Quick Take
The Santa Cruz community got its first look this week at a six-story, 68-unit project proposed along Mission Street. The developer, a subsidiary of Oakland-based Getgo Property Group, has brought on local architecture/development firm Workbench to redesign the project that once proposed half the height and density.
A developer’s first swing at replacing one-story, adobe-styled single-family homes at the corner of Mission and Dufour streets in Santa Cruz envisioned a three-story, 27-unit apartment complex that resembled a red barn, similar to the Tannery Arts Center.
That project has now doubled in size after Oakland-based developer Getgo Property Group canned the initial proposal, transferred the property deed to its own limited liability company, Mission Studios Santa Cruz, and hired local architect and development firm Workbench to craft a project that would achieve a higher financial return.
Workbench, known for its locally ambitious visions for dense, mixed-use development, gave the project a considerable facelift and earlier this week unveiled its new vision: a 71-foot-tall, six-story, 68-unit mixed-use structure that will now extend along most of the Mission Street block between Palm and Dufour streets. The project will include 10 affordable units in its mix of studios and two-bedroom apartments, and have 14 parking spaces.
Jamileh Cannon, co-founder and head of Workbench, presented the project in a community meeting on Monday. She framed the project as marketed toward UC Santa Cruz students who are struggling to find housing.
The virtual presentation, held over Zoom, carried a similar atmosphere to when Workbench sought feedback on its controversial 16-story Clocktower Center proposal in downtown Santa Cruz earlier this year. Cannon walked residents through the state’s ongoing overhaul of housing rules, and how, as long as the Mission Street project conforms to local design standards, the city is mandated to greenlight it.
“If we value equity and affordability, then we must change,” Cannon said. “Change is never easy and we recognize this process is uncomfortable for many. As we start to see the city expand vertically to make up for years of not building enough housing, we will also see the city start to become more affordable.”
Neighbors complained that the project is out of place along Mission Street, where few buildings rise even to two stories. The city’s revamped Mission Street corridor plan limits buildings to a height of five stories. However, since this proposal includes 10 affordable housing units, Workbench and the developer can take advantage of the state’s density bonus law, which allows developers to waive certain building restrictions such as height or setback requirements in exchange for affordable housing.
Workbench was also behind the proposed five-story, 59-unit redevelopment of the Food Bin property, only a half-mile east on Mission Street. The city council approved that project in May; however, it voted to slash part of the proposal in which Workbench wanted to convert the building’s storage spaces into accessory dwelling units. In August, Workbench and property owner Doug Wallace sued the city council for what they considered violations state housing law.
Some neighbors referred to the new proposal as a “70-foot monstrosity.” One neighbor, Forest Rayfield, who owns a home that would abut the back of the property, lamented the possibility of having to look at a “six-story building that’s in my backyard.”
“It’s sad to come to that realization that I’m being forced out by, unfortunately, UC Santa Cruz students and the developers that are trying to accommodate for them rather than the people who grew up here,” he said.
The project is in only its pre-application stage. Workbench and Mission Studios Santa Cruz LLC will need to submit a formal application in the coming months before the project goes before the city’s planning commission.
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