Half Moon Bay planning panel renews goat-grazing permits, adopts residual-dry-matter monitoring and five-year review

The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission on May 13 approved amendments to two coastal development permits to continue goat- and sheep-grazed vegetation management on city-owned properties and on a SAM (sewer authority) parcel, adopting a residual dry matter (RDM) monitoring method, a five-year review requirement and a request that staff seek confirmation from the local fire marshal that a monitoring program for ungrazed areas is in place.

The changes replace a condition that previously required “a minimum average vegetation height of no less than 6 inches” with an RDM protocol measured in pounds per acre and add a directive that staff report back if the fire marshal does not respond to requests for confirmation of monitoring; the commission also asked biologists to flag instances of overgrazing (identified during the meeting as an RDM below about 350 pounds per acre) and to adjust management as needed.

Project planners said the two permits cover properties on both the east and west sides of Highway 1, including the familiar Beechwood/Glen Creek areas and lands near Pilacitos Creek and a Caltrans mitigation pond. Doug Garrison, project planner, told the commission this is primarily a five-year program check-in required by the permits and not a permit “sunset”: “to make it clear, this is not a sunset date that says the permit expires,” Garrison said, and added the commission could direct staff to continue, alter the review interval or delegate future reviews to the planning director.

Biologist Jessie Brenton McBean explained why staff recommended residual dry matter monitoring…