Lookout will host a two-part panel on Wednesday, July 31, with state Sen. Scott Wiener, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig, Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sandy Brown, and Sibley Simon of local development/architectural firm Workbench. The in-person session is sold out, but you can stream it live on Facebook.
Workbench
Posted inHousing & Development
Workbench’s Clocktower Center finds pushback – and support – in second community meeting
At up to 16 stories and 260 units, the Clocktower Center proposed behind downtown Santa Cruz’s town clock is unlike anything seen in Santa Cruz County. However, the vision remains in the nascent stages, and developer Workbench has until September to submit a formal application.
Posted inHousing & Development
Clocktower developer: ‘It’s not possible’ for politics to stop housing project that could rise to nearly 200 feet
Local developer Workbench formally introduced its ambitious proposal for the Clocktower Center to the community in a virtual meeting Wednesday. The 16-story, 260-unit vision for the project would reset the potential development intensity in Santa Cruz County.
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
‘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 inHousing & Development
An 18-story building proposed downtown promises to be a project ‘Santa Cruz has never seen’
Clocktower Center would reach 192 feet, towering over all existing and proposed buildings in the city of Santa Cruz.
Posted inHousing & Development
‘Peace Village’, a unique 40-unit church project near UCSC, continues to draw community opposition
The project proposed at 900 High St., behind Peace United Church of Christ, has cleared the City of Santa Cruz’s zoning administrator and the planning commission. Yet neighbors continue to oppose it.
Posted inHousing & Development
Food Bin and Herb Room project to prioritize tenants without cars, widen sidewalks
Representatives from builder Workbench and owners of the Food Bin and Herb Room hosted a community meeting Tuesday to discuss the Santa Cruz redevelopment project. Attendees raised concerns about neighborhood impacts, pedestrian safety and building size, and meeting hosts explained that it’s a balancing act between maintaining the current environment and attempting to reach state and local housing goals.
Posted inUncategorized
Santa Cruz to hold public meeting on mixed-use project for site of Mission Street’s Food Bin & Herb Room
The 42,849-square-foot development would take over the parcel where local grocery stores The Food Bin and Herb Room currently sit. It is still in the pre-application phase, and the City of Santa Cruz is hosting a community meeting April 18 for residents to learn more about the development, ask questions and raise concerns.