The California Coastal Commission on Friday gave the go-ahead for development to start on a new Hyatt Hotel in Half Moon Bay that has been in the works for nearly a decade.
“This is a wonderful project taking place on a developable piece of empty land right now and will hopefully be a great boost of economic activity and coastal access for Half Moon Bay,” said Commissioner Jaime Lee at the meeting.
The 110-room hotel, located near the southern entrance to downtown along State Route 1, was originally approved by the Half Moon Bay City Council in January 2025. But it was appealed to the Commission over concerns related to view obstruction and lack of lower-cost hotel accommodations.
Greg Jamison, the applicant of the hotel who operates a Ford dealership next to the project’s location, made revisions such as buildings that have been oriented to minimize view impacts and the addition of 22 lower-cost hotel rooms. The project also includes open space, landscaping, accessible public trails, a public restroom, and a 114-space parking lot.
“This project now has been in the works for some time,” Jamison said to the commission.
The design features three buildings spread across the site. The northernmost structure will be three stories at a height of 36 feet. The middle building is one story at about 25 feet tall, and the southernmost building is one story at 22 feet tall.
Many Half Moon Bay officials and residents spoke in favor of the project, arguing that the hotel could help bring foot traffic to downtown businesses and boost the local economy.
“We are a visitor-serving economy, and our downtown plays a big role in that,” said Half Moon Bay City Manager Matthew Chidester. “We’re excited to have this wonderful new amenity welcome people into our downtown, visitors and residents, and hopefully provide additional coastal access, and bring in additional revenues, additional jobs, and again provide a wonderful welcoming entry into our downtown.”
“Ten years of planning has brought us to this moment of finally, hopefully, approving the project,” said Half Moon Bay resident Norman Picker. “This is good development that will attract midweek visitors and business travelers that will help our busdinesses thrive on Main Street.”
Several residents in opposition also spoke out, criticizing the size of the project.
“We’re excited to have this wonderful new amenity welcome people into our downtown, visitors and residents, and hopefully provide additional coastal access, and bring in additional revenues …”
City Manager Matthew Chidester
“The hotel project, even with revisions proposed, would be a massive looming structure, permanently blocking the hills,” said resident Irma Morawietz. “Please help preserve our small-town feeling. That’s why people come here.”
“This project absolutely impacts the views of the coastal hills,” said resident Dan Haggerty. “We should not whittle away the character of Half Moon Bay.”
Nevertheless, the modifications satisfied the commissioners who voted unanimously to approve the coastal development permit needed to move the project forward.
“I’m in strong support,” said Commission Chair Meagan Harmon. “This is a great project, a huge improvement, and I really appreciate the collaborative effort to get us where we are today.”
