A Lookout Santa Cruz story reports that an online public meeting will convene next Tuesday, April 1, to present a development project proposal for a property located at 841 Capitola Road, just outside the Santa Cruz city limits. No link is available, but article author Max Chen provided a Zoom meeting ID: 873 6854 5479.
Above are several renderings copied from the Santa Cruz County project webpage. The building size and shape are familiar, but one factor makes this proposal different from most others we've looked at here: it intends to employ a provision in state housing law called the "Builder's Remedy".
Most of us who are interested in local housing policy have seen the term "Builder's Remedy", but what is it and how does it apply to Santa Cruz County? The term refers to a specific bit of state law, which is explained on a Santa Cruz County webpage (with my underlining added):
"To address the statewide housing shortage crisis, the State Housing Accountability Act establishes limitations on a local government’s ability to deny, reduce the density of, or make infeasible housing development projects, and includes penalties for noncompliance. (See Gov. Code § 65589.5). One of these penalties, referred to as the “Builder’s Remedy,” allows housing development projects that do not comply with local General Plan and Zoning standards, when a local jurisdiction does not have a compliant housing element."
There was apparently a brief window of time in early 2024 when the county housing element was not yet approved by the state. During that window, four project applications were submitted under the "Builder's Remedy" provision. The County webpage lists the four projects (including 841 Capitola Road). Another one of the four, on Graham Hill Road, was the subject of Changes 110, back in December.
