Santa Cruz Changes - 10: Saturn Cafe won't reopen

 

2020-21 has been a rough time for restaurants, and a downtown Santa Cruz institution has decided not to reopen - Saturn Cafe. The owners say they are looking to reopen in another location, so we'll watch for that. Here's the Good Times story:

Santa Cruz Changes - 9: 418-508 Front Street

Above: developer's rendering of the pedestrian plaza that will run through from Front Street to the levee.

This is the most-recently-approved major mixed-use development in downtown Santa Cruz. As of April, 2021, construction has not begun. Stretching along the river (east) side of Front Street opposite the end of Cathcart Street and the Metro Center, it will replace three older commercial buildings and three parking lots. Below is a 2017 view of the plaza area from Cathcart Street:

Below is the developer's plan view on the plaza level (shown w 4 parallel blue/magenta dotted lines). Above that level, the structure splits into 3 towers.

 

Santa Cruz Changes - 8: Seabreeze Tavern

The west end of the Rio del Mar Esplanade is about to change, as the old Sea Breeze Tavern building seems destined for demolition:

"The County Historic Resources Commission will meet Monday, April 5 at 9:30 am by remote teleconference. Click HERE for the agenda and instructions for public participation. Agenda items include:

• Status update on the Seabreeze Tavern, a designated historic resource located at 101 Esplanade in Aptos, including County determination that the building poses an immediate threat to public health and safety, and County action approving the demolition of the structure in order to protect the public from danger."

The building's fate was sealed when a fire gutted the upstairs apartment in 2020. While never contributing much to the street's appeal, the Sea Breeze is the only building on the Esplanade old enough to be historical.  See some history below, as collected by Bratton Online.

Locations in the Santa Cruz Changes blog can be found on this Google Map.