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The City of Santa Cruz can meet all its housing requirements for the next eight years with room to spare under current zoning height limits.
Under Measure M, if developments are proposed within zoning height limits – and follow our general plan – building will not be delayed, and no votes will be necessary.
Additionally, developers will still be entitled to all the market-rate density bonus units and floors that state allows – even if it exceeds our current zoning limits. That is state law.
Measure M opponents would have you think that every future proposed project is going to cause a general plan amendment and trigger a citywide vote. That is not true.
There are 47 significant projects currently in the pipeline on our city’s website. These projects all fall within current zoning height limits and none of them would trigger a vote. Many of these projects are massive and tall. It is not true that every project will trigger a vote under Measure M.
The only exception currently would be the proposed multiple 12-story high-rises slated for the south of Laurel area. I think people should get to vote on massive developments like this. Measure M will give you that vote.
Measure M empowers us to have input into the future design of our city. If Measure M passes, citizen interests will be empowered over those of developers and investors. Measure M puts self-determination on the ballot.
Eva Brunner
Santa Cruz
Editor’s note: Lookout has republished this letter to better reflect the writer’s intent.