Multiple downtown Santa Cruz businesses say foot traffic is down since the city broke ground on the new public library and affordable housing project last August, eliminating a parking lot for customers and visitors.
The future of downtown Santa Cruz
A Lookout series on the business and politics of development in downtown Santa Cruz.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Residents ‘vehemently oppose’ proposed Catalyst project as developers, city officials present plans
A Thursday meeting hosted by representatives from the City of Santa Cruz and the developer and architect of a proposed project that would demolish downtown music venue The Catalyst met with frustration and skepticism from residents and nearby business owners.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Meeting scheduled for proposed housing at Catalyst site; national retailer marks Santa Cruz debut
The Santa Cruz community gets a chance next week to learn more about the development proposed for the site of The Catalyst nightclub, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at local business. Meanwhile, home decor and retail chain Anthropologie is set to open on Pacific Avenue on Wednesday.
Posted inHousing & Development
Are we there yet? As 2026 dawns, downtown Santa Cruz is still in the middle of a long process to transformation
As 2025 morphs into 2026, Santa Cruz’s downtown is still deep in the middle of a major transformation. A new proposal for The Catalyst building has many up in arms, while fans of the new library quietly wait for 2028. Here’s an overview of where all the projects stand.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
What The Catalyst means to Santa Cruz’s music scene, its culture and its sense of itself
With The Catalyst in the news as the possible site of a new downtown housing development, maybe it’s time for a reminder of just how influential and central this performance venue has been to Santa Cruz’s musical subcultures.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Holiday pop-ups breathe new life into long-vacant Logos and Palace Art spaces downtown
Two local event companies are bringing new life to two long-vacant downtown Santa Cruz buildings this holiday season. Collective Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz Mountains Makers Market will host holiday markets at the former Logos Books & Records and Palace Art spaces, respectively, featuring dozens of local artists and food vendors. City officials hope the pop-ups will enliven challenging storefronts, which have sat empty for several years.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five years after the closure of the Nickelodeon, is indie film culture in Santa Cruz dead, or merely in hibernation?
The Nickelodeon Theatre in downtown Santa Cruz has been closed for more than five years, bringing up questions not only about the viability of independent film, but whether the once robust subculture of arthouse cinema in Santa Cruz will ever come back.
Posted inFood & Drink
Sweet news for downtown: Ashby Confections set to open Pacific Avenue shop
Ashby Confections, a local candy and chocolate maker, is moving into a long-vacant storefront in downtown Santa Cruz, transforming the former Joe’s Pizza and Subs into a production kitchen and retail shop. Owner Jennifer Ashby expects the new space to open by Easter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County homeless services dealt double blow as MHCAN, Downtown Streets Team abruptly shutter
Santa Cruz’s homeless services network faces new uncertainty as the Mental Health Client Advocacy Network abruptly closed “until further notice” and Downtown Streets Team announced plans to shut down statewide this fall.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
How rising costs and red tape squeeze small businesses out of downtown Santa Cruz
A mix of rising rents, construction hurdles and slow city permitting is prompting some small businesses to reconsider opening in downtown Santa Cruz. Business owners say they want to be part of downtown’s future but feel the financial and bureaucratic barriers are stacked too high — especially for those trying to open in aging buildings. While the city is rolling out reforms, including a new permitting system and faster approvals, some worry it’s not happening fast enough to keep the heart of downtown vibrant and local.