RESTORE PUBLIC PARKING FOR SURFER'S BEACH

THE RV PARK IS IN VIOLATION OF THE 2019 CDP AND THE 2024 LEASE

THE INVALUABLE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SITE FOR SURFER’S BEACH ACCESS

This 4 acre site lies within the California Coastal Zone, where the California Coastal Act mandates that maximum public access and recreational opportunities be provided for all people. Surfer’s Beach is appreciated by surfers and dog walkers, as well as families with children because it’s safer than most California beaches. 

Since 1998 the San Mateo County Harbor District (HD) has leased the area to the Pillar Point RV Park’s owner Keet Nerhan, and visitors to Surfer’s Beach have instead parked along Highway 1. That practice is about to end because of Caltrans resurfacing the road and installing bike lanes. Instead of serving the residents of San Mateo County by making this site public parking, the Harbor District renewed the RV Park lease last year. 

The Harbor Commission President appealed* the Coastal Development Permit (CDP) Caltrans recived from the San Mateo County  for the roadwork to the California Coastal Commission (CCC). The CCC obligated Caltrans to find 75 parking spaces specifically for Surfer’s Beach access.

The HD approached Caltrans offering up land on the open space of northern Burnham Strip/El Granada Gateway as a parking area accessed from Avenue Alhambra. (Caltrans defines walkable distance as 1/4 mile, while northern Burnham Strip would be double that and require a crosswalk for Highway 1.) The plan is opposed by over 1000 signatures on No parking lot on north Burnham Strip

The site now occupied by the Pillar Point RV Park is west of highway one, would require no crossing of the highway, no impact on traffic, and it’s 1/4 mile distance to the Surfer’s Beach stairs. It’s the best and logical solution for Surfer’s Beach access. (Keet Nerhan opened another RV park just north of the Pillar Point RV Park a year ago.)

THE PROBLEMATIC HISTORY OF PILLAR POINT RV PARK

- A popular beach without a restroom

Originally this parking lot had a public restroom (see picture.) In a coastsidenews.com article 3/4/2009 discussing the need for restrooms on the coast, Keet Nerhan is quoted saying “he locked the facility eight or nine years ago after cleaning up one too many broken beer bottles”. 

In a 2011 letter the Harbor Manager demanded the restroom be opened “these facilities are to be available to RV Park patrons and persons using the day use parking lot ….the restroom facilities need not be made available to the general public accessing the adjacent Surfers Beach, which is not within your lease.”

7/9/2014 the Midcoast Community Council (MCC) wrote a letter to the HD reminding them that the 1998 lease to the RV Park called for “day-use visitor parking only” in the lot next to the RV Park, that there should be “repair & extension of existing restrooms to acceptable health & safety standards”, “construction of barbecues, water fountains, trash receptacles for day-use area”.  Concluding: “If the lease requirements for those amenities is not enforced, then the $10 day-use parking fee is not justified.”

Locals and visitors to Surfer’s Beach did not have a restroom until  the Mirada Surf West restroom (close to the the Miramar Beach Restaurant) was built in 2014 and the new restroom next to the RV Park in 2024 (Mirada is 0.4 miles and the RV park is 0.2 miles from the Surfers Beach stairs). Until then, visitors were reduced to using the riparian area on the El Granada side of the highway, if need be. A not ideal sanitary and environmental situation.                                                                        

- Other problems                                                                                                        

The RV Park had no California Development Permit 1998-2019. Complaints from community and MCC continued concerning lack of landscaping, unmaintained cypress trees in the view corridor, no landscaping shielding view of RVs from the Coastal Trail, unshielded lights, and display of flags.

CURRENT VIOLATIONS OF CDP AND LEASE 

Eliminating all general public parking except ADA compliant spaces (Americans with Disabilities Act).

1. Lack of signage declaring that this is free, day use parking for the public, as the CDP calls for.

2. Configuration of the parking lot: making it look as if the 6 parking spaces belong to the RV Park.

3. The HD’s lease agreement stating that “Tenant and Tenant’s invites” can use the public parking while the “landlord shall not be obligated to, but may, monitor use of such spaces”.

Pre-restroom there were 21 general parking spaces, now, effectively, none. This is a clear violation of the intent of the California Public Resource Code (PRC) §30210.

- The old public restroom had to be remodeled, but is closed.

According to the lease the old restroom had to be remodeled and made ADA compatible, but it is closed to everyone according to the RV Park website.

- Extended stays allowed,

Instead of the 14 days, maximum length stays and maximum 30 days/year the RV Park allows stays of 28 days and says come back after 7 days out.

COMPLAINT TO THE CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION (CCC)

Since the circumstances raise Coastal Act concerns it merits independent review by the Coastal Commission, a Complaint was sent. The City of Half Moon Bay which approved the CDP and the San Mateo County Harbor District, which renewed the lease, have financial interest* *in the RV Park and have in fact not been overseeing the operation.

SOLUTION

When voting for the renewal of the lease over Community protests, Harbor Commission President Kathryn Slater-Carter defended the decision:

“We put in many, many, many times ‘if you don’t accomplish this’, ‘if you don’t do this’ your lease is cancelled”….”we have put in on a much shorter renewal span and the lease can be violated by not doing what’s in the lease.” 

By failing to post any day-use signage and by configuring the parking area as to appear reserved for RV tenants and their guests, it effectively ensured that public coastal parking would disappear. This outcome was not accidental - it was a predictable consequence of inadequate oversight and disregard for the Coastal Act requirements.

The Harbor District should stand by its word: cancel the lease for the RV Park immediately. Give the public safe westside parking & access to Surfer’s Beach and Caltrans 75 parking spaces. 

There are finally functioning restrooms and stairs down to the Beach. The Harbor District owes this to the taxpayers of San Mateo County (who contribute $10 million a year to the Harbor District) and other visitors of the Coast. It’s the best use of the California Coastal Act. Return this land from private profit to public parking.

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Change.org might ask you to "CHIP IN". DON'T. The money goes to change.org, the petition can spread fine in the Community.

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*The Harbor Commissioner President, Kathryn Slater-Carter filed an appeal on 4/2/24 to the CCC about the parking problem, which made the CCC call for Caltrans to find 75 parking spaces for Surfer’s Beach before they could proceed with their project. (The appeal signed by Kathryn Carter-Slater dates the signature 23/03/28 [sic].

**The City of Half Moon Bay, collects a 15% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and the Harbor District gets rent, $ 16,000/month (only around $2,500/month before new lease)