BACKGROUND:
Due to the volume and depth of the 245 public comments, the EIR consultants did not have adequate funds in their original contract with the County to cover the costs of preparing the Responses to Comments. The Applicant refused to pay anything more, so the County Planning Department decided to take an unprecedented step - and let the Applicant's representative, Scott Holmes, draft the responses, and then County Planning, Environmental Health, Public Works, and County Counsel would do a "peer review" of the responses, and revise if necessary.
UNETHICAL DECISION:
This is not technically "illegal", but is certainly bad judgment, considering that Mr. Holmes has a huge vested interest - both financial and due to being a parent - in the outcome of this project. The FEIR is supposed to be the independent judgment of San Mateo County.
At a county Planning Commission hearing on March 24, 2010 Jim Eggemeyer advocated that his office "collaberate" with an unnamed third party--identified elsewhere in the hearing as Scott Holmes, a member of the leadership team of Big Wave--in order to respond to the many public comments received concerning the Big Wave development proposal.
It will be interesting to read an FEIR crafted as a Developer/County "collaberation".
Due to the volume and depth of the 245 public comments, the EIR consultants did not have adequate funds in their original contract with the County to cover the costs of preparing the Responses to Comments. The Applicant refused to pay anything more, so the County Planning Department decided to take an unprecedented step - and let the Applicant's representative, Scott Holmes, draft the responses, and then County Planning, Environmental Health, Public Works, and County Counsel would do a "peer review" of the responses, and revise if necessary.
UNETHICAL DECISION:
This is not technically "illegal", but is certainly bad judgment, considering that Mr. Holmes has a huge vested interest - both financial and due to being a parent - in the outcome of this project. The FEIR is supposed to be the independent judgment of San Mateo County.
At a county Planning Commission hearing on March 24, 2010 Jim Eggemeyer advocated that his office "collaberate" with an unnamed third party--identified elsewhere in the hearing as Scott Holmes, a member of the leadership team of Big Wave--in order to respond to the many public comments received concerning the Big Wave development proposal.
It will be interesting to read an FEIR crafted as a Developer/County "collaberation".
FINAL EIR UPDATE:
After many delays, the County Planning Staff has anounced they will be posting the Final EIR for Big Wave on the County website this Friday.
The FEIR will contain all the 245 comments by agencies and the public, and responses to those comments. CGF has asked the Planning Commission to allow a full 60 days for the public to review the FEIR. The Planning Commission will consider this request at their Public Meeting on October 27. The Midcoast Community Council has also asked for time to digest the FEIR, and has requested that the Story Poles, now being erected, be left up during the public review period.
The Planning Commission has scheduled a Public Meeting at the El Granada School on Wednesday, October 27 at 6:00 pm. Very recently, new and serious questions/issues have been raised as to the housing project's incompatibility with the Half Moon Bay Airport.
There have been changes to the project, but until the FEIR is published, the public will not know exactly what they are.
The Planning Commission has scheduled a Public Meeting at the El Granada School on Wednesday, October 27 at 6:00 pm. Very recently, new and serious questions/issues have been raised as to the housing project's incompatibility with the Half Moon Bay Airport.
There have been changes to the project, but until the FEIR is published, the public will not know exactly what they are.
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