Residents press for protection of Half Moon Bay medians; ownership and maintenance remain unresolved

A prolonged public discussion at the Dec. 18 Granada Community Services District meeting centered on the town’s landscaped medians, where residents and local advocates urged protections for historic trees and greenways and raised concerns about ownership, maintenance and possible future development.

Kevin, speaking for CoSight Allies, told the board the group’s petition has gathered roughly 1,400 signatures and proposed a three‑ to four‑year pilot to test low‑maintenance native plantings (capped heights and no recreation amenities) and a formal agreement with the county to secure funding and maintenance commitments. Kevin said the pilot would prioritize safety, native species and limiting features that would draw noise or heavy use.

Multiple residents, including Melinda McNuttons and other neighbors, emphasized the medians’ historical design value (the Burnham plan), wildlife‑corridor function and shade/cooling benefits from century‑old trees; several speakers urged individual arborist assessments before any tree removals. One community member warned that if control of the medians changed hands, future boards could face pressure to develop median parcels for parking or storage unless protections were formalized.

Board members and staff described recent county correspondence: the county suggested the district could lead outreach to homeowners, while staff and directors said the county appears better resourced for door‑to‑door engagement and that the district lacks capacity and ongoing funding to both beautify and maintain medians. Directors asked staff to request the county’s legal opinion on ownership (the board has an earlier legal opinion asserting county ownership that staff will circulate) before pursuing any transfer or MOU that would obligate the district to maintain medians.

Directors repeatedly cautioned the community about the district’s limited annual revenue and staffing, noting that taking on median management without dedicated funding would be unsustainable. Several directors said they support the idea of medians under local stewardship in principle but want full clarity on legal ownership, costs and county commitments before moving beyond information‑gathering.

The board did not take formal action on ownership or transfer at the meeting; members instructed staff to seek the county’s legal documentation on median ownership, return cost and maintenance estimates, and continue information‑gathering.