Coastal farmworker $6 million affordable housing plan approved by San Mateo County supervisors
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved spending nearly $6 million to build affordable housing for coastal farmworkers.
The county will allocate $5,999,360 towards buying and installing 47 manufactured homes for farmworkers and their families, including 19 households displaced after the Jan. 23, 2023, mass shooting at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms.
The homes will be located on five acres, about a mile from downtown Half Moon Bay, just south of Highway 1.
"Every family deserves a safe and healthy place to live," said supervisor Ray Mueller, whose District 3 encompasses the majority of the county's farmland, in a statement. "We must absolutely create opportunities for farm workers to live in San Mateo County, as well as invest resources in stabilizing the agricultural economy that provides for farm working jobs."
Supervisors awarded the building contract to Santa Cruz-based Bigfoot Homes. Required permits for the project, including a coastal development permit and building permits, remain under review by the appropriate authorities.
"It's a bright day in San Mateo County to see this project moving forward," Mueller said.
A county-commissioned report from 2016 found the need to "improve the quality, availability, and affordability of housing" for farmworkers.
The issue received added urgency in the aftermath of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of seven Half Moon Bay farmworkers which exposed the deplorable living conditions many farmworkers face.
Since the shooting, the City of Half Moon Bay identified a city-owned parcel at 880 Stone Pine Road for farmworker housing. The county, city, and numerous partners, are working to create a new neighborhood for farmworkers and their families.
At least 28 units will be focused on ownership for farmworker households with assistance from California's Joe Serna Jr Farmworker Housing Grant Program.
The county said manufactured homes provide the opportunity for lower initial construction costs and quicker construction with the added advantage of providing a pathway to homeownership to extremely low-income individuals and families.
San Mateo County has prepared a draft concept plan for the project responding to comments provided by community members over the last several months.