Emotions ran high during a recent community meeting to discuss the future of the beloved Silver Spur restaurant and the big changes coming to the neighborhood. More than 60 people packed the Spur’s dining room at 2650 Soquel Drive on the evening of Oct. 17, with neighbors, restaurant patrons and local officials in attendance to hear a presentation on what will take its place.
Plans were unveiled for a 90-unit senior care facility, with 54 senior living and 22 memory care units at the current site of the Silver Spur and Attilia’s Antiques. The three-story building would take up the footprint of the site’s two parcels (8,102 and 7,927 square feet).
After more than two decades of ownership, former owner Linda Hopper sold the Spur to longtime worker Juan Valencia in 2020. Since then, he and his family have served up breakfast and lunch fare. Now, the fate of this Santa Cruz institution and the 20 employees who have worked there for decades is in the hands of outside forces.
The property is owned by Lori Greymont, a TV host and real estate developer who has developed, bought and sold more than 2,000 properties, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is listed as managing partner for Northpoint Diversified Group LLC, a Henderson, Nevada-based real estate developer. The company has two other projects in the works, including a 246-bed senior care facility in downtown San Jose.
Greymont was on hand at the Oct. 17 meeting, fielding questions from an intense audience that brought up numerous concerns, including parking issues, sewage capacity and changes to the neighborhood’s character.
“You need to tell us exactly which lots are going to be destroyed,” demanded one attendee.
Greymont clarified that no lots will be leveled and the only residence that will be affected is a house on Mattison Lane that will be remodeled to accommodate the project.
The project, which is still in the planning phase, would create 23 new jobs at the end, plus work for local construction companies, according to Greymont.
The community meeting was the initial step in the process of getting the project approved by the county planning commission. But some attendees voiced a feeling of helplessness in not having a say in what will get built. At one point during the meeting someone tried to take a roll call vote of attendees to see who was for and against the project.
Others referred to the numerous housing developments currently springing up in the area. “This community … we’ve gotten screwed over so many times on housing,” one woman said.
Recently, two other developments have been proposed on the Soquel Avenue/Drive corridor. In August, local housing developer Workbench submitted plans to the city of Santa Cruz for a six-story mixed-use building on an empty lot in Midtown. The site, located at 1024 Soquel Ave., would hold space for commercial spaces and 76 residential units, 12 of those being affordable.
In October, a long-vacant lot at 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive, at the border of Live Oak and Soquel, was sold to Pacific West Communities. The project involves 289 units of affordable housing, including three-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and studios. The lot sat for a number of years and was sold for $10.3 by previous owner Gropetti Automotive Family.
While the developments are in the nascent stages, the rapid rate at which they are hatching makes certain community members who are wary of change apprehensive.
“We don’t get to get asked whether we want this in our neighborhood—the people who live in this community and contribute to Santa Cruz and love living here. Why is it that this just gets thrown in our laps and we don’t have any way of saying yes or no?” a frustrated attendee asked.
“We’re gonna lose all our amenities that make our neighborhood a neighborhood,” said another.
Santa Cruz County District 1 Supervisor Manu Koenig, who represents the area, was at the meeting and fielded some concerns. He clarified that the timing of the developments planned for the Soquel corridor is coincidental and not part of a master plan by the county planning commission.
“Each one of these projects—the capacity for the area in terms of traffic impacts, sewer, water—will all be considered when the projects apply,” Koenig told the audience.
Koenig told Good Times that he sees the potential of the facility and what it would bring to the area.
“There’s definitely things I appreciate about this proposal—the style of architecture, taking a higher level of attention and care to that. The effort to maintain Silver Spur business on site and incorporate that into it—that will benefit it for future years.”
He also recognized the swirl of emotions the meeting stirred up.
“Obviously there’s a lot of emotion about this place for good reason. Everyone loves the Silver Spur. Coffee chats, many meals—the mural was also mentioned,” Koenig told GT.
The Spur’s owners and some staff members were standing back in the kitchen as their customers and community members advocated for the beloved establishment.
Alfredo and Maria Remeño have worked at the Spur for 27 years. The married couple immigrated to the US from Mexico and have raised a family while working at the restaurant.
“There’s a lot of emotions,” Alfredo said in Spanish, holding back tears.
“All of the customers are like our family and all the people here came because we are like a family,” Maria said..
“We wouldn’t like this place to go away, and if there is the possibility of opening another restaurant it wouldn’t be the same. This place is legendary.”
Daniel Govea, owner Juan Valencia’s son and the lease-holder, said it was great to see all the customers come out in force to support, and that any decision he and his father make about relocating or waiting it out will not be made lightly.
“I’m just the tenant; this is out of my hands, there’s nothing I can say or do. In reality, we just gotta wait and see where this project takes us. … It’s hard, it is a hard decision.”
Alesandro Manzella contributed to this report.
