After years of stalled promises and mounting pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Half Moon Bay is moving forward with an affordable housing project for aging farmworkers who have spent decades working the coast’s fields.

On Thursday, city officials authorized staff to draft a 99-year, $1-per-year land lease for a five-story development at 555 Kelly Ave. that will provide 40 units for retired and working farmworkers aged 55 and older. The move addresses a severe need for housing, which was brought to light in the wake of the 2023 mass shootings at two farms in the area.

The project, in the pipeline since 2022, had stalled amid community appeals over height, density, and parking concerns. Although approved by the City Council last year after denying several appeals from opponents, developers

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