Quick Take
Casey Beyer, who in November stepped down as chief executive officer for the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, takes issue with a February opinion piece questioning the city’s downtown development plan. “Change is coming at a faster rate than ever before,” Beyer writes, because the city hasn’t grown enough and created a housing shortfall.
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Frank Barron’s Community Voices piece about downtown development misses some key points. Barron is an opponent of the City of Santa Cruz’s Downtown Plan Expansion and was one of the leading architects of the March 2024 Measure M, the Housing for People initiative that would have required a vote for any project of a specific height or unit size.
Measure M was soundly defeated by the voters of Santa Cruz. His focus at this time is on building height limits in the south of Laurel Street area, and he suggests the city does not need to increase the height of buildings to accommodate the current zoning requirements and also meet state-mandated housing goals.
Barron opposes the pace and scale of building, but he disregards an important point: Change is coming at a faster pace than ever before, because for more than 50 years, the city has been complacent. It has promoted slow and no growth as the baseline of our development future. Now, we are at a place in the city’s history where addressing our housing shortfall is necessary.
In the world of economic and housing development, there are essential criteria for a project to move forward. It must: meet planning and zoning requirements and include added project incentives created by local government and meet funding timelines. A lengthy delay at any stage of the process can lead to financial challenges that can cripple the project.
The Feb. 16 article displays an image of a proposed mixed-use project at the downtown clocktower that references a 192-foot building in Workbench’s initial project application. That project, in my opinion, was a placeholder application to gain immediate community and elected officials’ attention to the lack of affordable housing in Santa Cruz. The developer has also submitted a second, smaller project as an alternative. That project’s timeline will parallel the timeline of dozens of other projects in Santa Cruz.
Did the Workbench project application open the door to more controversial conversations about what is the right size, right location and right time for a project that could be built at that site?
Yes, the project raised concerns from local advocates on all sides of the housing debate. I should note, the clocktower is not in the south of Laurel area so the merits of that project are not directly associated with the Downtown Plan Expansion. Only the subject of height and the use of state bonus laws that are now a part of any development are included.
The question before the Santa Cruz City Council later this spring is whether the draft environmental impact report (EIR) document meets the environmental standards set forth in state regulations. The draft EIR document must be publicly vetted before final submission to the Santa Cruz City Council.
Let’s be clear, an environmental review document sets the “political stage” for the community to accept the findings, reject the findings or offer compromises to the document before certification. However, under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the final EIR is subject to scrutiny by those who don’t agree with the findings — regardless of how specifically the final document responds to all the environmental concerns raised during the public discussion.
The EIR is a planning document to consider the future and best use of redeveloping land in a designated area (south of Laurel Street). My guess: If and when the city council approves that EIR, those in the community who disagree with the plan can file a lawsuit against the city questioning if the document fully complies with California environmental law.
The public should be reminded that CEQA is sometimes used as a wedge to stop a project and require a judge to determine the outcome. Delaying any progress on the Downtown Plan Expansion for whatever reason can be a death sentence to a project.
The city embarked on the Downtown Plan Expansion a few years ago because the city was facing (and still is in the middle of) a long-term housing crisis. The Downtown Plan Expansion was initiated to address five main priorities:
- Providing additional affordable and market-rate housing in the downtown.
- Creating public amenities like parks, public plazas or better pedestrian infrastructure.
- Improving the connection to the San Lorenzo River and beach areas.
- Creating new economic opportunities for local businesses and workers
- Constructing a permanent arena for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The city’s short- and long-term intention is to address housing and economic opportunities in the downtown. The idea is to build in the area of the city where the city can implement redevelopment practices that do not unduly impact the neighborhoods of the city.
This project is critical to the city’s future.
Over the next eight years under the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), the city must plan for an additional 3,000 housing units.
Housing is one component of the fabric of a community. Economic vitality is another and results in job creation, business expansion for employers and employees and bringing locals and visitors to the region. At the same time, a redevelopment project also can improve the environment of the area, making it a walkable pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly community where housing and jobs and entertainment venues coexist.
A quick glance at the City of Santa Cruz Community and Planning Development website shows a number of projects in the pipeline throughout the city.
The fundamental concerns from individuals like Mr. Barron might not only be specific to downtown building heights, rather to the extent that the City of Santa Cruz is ready for the next generation. The Santa Cruz of the 1970s is not a sustainable solution for the economic prosperity of the community today.
I’ve spent more than 30-plus years engaging in economic development, supporting right-size, right-location housing projects and infrastructure improvements throughout California with an eye to environmental sustainability. The long path to the future is filled with uncertainty, twisting political and public opinions all set in play by those who are able and willing to participate in the public process.
Land use planning and economic development is not for the faint of heart. As the next decade appears before us, the city can be a catalyst of change or return to the sleepy beachside community of last century.
Casey Beyer served as the chief executive officer for the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce from April 2017 to November 2024, following two years as the executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council and several years as the senior advisor to the president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He brings more than three decades of experience in public policy, crisis communications, community relations and legislative affairs at the local, state and federal level. He has held senior-level positions advising members of Congress and the state legislature as well as CEOs of Silicon Valley companies. He now resides in Monterey County.