Ramon Sonoqui, 70, retired after 42 years of local farm work, lives with his wife, children, and grandchildren in a three-bedroom apartment in Half Moon Bay. Candido Rosales, a 67-year-old farmworker still working, lives in a shared room, separated from his family who rent a room elsewhere. Both farmworkers’ experiences reflect the enormous need for projects like 555 Kelly, a 40-home proposal for senior farmworkers that has faced incredible delays. According to the state, a lawsuit against the city may be imminent, if the project does not move forward soon.
The project’s design review and coastal development permit were approved two years ago by the Planning Commission and City Council, but the lease and other needed documents have been stalled, prompting the Department of Housing and Community Development to send Half Moon Bay a letter on April 9 urging the support of 555 Kelly. Unlike prior communications, this letter explicitly describes the risk of a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General against the City.
This follows a March 24 letter HCD sent the city informing them that their housing element violates state law. However, the March 24 letter focused broadly on the technical components of the city’s housing element, particularly its rezoning plans. The April 9 letter emphatically states that Half Moon Bay cannot achieve legal compliance without supporting 555 Kelly—or reopening its housing element to look at alternative sites.
After receiving its March 24 letter, Half Moon Bay claimed the City just needed to complete statutory rezoning to achieve state legal compliance, blaming regulatory barriers such as the California Coastal Commission for delays. According to the City’s narrative, they had no responsibility to move forward with projects like 555 Kelly.
HCD’s newest letter puts that claim to rest: “The purpose of this letter is to express HCD’s support for the Project [555 Kelly] and to provide notice to the City that delaying action or denying the Affordable Housing and Property Disposition Agreement and the Ground Lease (Agreements) may result in the violation of one or more state housing laws and would delay achieving a substantially compliant housing element.”
Half Moon Bay has made meaningful progress toward its housing goals, including with the completion of Stone Pine Cove, a project which includes 47 manufactured homes, providing affordable ownership opportunities for farmworker families.
However, 555 Kelly is the true test of whether Half Moon Bay is willing to plan for inclusive housing opportunities. Stone Pine Cove is at the outskirts of town, meaningful but out of sight. 555 Kelly would sit in the heart of the city, walkable to businesses and the local farmers’ market, more accessible for the future senior residents.
555 Kelly would help real people in need. It would mean families like Candido’s can be reunited. It would mean children and grandchildren like Ramon’s have space to grow. It would mean more of the farm workers who have fed our communities for decades have a safe and secure place to call home.