In Santa Cruz, police say there hasn’t been any dramatic rise in downtown crime, even as some merchants report more aggressive confrontations since the pandemic. Business owners point to more visible mental health crises and drug use on the streets, while safety incidents that spread quickly on social media, for fueling public fears about downtown safety.
Changing Santa Cruz
Posted inHousing & Development
Renewal or decline: Where is downtown Santa Cruz going?
When four prominent retailers all abandoned downtown Santa Cruz within the space of a few weeks, chatter about a downtown in decline began to grow louder. Lookout will be turning our eye to the rapid changes happening downtown, the economic ups and downs, and the profound transformation that could shift the area from a mainly commercial district to a residential neighborhood.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz officials get tough on downtown vacancies, approve a stimulus measure
The Santa Cruz City Council is taking action to address long-vacant downtown storefronts with the proposed Downtown Vibrancy Ordinance requiring upkeep plans, local management and city coordination. The broader resolution aims to boost downtown vitality through alleyway activation and business support.
Posted inHousing & Development
Texas-based developer’s eight-story proposal could kick off Santa Cruz’s downtown expansion
Downtown Santa Cruz is set for big changes in the coming years with a new, expanded downtown envisioned south of Laurel Street. A Texas-based developer wants to be the first one in the new neighborhood.
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz planning commission advances ambitious plan to reshape downtown with taller, denser buildings
More than four years in the making, Santa Cruz’s planning commission has advanced a sweeping proposal to extend the city’s downtown south of Laurel Street toward the coastline, an effort that aims to reshape the city’s urban core with new housing, taller buildings and walkable infrastructure. The proposal now heads to the city council.
Posted inHousing & Development
Seven-story Pacific Ave. housing complex on site of Andy’s Auto is latest example of a changing city
A new seven-story, 91-unit housing development proposed for Pacific Avenue would mean the demolition of Andy’s Auto Supply, a longtime family-owned auto shop with a rich history in Santa Cruz culture. A housing project taking its place both marks the end of an era and serves as the latest example of the big changes coming to Santa Cruz’s downtown.
Posted inHousing & Development
The ‘canyon’ is coming: A rapidly developing Front Street provides a glimpse of Santa Cruz’s future
The new River Row housing complex, with 175 new units, is about a year away from opening. It’s only the first in a series of jarring aesthetic changes coming to the once drab look of Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz.
Posted inHousing & Development
Downtown farmers market prepares for May move to temporary location two blocks away
This May, in preparation for the groundbreaking on Santa Cruz’s mixed-use library project, the weekly downtown farmers market will move from its current location to a site two blocks away along Cedar Street and Church Street. The market plans to stay at this temporary spot for two to three years while it looks at options for a permanent home downtown – possibly on the site of the current downtown library.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Theft concerns, retail’s downward national trend make Rip Curl latest downtown Santa Cruz closure
Rip Curl joined O’Neill, Forever 21 and New Leaf among retailers vacating Pacific Avenue locations in recent months. A Rip Curl manager cited local safety issues, while others pointed to national trends. “These are the headwinds we’re facing,” one downtown Santa Cruz owner said. “If you don’t support your local businesses, they will close.”
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz real estate lobby opposes proposed affordable housing tax measure
The Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors’ unexpected opposition throws shade over the proposed Workforce Housing Solutions Act, an affordable housing tax measure designed to raise $5 million annually through a parcel tax and a tax on sales of luxury homes in the city of Santa Cruz.