In a major victory for Green Foothills, AmeriGas is removing their 15,000-gallon propane storage tank and shutting down operations on a 1.5-acre site along Airport Street in Moss Beach, finally removing an ongoing existential threat to the Pillar Ridge community.

Risky Storage Tank Threatened Residents, Airport

We have been advocating for closure of this hazardous facility for several years, as it has been an ongoing health and safety threat to the 227 low-income families at the adjacent Pillar Ridge Manufactured Home community. It’s also located in the Half Moon Bay Airport’s takeoff and landing safety zones where hazardous facilities such as this are prohibited. But due to its establishment back in the 1960’s, County Planning had determined that the huge storage tank was a “grandfathered” land use and they had no authority to close it down.

However, County Planning had also decided that several upgrades to the perimeter fencing and other required safety measures did require a Coastal Development Permit, which enabled us and other groups to weigh in regarding the ongoing existential threat to the Pillar Ridge community.

Last September, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors agreed with our concerns and directed County Planning to develop a plan to phase out the facility.

We expected this to be a long and arduous process, so we were thrilled by the surprising news that AmeriGas has decided to close the facility, and has listed the property for sale. We will continue to monitor this site to be sure that future land use(s) are compatible with the property’s location next to a mobile home park and meet airport safety requirements.