Council Rallies Against County Bid to Weaken Mid Coast Housing Cap

The Midcoast Community Council turned a routine Tuesday night into a defense of the 40-unit annual housing cap, pushing back hard against a county proposal to retroactively recount a decade of unused building permits — a move members and residents said would reward developers at the expense of overtaxed roads, water, and sewer systems. The council also locked in at-large election rules for November and launched a candidate recruitment drive with a July deadline looming.

• Council unanimously opposes county plan to retroactively average unused housing permits back to 2013, directing three members to draft a formal opposition letter to the Board of Supervisors and Coastal Commission

• Residents blast the proposal on infrastructure grounds, citing evacuation failures, sewer overflows, water shortages, and unfunded transportation plans

• County planning official reveals long-term goal of raising the cap to 75 units per year, drawing sharp pushback from the council

• At-large election resolution approved unanimously after the council votes 3-2 to reject candidate statement reimbursement

• Safe Parking program for RV dwellers faces June funding cliff; advocates urge MCC to help sustain wraparound services that have returned 38% of participants to housing

The centerpiece of the meeting — consuming more than 80 minutes of debate — was a county proposal to change how the Mid Coast's 40-unit annual housing cap is calculated, a move that would effectively erase the impact of the massive 102-unit Cypress Point project approved in 2025.