In another attempt to tackle California’s housing crisis, lawmakers will debate ‘duplex bill,’ which would allow some single-family lots to be split.
Housing
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz home prices rebound in July, still below record-breaking May
The median price of 188 single-family homes sold countywide in July climbed to $1,192,000 — 5% higher than in June but still below the all-time high of $1.3 million recorded in May. Overall, median single-family home prices in the county have increased approximately 18% year over year.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘It’s just too big’: 831 Water Street development draws massive amount of public comment
The current proposal is for two buildings at four and five stories, with 149 units on 19,033 square feet. Some nearby neighbors say putting a 60-foot building so close to 20-foot homes is “not neighborly.” A city council meeting on Sept. 14 will allow more discourse about the main concerns: shade, density, traffic and water.
Posted inHousing & Development
Seeing ‘What’s already here’: Santa Cruz YIMBY group’s ‘missing middle’ tour points to past for solutions
Leaders from the Santa Cruz YIMBY chapter led a group on an hourlong tour of homes along the city’s downtown grid that represent what they believe is an important missing piece to the affordability crisis. And they believe it could return with the passage of Senate Bill 9.
Posted inHousing & Development
Boulder Creek home ravaged by deadly fire now on the market — and being sold as is
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom property on Highway 9 billed as a “contractor special” is listed at $178,000 — and will come with a wealth of uncertainties in the wake of a blaze that killed its previous occupant.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
ADUs, military surplus for SCPD and an interim city manager: 3 takeaways from Tuesday’s city council meeting
A compromise between the City of Santa Cruz and the California Coastal Commission on parking requirements for so-called in-law units was one of the highlights of this week’s city council meeting.
Posted inHousing & Development
YIMBYism & Santa Cruz: Those behind affordability movement will show what they mean by ‘missing middle’
What is a YIMBY? What do these “missing middle” edifices look like? How might new versions of them fit into the local housing situation? And what are the legal challenges facing their development? Lookout takes a look in advance of Wednesday downtown tour.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Why are key California affordable housing bills bottled up?
Affordable housing advocates are asking why bills supported by state Senate leader Toni Atkins are stuck in the Assembly. One answer appears to be a labor provision pushed by the State Building and Construction Trades Council.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Upzoning’ in my backyard? California bill won’t turbocharge home building, study says
A new UC Berkeley study on Senate Bill 9 is sure to add to the long-running debate on allowing more density on the prized single-family lot. SB 9, which next goes before an Assembly committee in late August, is designed to allow up to four homes on most single-family lots.
Posted inCoast Life
What happens when your new affordability reporter isn’t finding anything affordable? Grace’s story
Lookout’s new affordability and equity reporter, Grace Stetson, has lived in Seattle, Chicago, Brooklyn and the Bay Area. She had never seen the Santa Cruz housing market firsthand until she had to deal with it herself — somehow she survived to tell. Even if just barely.