California 'strongly encourages' coastal city to fast-track farmworker housing

In a "sharply toned" letter to the city of Half Moon Bay, the California Housing Accountability Unit, part of the state's Department of Housing and Community Development, "strongly encouraged" the city to expeditiously approve permits for a proposed housing project for seniors aging out of farm work.

According to reporting by Adhiti Bandlamudi for KQED, "The five-story, 40-unit building for seniors aging out of farm work received a boost of support following the 2023 mass shooting at a mushroom farm in the city, which spotlighted the substandard living conditions many farmworkers face." Three years later, the project has not received its final approvals, prompting state authorities to send the letter threatening the city with potential fines and legal action. 

The city says the city council will vote on the project next week, and that the complexity of the project caused the extended timeline. The proposal includes a community resource center with supportive services and is centrally located near the city's downtown. But it faced backlash for its height (five stories would make it the tallest building in Half Moon Bay) and potential traffic impacts.