Half Moon Bay reviews $88 million five‑year capital program; many projects remain unfunded

Mas Bozorginia, Half Moon Bay’s public works director, reviewed the city’s five‑year Capital Improvement Program on Feb. 1, telling the City Council the plan lists about 55 programs and projects totaling roughly $88,000,000 over five years and that much of that total is unfunded.

The CIP “provides a long‑term outlook, a snapshot on potential funding needs,” Bozorginia said, and staff will update the list annually. He told council members that the city previously contributed about $3,000,000 a year from the general fund to capital work; last year that contribution was reduced to $1,800,000 while staff pursued outside grants and other funding.

Why it matters: the CIP sets which street, sewer, park and trail projects can move from study to construction. With limited general‑fund support and rising construction costs, council members stressed that staff must prioritize projects that address public safety and stormwater risk, and that require coordination with partner agencies and grantors.

Bozorginia walked the council through programs (annual, rolling funds used for sidewalk, tree and pavement maintenance) and discrete projects now at planning, design or construction stages. Projects highlighted include an overarching urban watershed/stormwater study (staff plan to issue an RFP for a hydraulic consultant), a Kehoe watershed project scoped separately, the Eastside Parallel Trail (multiple segments funded at different phases), the Highway 1 South corridor study (Transportation Authority grant), the Wavecrest water‑main and parking work (donor funding for an initial phase), and the Highway 1 North safety project (final design awaiting Caltrans encroachment permits).

Bozorginia said staffing limits affect schedule: “We have two engineers, one public works supervisor and the director managing contracting and design oversight,” he told council, noting that a small staff sometimes delays project starts. He added that several program accounts were not funded in the current fiscal year as part of the budget balancing, which means staff must seek council approval before using general‑fund dollars for work that in prior years would have drawn from program pots.

Council members asked about several projects and funding constraints. Council member Meg(an) Gast pressed for attention to Highway 1 pedestrian and safety needs, Magnolia Park design work, and targeted watershed repairs in Pullman, Kehoe and Seymour rather than only a citywide study. Bozorginia said the urban watershed plan was intended to inform future priorities citywide but acknowledged grant funders often expect projects to be embedded in an adopted plan.

Staff also reported near‑term project status: Carter Park is nearing final construction with an anticipated opening in May; Poplar Street phase 2 is close to completion; the climate adaptation plan update is nearing completion but staff is evaluating recently updated CAL FIRE hazard maps; and the Wavecrest project is approaching circulation of an environmental document.

The presentation reiterated reliance on outside funding sources – Caltrans, the Transportation Authority of San Mateo County, Peninsula Clean Energy, FEMA reimbursements and private donors – and the city’s reduced general‑fund contribution to the CIP for the current fiscal year.

Next steps: staff will incorporate council feedback into a revised CIP and return to council with a prioritized work plan and funding strategy as the budget process advances.