cycle 6 Housing Element to HCD immediately following the close of the 7-day review period. The City will include any new comments with the transmittal to HCD. HCD has up to 60 days to provide a written response to the City regarding all proposed revisions. The Planning Commission and City Council will review HCD responses in Fall 2024, scheduling will be dependent upon the timing of HCD response. 

The formal HCD 7-day public comment period will close on September 5 at 5 pm. Comments can be submitted via email at housingelement@hmbcity.com. As stated previously, comments received during the 7-day review period will be made part of the record and provided to HCD. The City continuously welcomes comments and questions about the Housing Element.  

A copy of the document is available for viewing below:

Third HCD Draft Cycle 6 Housing Element  - August 28, 2024 

2023 HCD Response Letter 

On August 30, 2023, the City of Half Moon Bay received a response letter to the Cycle 6 Draft Housing Element (2023-2031) from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The letter from HCD includes various comments and required edits to reach compliance. City staff are currently evaluating the letter and preparing a response to HCD that will incorporate proposed revisions from the City thus far and items addressed in HCD's letter. 

Link to the HCD response letter dated August 30, 2023.

Response to Aug 30 HCD Letter - July 31, 2024

2023 Proposed Revisions to the HCD Draft Housing Element

The Half Moon Bay Draft Cycle 6 Housing Element has been in for a 90-day review with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). HCD’s review period runs from June 1 – August 31, 2023. During the review period, HCD staff have toured the City’s Housing Opportunity Sites and advised City staff regarding various Housing Element topic areas including the following (listed in the order that revisions are proposed in the Housing Element):

FIRST DRAFT - MAY 2023

City staff have prepared revisions in response to HCD’s input. The revisions were posted on the Housing Element website (www.hmbcity.com/housingelement) and emails were sent to interested parties on August 22, 2023, commencing a required seven-day comment period running from August 23, 2023 – August 29, 2023. Comments can be submitted via email at housingelement@hmbcity.com. Comments received will be made part of the record and will be provided to HCD. The City will provide updates about the next steps in the process a􀅌er the City reviews HCD’s letter which is expected on or before August 31, 2023.

This document includes City staff’s proposed revisions, which are presented for each section of the Housing Element, by page number of the Housing Element submitted to HCD. Underlined text is an insertion and strikethrough text is a deletion. Grey highlighting is used to distinguish the text being amended from the topic. The intent is that revisions will be incorporated into the next draft of the Housing Element along with technical corrections to data in various tables affected by these revisions, as well as corrections of non-substantive typos, formatting, etc. 

Link to proposed revisions to HCD Draft Housing Element. 

The Draft Housing Element 2023 - 2031 (Cycle 6) was submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on May 31, 2023. 

A copy of the document is available for viewing below:

HCD Draft Housing Element - Full Version (PDF)

Highlights from Public Review Period April 17 to May 16, 2023

The First Public Draft Housing Element was made available for a 30-day public comment period running from April 17 - May 16, 2023. The Element was provided on the City’s website as a combined and searchable PDF file, as well as by individual section. Hard copies of the Element were available at the Half Moon Bay Library and City Hall. Announcements about the Housing Element’s availability and comment period were broadly circulated as follows:

  • City ENews Notifications:                                                        8,884 email addresses
  • City social media (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram):          14,015 following
  • Housing Element website
  • Announcements at public meetings

To further ensure that interested parties had an opportunity to learn about the Housing Element and provide comments, the City held a Work Session on May 9, 2023. The session started at 6:00 PM with a one-hour reception for community members to discuss the Housing Element with each other and City staff. Display boards presented the Housing Element’s Goals, Housing Opportunity Sites, and RHNA. The Work Session was held jointly by the City Council and Planning Commission and commenced at 7:00 PM. The session was offered in a hybrid format and also televised. The public comment period was open for in-person and Zoom attendees. The City also set up a Housing Element email to facilitate the submittal of written comments, which resulted in twenty-one emailed comments being received. 

A detailed overview of comments received from the public as well as feedback from Councilmembers and Commissioners is included in Appendix E. Community Engagement of the HCD Draft Housing Element. Additionally, all written comments are attached to that appendix section. Key themes and responses included the following items:

  • Housing for Older Adults
  • Family Housing
  • Manufactured Homes 
  • Stone Pine Road Housing Opportunity Site
  • Teacher Housing 
  • Agricultural Land Use and Farmworker Housing
  • Residential Densities and Measure D 
  • Community Character
  • Town Center Incentives 
  • Neighborhood Diversity
  • Home Sharing and Co-Housing
  • Parking
  • ADUs and Measure D
  • Funding 
  • Glossary Terms
  • Vacant Houses

Questions about the Housing Element can be submitted via email at housingelement@hmbcity.com.