Pacifica commissioners continue rezoning and retroactive‑grading item after residents raise safety, access and transparency concerns

The Pacifica Planning Commission voted to continue consideration of a rezone, development plan and specific plan for 650 Cape Breton Drive — the former Park Pacifica Stables — after extensive public comment and commissioner questions about process, public access, stormwater and the implications of converting the property to Planned Development (PD) zoning.

Senior Planner James Lin presented the application, telling the commission the item is a request to rezone two parcels (currently R-1 and C-R with a Hillside Preservation District overlay) to PD with the HPD overlay, and to approve a development plan and specific plan to authorize retroactive grading and to document existing single-family residential use. The filing follows a Notice of Violation (May 20, 2021) that identified roughly 100 to 300 cubic yards of sand and soil moved inside and around a covered arena without permit; the applicant seeks to legalize the grading and install erosion-control measures and a prefabricated carport to meet HPD parking code.

The application is the product of a code enforcement process. Planner Lin said no new construction or demolition is proposed and that, as presented, no additional grading or relocation of soils is planned; instead, the application documents the existing conditions, erosion controls and a request for a retroactive…