Quick Take
Live Oak neighbors are pushing back against developer Workbench’s plan for a five-story, 57-unit apartment building at 841 Capitola Rd. They say the project would tower over their homes and properties, eliminate mature trees, and worsen parking and traffic. Workbench says the project complies with state housing laws, including the “builder’s remedy” provision that limits local control. The Santa Cruz County Planning Commission is set to review the proposal on Wednesday.
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The local developer Workbench is pressing forward with its five-story, 57-unit apartment project (841 Capitola Rd.) within our single-family one- and two-story home residential community.
We, the surrounding neighbors, are stunned. With almost no warning, our quiet neighborhood is in danger of being taken from us.
This immense five-story building will have a profoundly negative impact on our quality of life and our homes. Standing roughly 60 feet tall, its balconies will loom over our properties and homes, eliminating our privacy. Many of us will experience half-day shade for most of the year, excessive human and machinery noises, and almost certainly a significant reduction in our property values.
Furthermore, every single tree on the property, including mature coastal redwoods, will be razed.
Workbench’s original proposal for this property was 15 single-family homes, in keeping with the surrounding community. Instead of moving forward with that, the company is exploiting a loophole to maximize its profit.
Workbench is providing just 31 parking spaces (including three compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act) for all 57 units (against a requirement of 65), which will result in a large deficit in our already parking-limited neighborhood. Workbench acknowledges that there are no major transit stops in the vicinity (as defined by state law), yet has refused to run a parking study to understand the impacts that this project will have on our community.
The county, too, has refused to run such a study. Parking is already limited around Capitola Road and 7th Avenue, as most of the available real estate is taken up by bike lanes.
Currently, all traffic to and from the development will be funneled through Grey Seal Road onto Capitola Road. What is now our kid-friendly (and safe) cul de sac will become a busy thoroughfare, and all available on-street parking will likely be taken up due to Workbench’s inadequate provisions.
In a presentation to us, Workbench touted its credentials in providing affordable housing, yet the proposed number of low-income units, four (out of 57), is negligible.
As all 57 units are rentals, they prevent the occupants from buying and building equity in our community. While some people may believe that any housing is good housing, building 53 more market-rate rental units in a region with near-infinite demand such as Santa Cruz will do little to address the steadily rising rents (supported by our ranking as the most expensive rental market in the country).
How did Workbench get away with proposing a five-story building on a single-family property?
In 2022, Tim Gordin, the CEO of Workbench, purchased 841 Capitola Rd. through a limited liability company (841 LLC), while also serving as our District 1 planning commissioner. He continued to serve as planning commissioner throughout the county’s 2023 Housing Element process until resigning in November 2024, amid pressure from local communities that had been scrutinizing his dual role as CEO of a development firm and commissioner.
The Santa Cruz County Planning Commission reviewed a final draft of the county’s Housing Element in late 2023, ahead of its adoption and before it was sent for certification at the state level. Unfortunately for us, the state determined it was deficient, which then provided an opportunity for developers (like Workbench) to submit builder’s remedy proposals.
For those unaware, builder’s remedy is a law designed to penalize noncompliant counties by limiting the amount of power they have to say “no” to developers.
Workbench is forcing this unreasonable project on our diverse and friendly community and we feel we must stand up and fight.
While we support developing the property, we believe that it must be done responsibly with us – the affected community – in mind. This five-story project simply does not fit in a one- and two-story residential part of Live Oak; it will have significantly negative lifestyle and economic impacts on all of us living nearby. That’s why we will be showing up at the planning commission hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22. We urge others to join us and to write to our District 1 supervisor, Manu Koenig.
Workbench’s marketing claims the company designs “equitable, sustainable and healthy” housing, yet this current proposal falls well short of those goals.
Concerned neighbors of 841 Capitola include: Dennis Alameda, Teresa Alameda, Judy Anthony, Gayne Barlow-Kemper, Andrea Bicska, Molly Brame, Diane Brame, Matt Cunnon, Michael Dannhauser, Chris Deming, Patty Deming, Mark Deming, Mark Gerber, Tammy Guerrero, Jesus Hernandez, Forrest Hirtcel, Alex Juntado, Soon Juntado, Edward Kemper, Lori Long, Rob Loppi, Mike Mizer, Tarita Noronha, Tyler Poletti, Katie Poletti, Michael Reis, Jessica Reis, Karen Retford, Imelda Ruiz, Ryan Sarnataro, Betty Tambellini, Lorna Way, Rick Wright, Lisi Yang, Karen Zaske.
Save Pleasure Point, a 16-member steering committee of residents and business owners representing Pleasure Point, also supports this view.