Measure D — A 1999 Growth Control Law Colliding with 2026 State Mandates
active• halfmoonbay
Half Moon Bay's most fundamental housing constraint is a voter-approved growth control law that has been on the books for 27 years. Measure D, passed by Half Moon Bay voters in 1999, limits annual population growth to between 1% and 1.5% by capping the number of new housing certificates issued each year — including for accessory dwelling units such as backyard cottages or garage conversions — a provision that directly conflicts with state housing production mandates. The city has taken a creative approach to resolution: rather than asking voters to repeal Measure D, it is asking them to update its map. After the Planning Commission rejected the proposed Measure D map amendment, the City Council voted to send a new Town Center map amendment to the November 3, 2026 ballot, seeking voter approval to redefine the "Downtown Area" covered by Measure D as the area designated as the Town Center in the Local Coastal Land Use Plan — a technical but consequential change that would allow more housing in the downtown core without technically repealing the growth cap.
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Related cause: Housing Affordability
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