Since 2021, investors have spent nearly $1.45 billion on purchases of single-family homes in Santa Cruz County, accounting for around 44% of total sales value.
Housing & Development
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Watsonville receives $39 million grant for transit center redevelopment project
The City of Watsonville, in partnership with Santa Cruz Metro and MidPen Housing, was awarded a $39 million grant for the Watsonville Metro Project through the state’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.
Posted inHousing & Development
Are we there yet? As 2026 dawns, downtown Santa Cruz is still in the middle of a long process to transformation
As 2025 morphs into 2026, Santa Cruz’s downtown is still deep in the middle of a major transformation. A new proposal for The Catalyst building has many up in arms, while fans of the new library quietly wait for 2028. Here’s an overview of where all the projects stand.
Posted inHousing & Development
County housing market sales, inventory trend down as slow season begins
The Santa Cruz County housing market saw its sales drop and the number of houses on the market fall below 400 for the first time since March as the slow time of the year takes hold. Inventory remains higher than the same time last year, and houses are also taking longer to sell than they did a year ago.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
No, Measure C isn’t a ‘Keeley project’ — and the City of Santa Cruz is keeping its housing promises
Former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane pushes back on Keven Cook’s recent commentary, arguing that Cook misrepresents the origins and intent of Measure C and ignores the coalition that created it. He points to Santa Cruz’s affordable housing record and rejects claims that the city misuses housing funds.
Posted inLatest News
Ask Lookout: Why has Santa Cruz’s water demand dropped?
Santa Cruz’s water usage remains at its lowest since the 1960s, despite population growth in the past few decades. Officials say cultural shifts, shrinking lawns and efficient appliances have helped keep demand low.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
What The Catalyst means to Santa Cruz’s music scene, its culture and its sense of itself
With The Catalyst in the news as the possible site of a new downtown housing development, maybe it’s time for a reminder of just how influential and central this performance venue has been to Santa Cruz’s musical subcultures.
Posted inLatest News
Damage to several ‘tiny village’ units sets back opening of Watsonville homeless shelter by a few weeks
Damage to several of the “tiny homes” under construction at an outdoor shelter in Watsonville has delayed its opening. Monterey County officials say they still hope to move unhoused residents in this month.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz’s Measure C passed. The fight for accountability and the 2026 and 2028 elections is on
Measure C passed with just 54% support, leaving nearly half of Santa Cruz residents not wanting it. Some of those naysayers are concerned about loopholes, transparency and who will actually benefit from the new taxes, writes Keven Cook, an electrical engineer and veteran of political campaigns.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I live at Dominican Oaks – I’m alarmed by the Workbench high-rise proposed next to us
Live Oak resident Virginia Lieb is alarmed about a proposed six-story builder’s remedy project planned for 3500 Paul Sweet Rd. She says the development would overwhelm the narrow dead-end street that serves as the only evacuation route for the Dominican Oaks senior community and others.