San Mateo County secures extra $4 million for farmworker housing, playground

San Mateo County is set to receive an additional $4 million in federal funds for an affordable housing project catering to farmworkers and an inclusive playground at Coyote Point.

Of the allocated funds, $3 million is earmarked for the 800 Stone Pine Cove housing project in Half Moon Bay, while $1 million will support the playground.

A statement from San Mateo County highlighted the efforts of the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, current U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, and Rep. Anna Eshoo, a Palo Alto Democrat, in securing funding for the Half Moon Bay Farmworker Homeownership Project. The project had previously secured at least $7.2 million from the state government and philanthropic sources.

San Mateo County will step in to cover the remaining $16.2 million needed to finish the project, with the first occupants expected to move in next spring.

The funds were included in a $460 billion spending package approved by Congress last week and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday.

The concern over the lack of adequate farmworker housing in Half Moon Bay was raised following a mass shooting last year that exposed workers living in squalid conditions.

“I cannot thank Congresswoman [Anna] Eshoo and Congressman [Kevin] Mullin enough for securing this much-needed funding for San Mateo County. They appreciate the dire need not only for farmworker housing but housing ownership on the coast and their help getting money behind it moves our efforts that much closer to reality,” county Supervisor Ray Mueller said.

Mueller said Mullin, a Peninsula Democrat, was critical in securing the funding for the renovations for the playground at Coyote Point. The money will be used to replace the aging Magic Mountain playground with a “new, unique and inclusive design to accommodate all ages and abilities.”