FAQ
Is Linda Mar Woods a public park?
No. It is privately owned.
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Is Old San Pedro Mountain Road a public trail?
No. It is part of the private property.
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Is there a prescriptive easement over Old San Pedro Mountain Road for the benefit of the public?
No. The project has been posted with a sign for many decades that prevents the creation of a prescriptive easement. It says, “Right to pass revocable at will.”
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Does the owner plan to make repairs to Old San Pedro Mountain Road trail?
Yes. Old San Pedro Mountain Road Trail Conservation Initiative has been created to repair, improve, and ensure the long-term conservation of this trail corridor.
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Does the Linda Mar Woods project require voter approval?
No. The project requires approval by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
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Does the owner plan to harvest and remove all the trees on the property?
No. The only trees to be removed are those within the proposed street and foundations of the homes to be constructed. Also, dead trees and bushes will be removed.
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Are there endangered animal or plant species on the property?
No. The owner hired a biologist and an arborist who studied the property for endangered species and found none. There is non-native plant material including eucalyptus trees and a variety of bushes and vines.
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Does the owner plan to exclude hikers and mountain bikers from using the property?
No. The owner intends to grant a permanent open space easement to guaranty public access to the property.
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Does the owner plan to close the Boy Scout mountain biking trail?
No. The owner plans to largely preserve and improve the Boy Scout mountain biking trail and expand the number of mountain biking trails on the property.
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Will the owner shut down the trails while the project is under construction?
No. The owner is first going to renovate and expand the trails on the property. Then when the project is under construction, safety measures that will separate trail access from the construction areas will be implemented to allow the continuous use of the trails.
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Will the new housing create traffic congestion on Higgins Way?
No. The owner hired a traffic engineer who studied the traffic flows from the project and concluded there will be no traffic congestion if Higgins Way is improved to meet City of Pacifica standards. Higgins Way is a substandard street that was not designed and built to the minimum standards. It is too narrow. The owner intends to widen the street to carry traffic created by the new housing and extend Higgins Way from Adobe Drive to Peralta Road to improve traffic flow and add more on-street parking.
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Will the new housing be visible from Higgins Way and elsewhere in Linda Mar?
No. The new housing will be located at the top behind the crest of the hill in the forest and will not be visible from below.
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Will there be affordable housing at Linda Mar Woods?
Yes. Thirty percent of the housing will be developed and priced for moderate income families. The rest of the housing will be designed and built for sale with a variety of sizes and prices to create an economically diverse and integrated community. This is not a development for rich people.
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Will the owner take steps to minimize the risk of fire on the Linda Mar Woods property?
Yes. The owner plans to clear the forest bed of dead trees, bark, branches, and bushes and create fire breaks to minimize the risk of fire. Old San Pedro Mountain Road will be improved as a fire break and emergency vehicle access point.
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Has the owner created a plan to renovate and expand the trail network?
Not yet. The owner has hired a professional trail design firm and reached out to the community that uses the trail network to find local advisors to help design and renovate the trail network. A working group has been established and the design process has begun.
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Will the utilities connected to Higgins Way have to be upgraded to serve Linda Mar Woods?
Yes. The owner will upgrade all utilities at its expense.
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Will the owner sell the property to the Peninsula Open Space Trust?
The owner contacted the Peninsula Open Space Trust and was told they are familiar with and have no interest in purchasing the property.
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What is the status of the Linda Mar Woods project approval?
The project is in the early application stage. An application was submitted for a smaller project on 20-acres, then the owner acquired the adjacent 38-acres of land and merged it into the project. The application was then amended to cover 58-acres as one project. The Pacifica Planning Department has requested a lot of additional information from the owner before the application is considered completed.
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What is the Hillside Meadows project?
Hillside Meadows is a project under development located next to Shamrock Ranch consisting of 16 duplex homes with accessory dwelling units and four affordable housing units. It is designed for multi-generational families. It will enable families to include within the home private residences for grandparents, adult children, caregivers, or tenants.
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Is the Hillside Meadows project part of the Linda Mar Woods project?
No. It is not connected to Linda Mar Woods in anyway. Each project is a separate development subject to its own application for approval. The development of each project is not dependent upon the development of the other.
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