Motion Pacific will have to be out of its Front Street studio space — its home since 2011 — by Sept. 30. The building’s owner is Santa Cruz Seaside Co., the parent company of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Seaside spokesperson Kris Reyes said, “Our plan is to use the space to support Boardwalk operations.”
Changing Santa Cruz
Posted inBusiness & Technology
After years of holdups, luxury La Bahia hotel project moves closer to spring 2025 debut
“We don’t just want to be another luxury hotel on the California coast; we want to be Santa Cruz’s luxury hotel,” says an exec at one of the companies spearheading the La Bahia Hotel & Spa along Beach Street on the Santa Cruz waterfront. La Bahia will include 155 guest rooms, as well as four restaurants and bars.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Downtown prepping for new retail spaces, local berry company gets fair trade certification
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.
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.