New Wavecrest delay throws school site agreement up in the air By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review September 1, 2004 When the California Coastal Commission postponed any action on the proposed Wavecrest development last week, it not only threw the future of the development in the air, but also that of a new middle school. The Cabrillo Unified School District board has been pursuing a new middle school at Wavecrest since 1996. That was a year after a million bond to pay for the school passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. One month ago the school board approved an agreement for the purchase of the school site at Wavecrest. The deal spells out deadlines by which the project must be approved - giving the school district the power to back out if those deadlines aren't met. The first of those deadlines was for the Coastal Commission to weigh in on the development proposal by the end of September. That isn't going to happen. And although the school district now has the option to back out of the agreement, it seems unlikely. "At this point in time it just depends. We just don't know," said Dwight Wilson, the board's vice president. "We're in the driver's seat," he said, adding that the future depends on what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires of the developer. The Coastal Commission took the massive mixed-use development off its September agenda because of a letter it received from the federal wildlife agency, which spelled out concerns with animal habitat preservation. "My guess is there's a happy medium somewhere," Wilson added. "The district certainly looks forward to having some kind of solution," said B.J. Mackle, deputy superintendent. "We're still very anxious and very hopeful to be approved for building at Wavecrest," he said. "We certainly are hoping to go forward ... and build the school." The next deadline is set for the entire project to be approved by Oct. 31, which isn't likely either in light of recent delays. Wavecrest developers and school officials are now trying to coordinate a meeting with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, California Fish and Game, and the Coastal Commission to see what steps need to be taken to address habitat preservation concerns while at the same time moving forward with the project. As of now, the proposal is postponed indefinitely at the Coastal Commission level. Home