MCC Backs 166 Banked Housing Permits as Chair Williams Resigns

The Midcoast Community Council navigated a leadership shakeup and a pivotal housing policy concession Tuesday night, unanimously endorsing the use of more than a decade's worth of banked building permits while electing new officers after Chair Kimberly Williams resigned hours before the meeting. The nearly 90-minute session also produced letters demanding coast-side emergency preparedness funding and a defense of the California Coastal Commission against federal rollback proposals.

• Council reluctantly backs their Option E, clearing the path for 166 unused housing permits to be built under the midcoast's 40-unit annual cap

• Chair Kimberly Williams resigns for personal reasons; Scott Bollinger elected chair, Connie Santilli named vice chair — both unanimously

• Safety element letter approved, pushing the county to budget for evacuation routes and emergency resources exposed as deficient during a 2024 tsunami scare

• Council directs follow-up to Caltrans demanding a traffic study and pedestrian crosswalk as Highway 1 bike lanes threaten to displace hundreds of parking spaces into residential El Granada

• Claire Toutant authorized to draft letter opposing Trump administration proposals to gut Coastal Commission funding and authority, due Aug. 22

The Housing Cap Gamble: 166 Permits, One Reluctant Yes

The council's most consequential action was approving a letter supporting Option E — the county's proposal to allow all unused housing permits dating back to 2013, when the midcoast's 40-unit annual cap was first adopted, to be built. The math: roughly 166 banked permits would become available for development.

The basics: The midcoast's Local Coastal Program caps new housing at 40 units per year. Most years, far fewer are built. Option E would let all those unused permits accumulate and be used. The alternative — hitting the cap without a plan — would trigger a mandatory LCP amendment raising the cap permanently to 60 units per year, or potentially expose the coast to builder's remedy lawsuits that bypass local zoning entirely.

Why it matters: This is a strategic concession. Council members made clear they see Option E not as good policy, but as the least damaging path available.

"We as a council came to what I would describe as an unenthusiastic but nevertheless pragmatic need to support this Option E on the grounds that all other options we would be faced with on the midcoast would be worse," said Council Member Gus Mattammal, who joined remotely.

Council Member Connie Santilli pushed for an amendment, noting "the one thing that is not mentioned in it is the public outreach that was done by the county where the community overwhelmingly chose Option E. And I think we have to consider that as input." The amendment was adopted.

The other side: Public commenter Gregg Dieguez delivered a forceful rebuttal, arguing the county's infrastructure cannot support additional development. "The planning department lied when they said all the infrastructure was fixed," he said, citing the Montara Water and Sanitary District's drought vulnerability, inadequate broadband, asbestos contamination and flooding risk at Cypress Point, and unresolved evacuation capacity. He announced plans for "a community meeting" and "a community position paper in opposition."

Dan Haggerty, a longtime resident, echoed those concerns and criticized what he called inaccurate state Regional Housing Needs Allocation numbers, calling for the wealthiest county in the state to push back against Sacramento housing mandates.

Cyd Young offered a counterpoint, supporting Option E because it was chosen to protect small property owners already in the permit queue — not to benefit developers. Without it, the county would have halted permits until 2028 or beyond.

Council Member Claire Toutant urged case-by-case infrastructure scrutiny on future planning referrals, saying "when planning referrals come to people in the future you need to keep in mind what the resources are." Santilli added that future letters about infrastructure claims should be footnoted with agency data rather than unattributed assertions: "I really would prefer that we let those agencies speak for themselves about their capacity."

Decisions: The letter was approved 6-0 (For: Bollinger, Santilli, Tony, David, Mattammal, Toutant; Against: none) with the community vote acknowledgment amendment. The new chair will sign it.

What's next: Gregg's announced community opposition meeting and position paper could shape how the county Board of Supervisors weighs the LCP amendment. The council's letter makes clear that support for Option E is conditional and pragmatic — not a blank check for development.

Leadership Shakeup: Williams Out, Bollinger In

Vice Chair Scott Bollinger opened the meeting with unexpected news: Chair Kimberly Williams had resigned that afternoon.

"Kimberly has a personal issue that's going to require 100% of her attention. So she is not going to be available any longer on the council as a council member or as the chairperson. She has resigned officially with the county this afternoon," Bollinger said.

Under MCC bylaws, the vice chair presides after a chair resignation until the council elects a replacement. Council Member David Santoro nominated Bollinger as chair; the motion passed 6-0. Santoro then nominated Connie Santilli as vice chair — also 6-0. Both terms run through December, when annual officer elections occur.

What's next: Williams' departure creates one vacant seat. Combined with Mattammal's expected transition off the council, the MCC will need to fill two seats — likely via a special January meeting open to the public. With seven seats and two vacancies, quorum management becomes a real concern heading into the fall.

Coast-Side Safety: Council Demands Budgeted Solutions, Not Grants

The council unanimously approved a letter supporting the county general plan's safety element, but the real message was in the specifics: the midcoast's limited evacuation routes, communication gaps, and emergency resource shortages need dedicated budget funding — not grant-dependent fixes.

Why it matters: The coast's vulnerability was exposed during a December 2024 tsunami scare that nearly killed a police officer during evacuation. The letter addresses evacuation route maintenance, CERT resources, medical equipment for the isolated coastside, and power outage and cellular service redundancy.

Council Member David Santoro presented the draft, emphasizing the need for the county to fund safety improvements through the general budget rather than relying solely on competitive grants.

Public commenter Gregg Dieguez pushed for measurable performance metrics, citing the 2024 tsunami incident. The council responded that the letter is a policy-level document — metrics would come later through implementation.

Cyd Young identified a specific chokepoint: the eucalyptus grove between Lantos Tunnel and Lindamar, where road shoulders have never been cleared. David, staff from the Board of Supervisors office, reported that the Coastal Conservancy is planning a shaded fuel break in the Lindamar area and the Resource Conservation District is managing a vegetation project on Highway 92 — "The Coastal Conservancy is working on the one up in Lindamar with the shaded fuel break that's off the highway a little bit."

Decisions: Approved 6-0 (For: Bollinger, Santilli, Tony, David, Mattammal, Toutant). The letter will be signed by the new chair.

Surfers Beach Collision Course: Bike Lanes vs. Parking vs. Neighborhoods

Council Member Santilli brought forward a growing conflict at the intersection of coastal access, transportation planning, and residential quality of life near Surfers Beach in El Granada.

The basics: The California Coastal Commission has directed the Granada Community Services District to keep its informal dirt parking lot at Surfers Beach unchanged — permanently. Meanwhile, Caltrans' Highway 1 bike lane project will eliminate roughly 700 roadside parking spaces. The council fears displaced beachgoers will flood the dirt lot and spill onto residential streets — Obispo, Coronado, and Capistrano.

GCSD Board President Barbara Dye explained the Coastal Commission's position: "Coastal staff said, you're never going to be allowed to change that dirt parking lot. That dirt parking lot has been parking for decades. Therefore, you may not do anything to it except keep it as parking." That ruling also killed planned habitat restoration along a stream because the required buffer zone would have reduced parking capacity.

Barbara Dye noted that a traffic study showed "the park and the community center actually need significantly less parking than we are providing. That isn't really going to help with the problem that you're talking about now" — the displaced Highway 1 parking.

The county's response to MCC's initial concerns cited the GCSD park-specific traffic study, which did not account for displaced Highway 1 parking — a gap the council now wants addressed.

Dan Haggerty, a 37-year El Granada resident, argued for a comprehensive master traffic flow plan rather than piecemeal fixes, warning that each pedestrian crossing slows overall Highway 1 flow and could cause gridlock.

Barbara Dye committed that GCSD "would modify the park to provide a pedestrian access" if Caltrans installs a crosswalk — specifically a pedestrian-activated crosswalk similar to the one at Moss Beach.

What's next: The council directed its planning subgroup to draft a follow-up letter to Caltrans requesting a comprehensive traffic study and a pedestrian-activated crosswalk. Without action, the loss of hundreds of parking spaces to bike lanes could fundamentally change traffic patterns in residential El Granada.

Defending the Coastal Commission

Council Member Claire Toutant reported attending NOAA hearings on the Trump administration's proposals to cut funding and authority of the California Coastal Commission — potentially overriding it for offshore drilling.

"The Trump administration is thinking of doing bad things to the Coastal Commission with the idea being that we need more officers for drilling," Toutant said. The comment deadline is Aug. 22.

Public commenter Dave cautioned that under current county policy, MCC letters may need county manager or county counsel approval before being sent. David, the supervisor's office staffer, said he would seek a ruling. Chair Bollinger indicated the council would proceed regardless unless advised otherwise.

What's next: Toutant will draft a letter opposing the proposed changes for MCC submission before the Aug. 22 deadline.

Minor Items

• Meeting minutes approved 4-0 with two abstentions (Santilli had not read them; Bollinger also abstained).

• Remote participation: Gus Mattammal approved to participate as a voting member remotely for the meeting (passed unanimously).

• $226M vehicle license fee shortfall: Staff from the Board of Supervisors reported San Mateo County's VLF gap has ballooned from $100 million to $226 million. The county is one of three statewide not receiving full funding due to school basic-aid status and the ERAF mechanism. A press conference and workshop were planned for the following day in Redwood City. Bollinger asked for a future presentation to the council.

• GCSD park funding: The GCSD board will examine seven potential funding sources at its Aug. 20 meeting for a park that has been in planning for eight years. The district anticipates phasing the project.

• IPS pipeline replacement: GCSD approved a contract to replace the court-ordered pipeline from Montara to Granada. The environmental group that had sued granted a one-year extension; the contract will be finalized once all boards approve the additional expenditure.

• Seton Coastside ER: Renovation is complete but awaits county and state approval to reopen. County Manager Mike Callagy sent a letter supporting expedited opening. The assisted living section is not yet complete.

• Mobile clinic: The coastside mobile clinic at Ted Adcock park (near the skate park) is open Wednesdays noon to 6 p.m. and has already seen 40-50 patients in its first weeks, offering urgent care and vaccinations including for uninsured patients.

• SamTrans Ride+ expansion: On-demand transit service expanded to Montara starting Aug. 2 with extended hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.), improving transportation access to the hospital.

• Healthcare district exploration: Council discussed the possibility of exploring a healthcare district with Pacifica.