Story by Local News Matters
• 4mo • 4 min read
Newsom blasts Half Moon Bay planners over delay on farmworker senior housing project© Provided by Local News Matters
Affordable housing for the community’s senior farmworkers will move forward, the Half Moon Bay City Council decided this week, rejecting efforts to delay the project.
Councilmembers listened to the arguments of applicants, appellants and the public for nearly three hours before deliberating, and eventually voted unanimously on Wednesday to back the project.
The January 2023 shooting in Half Moon Bay, where a farmworker allegedly shot and killed seven coworkers at Mountain Mushroom Farm revealed its substandard living conditions. The tragedy prompted the city to begin plans to develop affordable housing for its agricultural workers at 555 Kelly Ave. in the city’s downtown.
“Right after the horrendous shooting, light was flooded over the city of Half Moon Bay and brought the living conditions of the farmworkers into the open,” said Lilli Rey, president of the board of Ayuando Latinos A Soñar. The nonprofit provides resources and outreach to families and those in need in California’s coastal communities. They are going to provide services directly to residents of the 555 Kelly Ave. low-income housing in a Farmworker Resource Center.
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Multiple appeals were filed raising concerns about the location, size of the building and the lack of a comprehensive parking plan in the project. Several members of the public also reiterated the same uncertainties during public comment.
“I have one issue with this project and that is how it has changed since you originally approved it. It’s changed from four stories to five stories,” said David Gorn, a member of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission. “It’s changed from studio apartments to bigger apartments. When you change, you’re adding almost twice as many people as you originally approved.”
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