Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zone Lots
City of Half Moon Bay
650-712-6800
email       Updated: 01/20/07      Home Page

About PUD (Planned Unit Development) Zoned lots in Half Moon Bay, CA
(Opinion of Jim Elliot / Realtor - Owner)

Investment Value:
Investment in "PUD" zoned lots currently seems to be pretty much limited to speculation that they will be more valuable in the future. I can see why this speculation may very well be valid, particularly with a successful legal challenge of the regulations, or changing politics and, prices of PUD zoned lots seem to have been going up.I'm still very cautious in my expectations for these lots.

Low Price:
These lots are currently offered and historically sold for far less than lots with other zoning as "R1" in the City of Half Moon Bay. They are also generally valued at far less than similar nearby lots in "Unincorporated" areas of San Mateo County as Miramar, El Granada, Princeton, Moss Beach, and Montara.

Reasons for low prices:
City of Half Moon Bay's current  regulations contain a weaving of of restrictions that make it impossible to develop or even to have any reasonable hope of developing "PUD" land at any definite time in the future if at all. This could change, but we have no current information indicating that's likely.

1.) PUD Zoning is interpreted (as last related to me by the "Planning Department" as meaning that; "All property owners within a PUD bounded area must agree to a common overall plan, and submit a proposal to the City of Half Moon Bay, and get approval before any individual owner can do anything."  If all owners agreed (difficult if not impossible to achieve) they would still have to pay overwhelming upfront expenses of planning, environmental impact studies, Half Moon Bay and Coastal Development permit processing, hearings, appeals to the City, appeals to the California Coastal commission. This, all before they knew they could develop anything.the City of Half Moon Bay and San Mateo County are included as "property owners" of PUD zoned land.

2.) Current City regulations severely restrict the number of building permits issued for new residences. Even if a PUD permit was obtained, it would be many (like20) years before permits could be issued to build out any project.

3.) Current City regulations don't allow for drilling wells and no additional water for residential use is available from CCWD. Without a water source, no permits can be issued. (CCWD Link) (Phone: 650XXXXXX)

4.) Most "PUD" zoned lots aren't served by roads or utilities and many are far from the current locations. Extension of utilities requires additional environmental studies and Coastal development Permits.

5.) Even if permits were issued for development and owners were willing to wait (possibly 20 years or more to build),
There seems to be some likelihood at some time of a "building moratorium" based on "insufficient roads and traffic problems".

6.) After waiting 20 or more years to build, the owners forced to wait until the end to build would be building "brand new homes" with  "outdated" designs in aging neighborhoods.

These are some reasons we can see for reduced prices on these properties. You can call the Half Moon Bay City Planners at (650-726-xxxx) and get the latest update.

Positive Hope:
We have seen a recent shift in the majority and politics of the Half Moon Bay City Council and also of the Board of Directors of the Coastside County Water District. We see this this shift AS BEING been towards reasonablility, common sense, fairness and some desire to actually plan for the future. 

We hope this "shift" will continue and will result in the possibility of "rezoning" or of   "redefining" the PUD zoning regulations so they are both fair to owners and meet the local and larger community's needs.

There are several groups of property owners that have engaged in cooperative efforts to make regulations more fair and sensible.

Yet another possibility might be that the the State of california, San Mateo County or the City of Half Moon Bay will actually plan and identify desired land and ultimately purchase it from from the owners at a fair price. Now seeming to be in the neighborhood of $10/SF.  This would likely require a "goal" and a  "plan" which don't seem to be in the works.

It is our understanding that some years ago, the City of Half Moon Bay atempted to create a "Redevelopment District" and offered owners $3.00/Sf to "take PUD land under eminent domain. Some owners sued and the Court found that $7.00/SF was fair. The "redevelopment district" idea ultimately failed.

I live and work here and hope that I will see real, reasonable and sensitive planning for the future of the Coastside. I have no particular interest in seeing increased development on the Coastside, but I don't see that "slow growth" has resulted in more or better planning. My opinion is that, the "slow growth" effort has obscurred and deferred any need to plan at all. As building continues slowly without any particular vision of what the Coastside community will be like in 20 yearsprecious oportunities for real planning are increasingly lost.