Quick Take
A five-story mixed-use development is slated to go up behind Marianne's Ice Cream, a Santa Cruz staple. Marianne's owners are worried about street parking during construction and the shadow of the building — which will stretch across Ocean Street in front of the parlor in winter — once it's done.
Marianne’s Ice Cream isn’t going anywhere. But a new housing complex coming next door might change the area around its location on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz a little more than the owners would like.
Charlie Wilcox, one of the co-owners of Marianne’s Ice Cream, first heard about potential plans to build on the land behind Marianne’s four years ago — then again with the newest proposal for the land 18 months ago.
The incoming development from High Street Residential would demolish 12 residential units and four commercial buildings to make way for a five-story building along Ocean Street and two three-story residential buildings fronting May Avenue.
Together, the buildings make up 908 Ocean Street, a new complex that will provide 389 housing units, including 18 low-income units and 36 very-low-income units and offer everything from studios to four-bedroom apartments.
After the developer’s proposal came the rumors: Was Marianne’s getting swallowed into a block-long development?
And while Wilcox confirmed that the developer approached Marianne’s owners about the possibility of buying their property before the planning stages, no one involved was under the impression that they were going to sell.
“We’re an institution,” Wilcox said of Marianne’s. “We don’t want to go anywhere.”
That doesn’t mean that the business won’t be affected, especially during construction, which is set to break ground in spring 2026 and wrap up construction at the end of 2028.
One of the biggest concerns for Marianne’s is parking. Anyone who’s been to its quaint Ocean Street location knows the seven parking spots out front do little to accommodate the swarm of cars on a hot summer day. So, Wilcox is hoping the city will prevent construction vehicles from taking up street parking, particularly during the summer months, but nothing has been agreed upon yet.
Bane said construction parking guidelines would have to be negotiated and specified in the building approval process as with any project.
“I can’t see it not having an impact on the business during construction,” said Aleks Tan, a local customer at Marianne’s from Ben Lomond.
Tan, who got a coveted parking spot out front on that day, said he would likely drive by to check if street parking spots are open once before going to his local grocery store for a pint of Marianne’s instead of its flagship parlor. The new complex won’t include any parking available for Marianne’s customers, only 33 parking spots for patrons of the development’s first-floor commercial spaces.
Another concern for Marianne’s is the impact of the shadow cast by the five-story building.
At its most dramatic point in winter, the shadow will reach across Ocean Street to the side opposite of Marianne’s, the building plans show. Tan said this might give Marianne’s “a bit darker feel” to it, something he said could be a negative.
After talks with Wilcox and Marianne’s co-owner Kelly Dillon, High Street Residential — a subsidiary of Dallas-based Trammell Crow Company — reduced the part of the building closest to Marianne’s by one story through shifting a patio space for residents to that side, said Ryan Bane, the project’s planner with the City of Santa Cruz. This will make the shadow less pronounced, but ultimately Marianne’s will still be shaded in the winter.
BDE Architecture, the firm that designed the project, did not return requests for comment.
High Street Residential also conceded a piece of property for Marianne’s trash enclosure that sits on a parcel the developer owns.
On the positive side, Wilcox and Tan both said the influx of foot traffic from new residents could help transform a section of Ocean Street that can feel empty and somewhat neglected.
“I feel like the developers for this project are putting their best foot forward and trying to come up with something that’s going to help meet the needs in Santa Cruz and be a welcoming place for folks,” Wilcox said.
Years after seeing the original development proposal for this block, the city is pleased to have more affordable units on their way, Bane said, referring to plans for 54 units aimed at low- and very-low-income tenants.
“We generally are hoping for the best,” Wilcox said. “We’re concerned about the consequences during construction, but we’re looking forward with optimism.”
Even if the texture of the surrounding area changes, customers will keep coming back to Marianne’s as they have for the past 78 years, Tan said.
“It’s a staple,” Tan said. “As long as parking and foot traffic are able to get in and out of Marianne’s, people will come.”
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.