Council approves residence at 2800 Champs Elysees after hydrology review; neighbors and applicant disagree on flood risk

The Half Moon Bay City Council voted June 3 to approve a coastal development permit and architectural review for a new two‑story residence at 2800 Champs Elysees Boulevard after the city received a site‑specific hydrological analysis and peer review work requested by the planning commission and by the council.

Why it matters: Neighbors say repeated flooding along the Pullman Water Course and recent increases in runoff mean new development will worsen flood impacts to adjacent properties. The city and the applicant point to updated hydrology reports and engineering peer review finding the proposed design and on‑site detention would not cause “adverse direct or cumulative” off‑site flooding under the tested scenarios. The decision resolves a multi‑year dispute that included planning commission denials, a city council appeal and a subsequent settlement agreement requiring council reconsideration.

What council approved and why - Project: a 4,710‑square‑foot, two‑story single‑family home with a two‑car garage and a covered breezeway. A condition of approval requires an irrevocable offer of an…