Sea Haven, Half Moon Bay, CA

Sea Haven is a small, flat tract at the northern edge of Half Moon Bay, built as one project with streets named for sailing gear and boats. It sits close to the junction where Highway 92 arrives from the hills and joins the coast highway. Houses in Sea Haven are detached, on lots of about the same size, with level driveways and gardens. The tract was planned and built as a unit rather than platted in the railroad era, so the setbacks and rooflines match from block to block. Spindrift and Mizzen are among the street names that come straight from sailing, and short courts like Brig and Keel branch off the main grid. Nearly every lot is built on, so change here comes from remodels rather than new construction. Kehoe Park, a city park with play equipment, is a few blocks away. The beach lies west, a little under a mile away, and the Coastside Trail there offers three paved miles for walking, jogging or cycling, with Venice Beach at its middle. The state park notes that the trail reaches all four beach parking lots. Nothing to eat or drink sits inside the tract. The closest stops are along Cabrillo Highway North, about a mile off. Granola's Coffee House is the coffee stop, Taqueria La Mordida serves Jalisco-style Mexican dishes, and Sunshine Donuts is next door to it. Main Street's restaurants are a short drive south. Groceries mean a drive, and Safeway on Cabrillo Highway North is about a mile away. Miramar and Princeton lie farther north along the coast, and Highway 92 climbs east from the junction nearby. Quiet is the draw, and it comes with a cost. Every errand is a car or bike ride on the highway, because the tract has no shops of its own. One lap around the grid is enough to learn the whole layout.