Santa Cruz is building more housing than ever — but almost none of it is for sale. Sky-high home prices and a state law meant to protect buyers are discouraging developers from building condos, closing off a key path to ownership.
Housing & Development
Posted inHousing & Development
Vote clears way for Clocktower Center construction – but balcony disagreement could spell trouble
The Santa Cruz Planning Commission unanimously approved the downtown Clocktower Center project Thursday, but its rejection of developer Workbench’s request for more balcony space on lower floors opened the door to litigation.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
For Santa Cruz’s SoLa district, timing is everything
Lookout politics columnist Mike Rotkin is worried about planning for SoLa, the south of Laurel Street area the City of Santa Cruz hopes will blossom into a thriving entertainment district. Without clear funding strategies and transit solutions, rushing forward risks repeating past planning missteps, he writes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Why old buildings matter in Santa Cruz County
Preserving old buildings isn’t just about history — it’s about sustainability, writes Joe Michalak, who has lived in Santa Cruz since 1974 and is on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. Reusing structures reduces waste and saves resources while keeping the character of a community intact, he says, citing beloved local spots like the Tannery Arts Center, Rio Theatre, Old Sash Mill and Seabright Cannery. These projects prove that adaptive reuse supports both the environment and local culture. Saving buildings means saving stories — and passing them on, he writes.
Posted inHousing & Development
How gentrification is killing the bus: California’s rising rents are pushing out commuters
Across Los Angeles, rent hikes have led to fewer bus and train riders in an example of how California’s housing crisis is also making its transit crisis harder to solve.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Corrective commentary: Setting the record straight on RTC, mobile home parks in Live Oak and the June 30 deadline
Castle Mobile Home Estates resident Cami Corvin is pushing back against recent statements by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission regarding alleged encroachments along the rail corridor in Live Oak. Corvin says no agreements or negotiations have taken place between residents and the RTC, despite claims to the contrary. She believes the community is being unfairly targeted and urges the RTC to halt enforcement and have open dialogue with residents.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: Hundreds of county residents could lose housing under Trump’s spending bill
A dispatch from the public square of Santa Cruz County politics & policy via Lookout correspondent Christopher Neely.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
What’s really going on in downtown Santa Cruz – we’re outpacing our coastal peers
Downtown Santa Cruz is transforming, and it’s doing better than most, argues Scott Newsome, a Santa Cruz city councilmember. While other coastal cities struggle with high vacancy rates and sluggish recoveries, Santa Cruz’s downtown is seeing major investment, momentum and new business activity, he writes. Newsome outlines millions in current and future projects, including housing, transit, public spaces and economic incentives, as the engine behind downtown’s resilience.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Amid mounting vacancies, downtown Santa Cruz needed a coach, and a matchmaker
Santa Cruz hired retail coach Charles Parker to address its mounting downtown vacancies issue. Described as a “matchmaker,” Parker is now leading the effort to pitch the city’s potential to businesses — aiming to turn empty storefronts into vibrant hubs amid shifting retail trends and increasing housing stock.
Posted inLatest News
RTC stands firm on June 30 deadline for mobile home parks encroaching on Coastal Rail Trail
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission may take legal action if residents of two mobile home parks along the rail line in Live Oak do not comply with a June deadline to move homes that sit on property owned by the agency.