The Google Maps 3D view above looks from the south to the area around the former site of Outdoor World, which closed its store at the corner of River and Lindberg streets in 2021. It's the big building in the center of this view, with a cream-colored roof and a parking lot to its right. Surrounding the site, moving clockwise from Lenz Arts at 9 o'clock, there's N. Pacific Avenue at 10 o'clock, El Rio Mobile Home Park at 11 o'clock, Riverwalk Apartments at 12-3 o'clock, the Riverwalk and San Lorenzo River at 1-2 o'clock, adjacent retail and parking lot at 4 o'clock, and the condo complex across River Street at 6-7 o'clock.
The City has received a development project proposal for the site, and a public online meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 13. Below is the city's Project Description:
The proposed single building is similar in height and shape to other projects now under construction, such as 524/532/538 Center Street (see "Changes" #50). Unique to this project are 1) its location outside the downtown core, and 2) that no onsite car parking is proposed. Instead, there's a large indoor bike parking room on the ground floor. Required car parking has been cited as a major obstacle to building new affordable housing, and a 2019 state law exempted 100% affordable projects from any onsite parking requirements, so we'll see how the public process plays out for this project - which I believe is the first in Santa Cruz to test the relaxed parking law.
Below is an architect's rendering of the project in its River Street setting, which shows how the proposed height is much greater than the surrounding existing buildings. That height, although consistent with downtown projects previously approved and under construction, is likely to be an issue in public debate:
