The plans introduced on the neighborhood assembly are anticipated to vary barely from these submitted within the developer’s pre-application to town due to some suggestions from metropolis planners and neighborhood members, stated Brian Pianca, a consultant of the developer.
“We’re type of working by way of a few of the closing particulars, and planning to unveil them on Thursday,” Pianca stated.
Fewer items, extra household properties
Two pre-application plan units have been submitted to town for the brand new growth: a “density bonus” plan and a “base” plan. As a result of the event consists of income-restricted flats, it’s anticipated to qualify for the state’s density bonus and might exceed town’s peak restrict for the world.The density bonus plan set consists of:
- Studios to four-bedroom flats throughout 351 items that embody 52 inexpensive items for low-income renters. Revenue limits are set by the state yearly. Eighty-five two-bedroom items are proposed.
- Close to Ocean and Hubbard streets, a five-story, 57-foot-high condo constructing is deliberate with companies on the bottom ground above a one-level underground parking storage. Parking storage entry is slated for Ocean Road.
- On Might Avenue and Hubbard Road, two three-story, 34-foot-high condo buildings are deliberate.
- A floor car parking zone is predicted to have entrances and exits on Might Avenue, accessible solely to residents of the proposed complicated.
The developer floated the brand new plans to metropolis planning employees within the fall. On Oct. 18, metropolis planners wrote to the developer with proposed adjustments to the constructing’s design according to town’s goal requirements. The adjustments included:
- Extra pedestrian walkways by way of the property.
- Area for an extra business house on Ocean Road along with the deliberate foyer and two companies.
- Extra design element and accent colours on constructing facades to visually break up massive, flat constructing fronts.
SE-Santa Cruz LLC., a subsidiary of Los Gatos-based Sridhar Equities, owns the property. The corporate beforehand submitted plans for the property with architect Sal Caruso in 2018. That plan included one three- and four-story constructing with companies on the primary ground. Caruso held neighborhood conferences from 2018 to 2020 with barely altered designs.
The prior plan prompted many neighbors’ considerations with constructing heights, site visitors and parking. Some neighbors additionally wished extra three- and four-bedroom items.
The brand new plans embody “a really good combine of various sizes” for flats, stated Brad Angell, chief of a resident group known as Grant Park Neighbors. “That was one thing everybody wished was a mess of sizes in order that households can reside there,” Angell stated.
The plans now embody 15 three-bedroom items and two four-bedroom items.
Grant Park Neighbors fashioned in 2018 in response to the non permanent closure of Grant Park about 4 blocks from the proposed challenge.
A five-story housing complicated is proposed for Ocean Road close to Hubbard Road. A rendering reveals a perspective from Ocean Road trying west. (BDE Structure)
The 900 block of Ocean Road in early 2022. About 20 parcels are slated for redevelopment. (Brian Phan — Santa Cruz Native file)
The larger range of condo sizes is due partly to a change within the metropolis’s housing legal guidelines, Pianca stated. A lot of the items within the earlier challenge have been Small Possession Models, a kind of housing town incentivized that should be small and accessible for possession as condominiums.
In 2021, the Santa Cruz Metropolis Council modified town’s constructing code to take away the Small Possession Unit designation in favor of a brand new kind of housing known as Versatile Density Models. The brand new designation permits a larger vary of sizes, and the flats could be owned or rented. Below the brand new plans for 908 Ocean St., all the flats will likely be rented, Pianca stated.
Although Angell stated he appreciates a few of the adjustments to the challenge’s design, he anticipates some neighbors will nonetheless take umbrage with the peak and uniform face of the Ocean Road constructing. He stated he’s additionally involved that the basement parking storage may face points with the world’s excessive water desk.
The storage has been scaled again from earlier designs, Pianca stated. Pianca stated he expects his group to regulate the challenge primarily based on neighborhood suggestions.
The positioning of the proposed growth has 12 properties and eight companies. Whereas earlier challenge plans stalled, neighbors have been annoyed by damaged sidewalks and RVs which were parked on the property, Angell stated.
“It looks like they’re actively misusing that property and making it in order that something there can be higher than what we have now,” Angell stated. “It was blighted earlier than, however now it’s at a tipping level the place we’re type of trapped. We both must say ‘sure’ to this challenge or who is aware of how for much longer it is going to be blighted.”
A 3-story condo constructing is proposed on Might Avenue and Hubbard Road as a part of the challenge. (BDE Structure)
Subsequent Steps
After the Feb. 9 neighborhood assembly, the developer could return with an altered plan which might require one other neighborhood assembly.
- As soon as a few of the particulars of the plan are finalized, the developer will submit an entire software.
- Then, town will fee an environmental evaluate below the California Environmental High quality Act, or CEQA. That course of may take as much as one 12 months, stated Santa Cruz Senior Planner Clara Stanger.
- After environmental evaluate, the Santa Cruz Planning Fee is predicted to evaluate the plans. If the planning fee accepts the plans, they are going to be despatched to town council for closing approval, Stanger wrote within the Oct. 18 letter to the developer.
State housing legal guidelines have narrowed the explanations that metropolis leaders can reject housing proposals. The planning fee and metropolis council primarily can solely deny the challenge if it doesn’t meet town’s goal design requirements.
The bottom ground of a proposed housing complicated on Ocean Road is predicted to incorporate business house and parking. The bottom ground on Might Avenue would come with properties. (BDE Structure)
A 3-story complicated is proposed for Might Avenue and a five-story complicated is proposed for Ocean Road at Hubbard Road. (BDE Structure)
Industrial house is slated for the bottom ground of a proposed five-story housing complicated on Ocean Road in Santa Cruz. (BDE Structure)
A rendering reveals the center of the block on Might Avenue the place a three-story housing complicated is proposed. (BDE Structure)
