What is a YIMBY? What do these “missing middle” edifices look like? How might new versions of them fit into the local housing situation? And what are the legal challenges facing their development? Lookout takes a look in advance of Wednesday downtown tour.
Housing & Development
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Upzoning’ in my backyard? California bill won’t turbocharge home building, study says
A new UC Berkeley study on Senate Bill 9 is sure to add to the long-running debate on allowing more density on the prized single-family lot. SB 9, which next goes before an Assembly committee in late August, is designed to allow up to four homes on most single-family lots.
Posted inHousing & Development
A market correction? Record home price escalation hits pause — at least for the month of June
The median price in Santa Cruz County for single-family homes dropped to $1,175 million in June, down from $1.3 million in May — nearly a 10% drop month over month. Was it just a blip or a sign of things to come?
Posted inHousing & Development
Building boom will super-size downtown Santa Cruz — but will affordability follow?
With seven new six- and seven-story buildings planned for downtown, nobody disputes that it will alter the look of Santa Cruz. Whether it will open the housing market by lowering prices is another matter.
Posted inHousing & Development
City won’t immediately clear San Lorenzo Park homeless encampment after judge lifts injunction
“We want to be thoughtful with dispersing,” one Santa Cruz official said after a federal judge cleared the way for the city to take action, citing improved COVID conditions. “We’re going to continue services the way it has been until we have a better place for people to go.”
Posted inHousing & Development
Where are tenants falling through the cracks of California eviction ban?
California has one of the nation’s longest-running eviction bans, but an exclusive CalMatters analysis finds that local decisions carved a divide for tenants. Landlords and sheriffs are evicting renters at higher rates in the Central Valley, where Stanislaus County’s rate was nearly triple that of Santa Cruz County.
Posted inHousing & Development
State lawmakers secure $14.5 million for homelessness initiatives in Santa Cruz city, county
State Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Mark Stone helped land funding for the Santa Cruz area as part of California’s $262.6 billion budget.
Posted inHousing & Development
Will California’s eviction moratorium be extended beyond June 30?
The state’s eviction freeze will likely be extended past June 30, and lawmakers could finish haggling over details this week. The big issues include how long the extension will last and how much rent relief will cover.
Posted inHousing & Development
Caltrans moves to clear ‘Hell’s Trail’ encampment alongside Highway 1
After warning residents of the settlement last week to vacate the area, Caltrans moved in Monday to clear the site on state-owned property between Highway 1 and the Santa Cruz Memorial cemetery.