Team Vibrant
Create vibrant commercial and community spaces.
![](https://coastsiderecovery.com/wp-content/plugins/team-showcase-supreme/assets/images/loading.gif)
![Dan Littlefield](https://coastsiderecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dan.jpeg)
Dan Littlefield
Team Vibrant
![Irma Rodriguez Mitton](https://coastsiderecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Irma.jpeg)
Irma Rodriguez Mitton
Team Vibrant
![Jenny Walter](https://coastsiderecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Jenny.png)
Jenny Walter
Team Thrive
![Richard Lotti](https://coastsiderecovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Richard.jpeg)
Richard Lotti
Team Vibrant
Identified Challenges
Vacant and underutilized public spaces in downtown HMB limit economic potential and a sense of community.
- Good and services – consider professional services that do or don’t occupy commercial spaces downtown.
- Walkability/accessibility for bikes and pedestrians. There is not an easy way to safely travel from space to space, i.e., parts of Main St. closed to autos.
- Vast majority of businesses close early or even before their posted end time.
- Social media can be a powerful economic driver in commercial and community spaces, i.e., murals (with hashtags) are a great marketing and promotional opportunity.
- Zoning and burdensome local regulations contribute to vacancies and shuffle/churn.
- Price of commercial rents – differing opinions about affordability. Rent/square foot is not apples to apples when Mon-Thurs does not bring in patrons.
Capital improvements to community and commercial spaces are bottlenecked in Pescadero.
- Small population limits power, influence, and competitiveness for funding.
- There is a lack of jurisdictional authority and clear governance.
- Tourism does not result in reinvestment back into Pescadero’s infrastructure.
- There is not a cohesive community voice or charge toward a desired outcome and the means to achieve it.
- Regulatory policies and permitting are burdensome and inflexible (coastal zone, FEMA floodplain, historic designations and land uses, parking requirements).
- A wide geographic area necessitates centralized gathering spaces made difficult by lack of bike and pedestrian access.
Recommendations
- Redesign streetscape on Heritage Main Street in Half Moon Bay to improve mobility, economic activity, and vibrancy.
- Create a business improvement district or other funding mechanism to support revitalization efforts in the Half Moon Bay Town Center.
- Incentivize and support local businesses to provide services in recreational and activity hubs (i.e., beach, athletic fields, and neighborhood playgrounds).
- Create a community plaza in Pescadero which includes space for entertainment, local businesses, and recreation.
- Support formation of a new, professional staff role or increased capacity to drive economic and community development projects in Pescadero.
Research & Implementation
The Coastside Recovery Initiative is actively researching and seeking solutions to implement the recommendations.