Looking like the coast
Talk to anyone about what they love about the coast, and the first thing everyone mentions is that it’s so beautiful. And people love the small-town character here, the way people watch out for each other, the slower-paced semi-rural farming and fishing life. Everyone wants to keep that smalltown feeling, everyone can see how special this place is, everyone wants to preserve what we have here.
That’s why parks matter. That’s why trails are important. That’s why it’s vital that, when we build onto this town, that we build things that are not slapdash, that we build things that make sense.
It’s not the sexiest political position, though. Spending time, money and effort on a park or a trail isn’t the most exciting news. After all, the space that’s being set aside is already there. So when a lot of time is spent turning that space into a park, it doesn’t make a big impact.
Not right away, anyway. If you look at our community over a period of years, though, it’s stunningly important. If you don’t spend the time and energy preserving what we have, it will disappear, and our children will see a very different Coastside when they’re older.
Look at the changes in the past 10 years. Half Moon Bay is different. It has changed. In fact, it has changed and grown more than any other place in our county – and it will grow more. There are hundreds and hundreds of alreadyapproved houses that will be built here, and the pressure to build on undeveloped parcels will only increase as time goes on.
Building is not bad. Seeing Half Moon Bay grow is not bad. But think about how this place has changed in 10 years, and how it will change in another 10 years. When you think about what you want your kids or g r a n d k i d s to see here, that’s when it becomes clear that parks and open space are so important. They keep the Coastside looking like the Coastside.
That’s why the current City Council race is so imp o r t a n t . The current Council has fought for open space, worked for parks, built trails – doing the hard work that it takes to secure those vital spaces for our children, and for ourselves.
Extending the Coastal Trail all the way to Ocean Colony. Building the Pilarcitos Creek Bridge near Strawflower Shopping Center. Building the trail from there that goes downtown. Securing the funds to construct a trail along Highway 1. Acquiring and improving Oak Street Park. Acquiring the Railroad Avenue property for open space. Acquiring the 22 acres for the Coastside Community Park.
These are accomplishments that can go unnoticed. These are places that, in many cases, look the same as they did before – all that time and effort was spent, and what has changed? Those places were there before, and they’re still there.
And that’s exactly the point. The Coastside is a special place, and everyone knows it. Development doesn’t come all at once, it comes in a piecemeal fashion– and preserving the Coastside comes in exactly the same way. A piece at a time. This is the legacy of the current City Council. That work is not done, and that’s why the voice oF the coaSt urges you to vote on November 8, and to vote for these three City Council candidates:
- Mayor Jim Grady
- City Council member Mike Ferreira
- Community activist Steve Skinner
These are the three people who will carry on the work to keep our Coastside, to keep the quality of life here, and to safeguard the beauty and character of Half Moon Bay.
It’s important work. Please notice it.