Planning commission approves setback variance for 759 Korea Street addition

The Half Moon Bay Planning Commission on Sept. 9 approved a coastal development permit, architectural review and two setback variances to allow a small addition and a new detached garage with a second‑story office at 759 Korea Street.

Staff said the property is zoned R‑1 B‑2 (single‑family residential) and is bordered to the east by the Arroyo León perennial stream and adjacent environmentally sensitive habitat area (ESHA). Planner Lisonbee Wilson told commissioners the parcel’s unusual shape and the presence of the stream mean the standard 100‑foot top‑of‑bank buffer would cover the building site, and under Land Use Plan policy 6‑50 the buffer may be reduced; the biological resources evaluation supported a reduced buffer based on the local watercourse.

The project would add roughly 121 square feet to the residence and a covered…