In her weekly roundup, Jessica M. Pasko examines the future of retail in rapidly redeveloping downtown Santa Cruz, news from California Giant Berry Farms and numbers and dates to know in local business.
Changing Santa Cruz
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz City Council shrinks Food Bin redevelopment before unanimous approval
On paper, developer Workbench received almost everything it applied for with unanimous support in Tuesday’s Santa Cruz City Council vote on the proposed redevelopment of The Food Bin site on Mission Street — the height, (most of) the units, limited parking. However, finer details tell a different story.
Posted inHousing & Development
With few options under California’s new housing reality, Santa Cruz neighbors, city council gird for vote on Food Bin project
Neighbors disagree with the project, and city councilmembers have criticized developer Workbench’s approach to the five-story, 59-unit redevelopment of the Food Bin. But neither is likely to stand in the way of the project in California’s new era of state-mandated housing development.
Posted inHousing & Development
Pacific Station North affordable housing project breaks ground in downtown Santa Cruz
Along with Pacific Station South, Pacific Station North will bring the total number of new units on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Laurel Street to just shy of 200 by the end of 2026. The city celebrated its groundbreaking Monday as it prepares to open up Pacific Station South to tenants by the summer.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Get real’: City council, neighbors blast Food Bin developer, postpone vote on project
Tensions continue to flare over a proposed redevelopment of the Food Bin property on Mission Street, a project widely viewed as a sign of a rapidly changing Santa Cruz. On Tuesday, the city council postponed its decision on the project until May 28.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Wharf seeks new pop-up vendors; downtown housing developments
The City of Santa Cruz is looking for vendors to run a small pop-up space near the entrance of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf this summer, Jessica M. Pasko writes in her latest business roundup. Plus, a major downtown Santa Cruz rental housing development begins accepting applications, while another developer proposes a 16-story tower. And plenty of business mixers are on the calendar this spring.
Posted inHousing & Development
Cruz Hotel gets final green light from city, but prospect of Coastal Commission appeal looms
The Cruz Hotel, developer Owen Lawlor’s latest local venture, cleared the Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday with overwhelming support. However, the much-debated downtown hotel could still face another political hurdle if the project is appealed to the California Coastal Commission.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Carmageddon: Metro’s two-year relocation, and this week’s delays
Pacific Station North, slated to break ground in February, will bring much-needed affordable housing to downtown Santa Cruz along with an updated Metro depot. However, that will come with some traffic circulation changes and the loss of some street parking to make room for the buses that will need to operate off of the street while the new depot is under construction.
Posted inHousing & Development
Major downtown Santa Cruz rental housing projects near completion
As the year comes to an end, three housing projects in downtown Santa Cruz are nearly finished. The Cedar Street Family Apartments, an affordable housing complex, is set to welcome residents in February, while the market-rate Anton Pacific apartments aim for move-ins by the end of that month. The developers of Pacific Station South, also intended as affordable housing, expect the project to open in May or June.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Japanese woodblock’ mural suggests waves as new Cedar Street family apartments get ready to open
Painted by noted Santa Cruz County muralist Taylor Reinhold, the artwork on the development between Cedar and Center streets gives us a sense of what downtown’s new paseos might look like.