City officials would not say if the city would buy the property outright or acquire it with the help of other parties, but several parties have confirmed that they are indeed involved in the discussions.
"We've had some very preliminary discussions about the possibility of selling our (Highway) 92 property," Nurserymen's Exchange General Counsel Don Mendel said. "We've had some discussions that have included the city."
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Half Moon Bay City Manager Dan Pincetich confirmed that the council had appointed him as its lead negotiator on the property, but that it was too early to say anything beyond that.
"It is premature to say anything, other than that it is an exciting possibility," he said.
Ferreira agreed.
"It certainly has major potential," he said. "Just the math alone is huge."
It could add up to open space and ball fields, both of which could impact other projects on the Coastside.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of ball fields is one of the public benefits outlined in the city's
Wavecrest Village project, which has been mired in controversy since it was approved by the City Council in 1999.
The project is currently awaiting an appeal at the California Coastal Commission, and is also in the midst of a 60-day window during which the city and the developer must mend their relations or likely see the development agreement terminated by the city, a move that could send the matter to court.
City officials wouldn't comment on how the land deal could impact Wavecrest, but Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Leslie McCarthy, a vocal project opponent and one of the sponsors of a ballot measure that could potentially derail it, said the land deal would be major news for open space in the city, particularly for a parcel of its size.
"It would be an unbelievable boon for parks and recreation in this community," she said. "It could change the face of parks around here."
Cabrillo Unified School District Trustee Dwight Wilson, a Wavecrest proponent because of its inclusion of a new middle school and ball fields, said he had looked at the site as a potential alternative to the Wavecrest project when the city and the school board formed a subcommittee on the issue earlier this year. He said the site was ruled out as a potential school site because of access issues.
He said although he still wants ball fields that are adjacent to a middle school, he was certainly open to the idea of having more ball fields and open space on the Coastside.
"As a companion site, sure," he said. "I would be happy to see an extra ball field anywhere."
It is unknown if the city would try to acquire all of the land or just a piece of it.
According to Peninsula Humane Society Ken White, he has looked at a number of sites on the Coastside in anticipation of the society's eviction from its county-owned home in the next two years, but would not say if any of those discussions have directly involved the city. White would not comment on whether or not the Nurserymen's land was one of properties he'd looked at, but did say the idea of including an education center and some sort of raptor recovery center in the area was interesting to him.
"The Humane Society is definitely looking at this point at a number of options for a new location," he said. "The concept of something like that has definitely interest and appeal to me. I hope it's true, believe me."
All involved parties insist that talks are in the early stages and that no announcement is imminent.
Both Mendel and Pincetich said it was too early to even have a timeline set for a deal.
Mendel said the idea of selling the property was simply an effort on the part of Nurserymen's to intensify the use of its other properties on the coast, likely its main operations north of Frenchman's Creek.
"We're not consolidating at all," he said. "We're reallocating and intensifying the use of our other properties and assets. It's still full speed ahead for us."
Mendel also stressed that Nurserymen's was interested in selling the property, not donating it to the city. Given the city's limited financial resources and several major projects already in the pipeline, including the Highway 92 improvement project, it is unclear if the city could afford to buy the land itself.
Ferreira said the city likely could not afford to buy the land itself, but he would not comment on whether or not the Humane Society or perhaps an as-yet-unnamed fourth party could be involved in the deal.
McCarthy said, although she had no details about the potential use of the site yet, the possibilities could be huge.
"That it's even on our radar screen is a gift from heaven," she said.
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