ANOTHER BIG PROJECT PLANNED
Remember the outrageous 16-story Clocktower Center skyscraper that a development company called “Workbench” proposed last year? That 192-foot-tall building was allowed in a 50-foot height limit zone because of the state’s new 100% density bonus law (AB 1287), which allows developers to build much taller than the local zoning would normally allow. That skyscraper project is on hold, but it could be resurrected.
Now Santa Cruz city leaders want to increase the building height limits in the South of Laurel Area (SOLA), even though they don’t need to raise them to meet state required housing goals, or to build the proposed new Warriors arena. They are about to make a HUGE mistake. By raising the zoning height limits to 85 feet, as proposed, developers will be able to come in and build skyscrapers twice or three times that tall. The city does not need to raise the height limits. If they do it will be an unnecessary, self-inflicted (and irreversible) wound that will forever change the Santa Cruz we know.
This is likely the biggest, most impactful development proposal in the city’s history. It proposes to significantly upzone 29 acres in the SOLA to allow 1,600 to 1,800 new housing units in a series of 12-story plus buildings. The Draft Environmental Impact Report came out a couple of weeks ago, with a comment period deadline of Feb. 21. You can find it by searching downtown plan expansion at cityofsantacruz.com
—Frank Barron
CORRECTION
In the Feb. 5 issue, an article about John Clarke Mills contained some biographical errors. Mills is from the suburbs of Manhattan in Westchester County and grew up restoring houses with his father. He started the Watch Duty app in 2021 after the LNU Lightning Complex fires in 2020.
just a few burning questions,
1)why are the current high rise buildings downtown mostly wood? A easily placed fire during windy conditions would most likely destroy a lot of the city.
2) Why built on a flood zone? Why not place thousands of unit away from town in a larger area with direct access to rt 17 or rt 1 on solid grounds?
3) Can you give a link to justify all this expansion because of State law requirements if that is the major reason?
4) Are these tall building foundations in an earthquake town drilled down to the bedrock?
5) Why are you wreaking a beautiful small sea coast town? Abuse and crazy.. just my opinion
6) Are you counting on the addition of thousands of people moving in from over the hill to be able to afford these units? They are the only ones that can afford these downtown apartments, other that well paid local public employees, which we know that won’t happen.
7) What are you plans for the addition (big city) crime that will occur in the downtown?
8) Are the local property owners and tax payers going to be on the financial ‘hook’ if a lot of the units stay empty and the developers go belly-up?
9) Have you inform people how much all the local utilities ( not to mention general taxes) are going to increase with the extreme extra burden on them from 4-6k additional people downtown?
Totally nuts!
Richard Landon
retired Board Director, Branciforte Fire