Watsonville OKs ‘tiny village’ for homeless over objections

Despite concerns from Watsonville City Council members and neighbors of the project, the way has been cleared for construction of a “tiny village” housing project aimed at reducing homelessness. It comes as the city is convening a communitywide conversation about a dramatic increase in Watsonville’s homeless population, which by one measure now exceeds the number in Santa Cruz.

A zoning application was approved by Watsonville’s planning department after Monterey and Santa Cruz counties submitted a total of three starting in October 2023, Matt Orbach, principal planner for the City of Watsonville, said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Monterey and Santa Cruz counties can now submit a building permit application to proceed with the project on land at Westview Presbyterian Church. 

City councilmembers raised objections to the project on Tuesday, but don’t have much say over its approval. State law — Assembly Bill 101 — provides a “by-right” process and expedited review for low-barrier housing projects such as the tiny village. It also prohibits Watsonville from requiring a conditional-use permit or any other discretionary approval, said Orbach. 

As long as the zoning application criteria is met by the applicant, in this case Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, the city planning department can approve the project without city council approval. The Watsonville City Council is looking into drafting a legal agreement with both counties to clarify how unintended consequences from the project might be handled. 

While the city can’t require a conditional permit for the tiny village, officials can apply public safety requirements, such as adherence to local fire and building codes.

The tiny village will be made up of 26 individual single bed shelters, two double units and four Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant units, said Orbach. In addition to the units, the village will also have two laundry rooms, four shared bathrooms, a kitchen and storage areas – all of which will reside on the Westview Church property off First Street. 

Each of these single-bed units can be built in an hour and are portable, he said. The simple foundation makes it easier to make adjustments. 

“Just so you know, this isn’t a done deal,” said Orbach. “There will still be a lot of conversations back and forth between the applicant and the city moving forward, and throughout their building permit review process.” 

One of the concerns raised at Tuesday’s meeting was the privacy of residents whose houses border the Westview Presbyterian Church property. Since the tiny village will be built to withstand floods, windows will be high enough to look over the fence separating the shelter from homes. 

“That’s a little problematic for me and neighbors with having a whole wall, and these are families along the side, having a whole wall of windows looking out onto that,” said District 7 Councilmember Ari Parker. 

Orbach and Roxanne Wilson, homeless services director for Monterey County, were also questioned by councilmembers on potential parking problems that could arise if the project is built. 

There will be some number of parking spots allocated for staff and tiny village residents, said Wilson. She did not provide an exact number of spaces as the project is still in planning stages. 

Once Wilson and her team have more developed plans, the city will invite them and also a a representative of the nonprofit Community Action Board to present those details in order to have a more productive conversation, said City Manager Tamara Vides. 

Dan Hoffman, pastor for Westview Presbyterian Church, continued to advocate for the tiny village project, bringing along leaders from Watsonville’s faith community. Hoffman didn’t expect for the project to become a hot topic in the community, he said. 

“There’s been a lot of talk about not wanting this to happen by some people, and there’s a lot of people who care about it,” Hoffman said. “Part of why I care is I’ve got the privilege of being able to serve breakfast on the levee for eight years to the unhoused, and got to know them and their stories.” 

Watsonville resident Catalina Torres shared her frustrations with the project. While she’s not against the idea of helping the unhoused community, Torres said she is concerned for the safety of a neighborhood that has already dealt with vandalism and “homeless-related crime.” 

“I live in District 1, and none of you do. I have a whole community that lives there,” Torres said. “We’re not against the shelter, we’re not. But we need to find a better place for it, and not our community that really is struggling a lot.”

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