Pacifica panel approves 24-month extension for 1335 Adobe Drive project

The Pacifica Planning Commission voted unanimously to grant a 24-month extension to the development permit and tentative subdivision map for 1335 Adobe Drive, a seven-unit townhouse condominium project in the Linda Mar neighborhood.

The extension, approved after staff recommended the maximum discretionary extension allowed under state law, pushes the project toward the six-year limit for discretionary extensions and gives the applicant additional time to complete building-permit review and finalize required legal agreements.

Senior planner James Lynn, representing the Community Development Department, told the commission the approved project proposes seven townhome-style condominium units — two two‑story and five three‑story units — each with an attached two‑car garage and four uncovered guest parking spaces. Lynn said the permit’s expiration date had been set for May 4, 2025, and that the applicant had paid outstanding project fees and submitted a deposit for additional reviews since the commission’s prior 12‑month extension on July 1, 2024. “The applicant has been actively working with the city in the past months,” Lynn said.

Mike Corbett, counsel for the applicant, described delays since the original approval in 2019 as a mix of staffing changes, miscommunications with city reviewers, plan‑check back-and-forth, and personal medical emergencies. “I actually think we’re in a place now where the legal agreements — the CC&R[s], the subdivision improvement agreement and the stormwater management agreement — are very close to being resolved,” Corbett said.

Several commissioners asked for clarifications before the vote. Commissioner Field confirmed with staff that the applicant had paid the previously outstanding fees and submitted the required deposits for review. Commissioner Davis asked about tribal and archaeological protections and how tribal monitors would be retained; staff said construction has not started and that the city typically requires evidence of a contract with a tribal monitor and a licensed archaeologist before issuing construction permits. Commissioner Raffaeo asked whether a ground‑penetrating survey had found archaeological resources; staff said the project’s 2019 records and the project’s CEQA findings require a tribal monitor and mitigation measures.

During public comment, Katah Gomes, a Ramaytush descendant, urged the commission to follow the project’s tribal‑cultural resource recommendations and to take concrete steps beyond the city’s land acknowledgment when construction affects sensitive sites. Armando Murillo, a field representative for Carpenters Local 217, supported the project and asked that the developer consider local hire, apprenticeship opportunities and prevailing‑wage standards when selecting contractors.

Staff recommended a 24‑month extension even though the applicant requested 18 months; staff said the longer term would take the project to the maximum discretionary extension period allowed under state law and avoid further extension requests. City counsel staff and planning staff identified the Subdivision Map Act and related state law as governing the overall extension framework and noted that local code reviews and building‑permit processes would address mitigation monitoring, tree‑replacement requirements and other site‑specific conditions.

The commission’s motion to approve a 24‑month extension passed unanimously. No additional conditions were added by the commission at that hearing; staff told commissioners that outstanding mitigation, monitoring and tree‑replacement commitments will be enforced through the building permit process and the project’s Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP).

The commission secretary read an appeal and judicial‑review notice after the vote: anyone aggrieved by the action has 10 calendar days to file a written appeal to the City Council, and judicial review is subject to state statutory time limits.