Santa Cruz Changes 115 - 2025 on the Santa Cruz Wharf

2025 could be a year of major changes for "Stubby" (aka Santa Cruz Wharf). Most of what remains will reopen to the public today at 7 am, with a ceremony at 10 am. Wharf businesses will presumably reopen as well. Beyond today, however, the wharf's future beyond the shortened status quo remains an open question.

Safety engineers confirmed that most of the wharf structure remains sound, except for the remainder of the narrow end section that broke away on December 23. So no more urgent fixes are needed for now.

The city's longer-term plans for rehabilitation and/or expansion are, however, far from settled. The 2014 version of a Wharf Master Plan was blocked by a citizens' lawsuit in 2022. 

A revised Master Plan was approved by the City Council in January, 2024, but implementation was delayed by a Coastal Commission decision that sought to protect under-wharf-nesting seabirds until 2024 hatchlings left the nests. The delay meant that deck and piling repairs needed to begin the Master Plan program were delayed until October, when the building formerly home to the Dolphin Restaurant was torn down. That work was continuing when the December 23 damage occurred.

Max Chun at Lookout Santa Cruz has more on this story.

Santa Cruz Changes 114: Looking ahead to 2025

A number of projects written about here have started or continued construction in 2024, and some are expected (hoping?) to reach completion in 2025. 

The photo above-right is a Dec. 25 view of La Bahia. Projects to watch include:

1.  La Bahia Hotel (Changes 35, "Beach Street", and Changes 51, "The Spring Has Sprung")
2.  Rail Trail segment from California Street to Pacific Avenue (Changes: 49 - Rail Trail 2022)

Others could be completed in 2025, but we'll see, including:

1. Pacific Station North (Changes 22)
2. 418-508 Front Street (Changes 9)
3. Capitola Avenue overpass [Highway 1] (Changes 84)
4. Kresge College, UCSC (Changes 106)
5. 111 Errett Circle housing (Changes 60)

No predictions on which of the many proposals still in the planning/permitting stages will actually break ground in 2025. Those events will be reported as they happen. 

Santa Cruz Changes 113: 2024 downtown commercial

It's been a trying year for businesses in downtown Santa Cruz, especially south of Cathcart Street. Street closures and other disruptions due to several major construction projects have made getting around more difficult, while the anticipated increase in foot traffic from all the new downtown residents is just beginning to arrive. Most of the retail/commercial spaces in those new buildings remain empty.

As promised in Changes 99, this 2024 roundup will focus on downton Santa Cruz businesses.

Business changes include:

Businesses opened, closed and/or replaced.
* Mad Yolks breakfast restaurant opened next to Pleasure Pizza on Pacific. The adjacent spaces, formerly Peet's Coffee and Palace Arts, remain empty.
* Rosie McCann's Irish Pub & Restaurant reopened on Pacific Ave.
* Pretty Good Advice veggie/vegan cafe replaced Pacific Thai on Pacific.
* Gobi Mongolian BBQ opened in the former Marini's confectionery space on Pacific Ave.
* New Leaf Market closed on Pacific at Soquel Ave. (new River Street store to open in 2025, in former Ross clothing store space at Gateway Center).
* Rock 'n Roll Donut Bar closed on Pacific Avenue, after only 6 months in business.
* Alderwood on Pacific restaurant closed - the original Alderwood on Walnut at Cedar remains.
* Phō House Vietnamese restaurant replaced Hōm Korean Kitchen on Pacific.
* Soif Wine Bar on Walnut Avenue replaced by the new seafood-focused restaurant Hook & Line.
* Tarros Mexican Restaurant and Bar replaced Firefly Tavern, in the former 99 Bottles space on Walnut.
* GSC (formerly Cafe Gratitude) closed on Lincoln Street.
* Izzy's Ices opened on Lincoln Street.
* Mariposa Coffee Bar opened at SE corner of Pacific and Cathcart.
* Next door on Cathcart, Oyuki Sushi & Peruvian Cuisine opened.
* Münch cafe closed at SW corner of Pacific and Laurel.
* Bonesio Liquor closed at NW corner of Pacific and Laurel (the entire property is for sale, but Taqueria Jalapeños remains open).
* The Neighbor's Pub opened on Pacific south of Laurel.
* Motion Pacific dance studio closed on Front Street.
* Flower Bar closed on Cedar Street.
* A number of used clothing stores have recently opened on Pacific.

Next week, a look ahead to 2025.

Santa Cruz Changes 112 - Meetings This Week

Two City of Santa Cruz project proposals that have been discussed here previously have public meetings this week, one of them remote-only (thanks to Michael Lewis for the roundup).

1. Monday, Dec. 16, "Clocktower" proposal (Changes 94):

2. Wednesday, Dec. 19, Planning Commission meeting, 7:00 pm. 831 Water Street (Changes 19)

Santa Cruz Changes 111: 2450 Mattison Lane, Live Oak

 

This development was recommended for approval by the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission at its 12-11-2024 meeting. The site is a former chicken ranch in Live Oak. The subdivision will be accessed from the bend of Mattison Lane. It's the right half of the cleared land in the satellite view at right. Here's some of the  agenda description, followed by a detail from the developer's Site Plan (rotated 90 degrees):

2450 Mattison Lane, Santa Cruz , 95062         APNs: 029-391-01, -02, -03 & 029-061-19

  Proposal to demolish two existing residential dwellings and related outbuildings, subdivide the property into 25 residential parcels, and to construct 25 townhomes ranging from approximately 1,300 square feet to 2,100 square feet in size. The project includes a 40-percent Density Bonus in exchange for the provision of four affordable units. Requires the Planning Commission to adopt a Resolution, sending a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors regarding adoption of the Planned Unit Development Ordinance, and for approval of Application No. 221077 including a Subdivision, Residential Development Permit with Density Bonus, Roadway/Roadside Exception, and Preliminary Grading Review and regarding adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration per the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),

Property located on the south side of Mattison Lane (2450 Mattison Lane) approximately 325 feet east of Maciel Avenue, and spans four contiguous Assessor's Parcels (APNs 029-391-01, 029-391-02, 029-391-03 & 029-061-19) in the Live Oak Planning Area.

APPLICANT: Ken Hart for Swift Consulting Services

OWNER: Claudio Locatelli

 

Santa Cruz Changes 110: Graham Hill housing

I try to write about new development proposals before the first public meeting, and was first made aware of this one back in September by a Santa Cruz Local article, but missed the meeting date until seeing a report after the fact (reported in Lookout Santa Cruz) . The image above, a view from the Graham Hill Road side, is from the developer. The site (currently a vacant horse pasture) is adjacent to both the Graham Hill Showgrounds and the Woods Cove housing development (51 luxury homes built in 2003-04). Details of "The Haven" proposal (as reported by Santa Cruz Local) include:

Project description

* Total units: 161.

* Affordable units: 26 townhomes for low-income applicants and seven townhomes for moderate-income applicants. Income limits are set annually by state and federal agencies.

* Height: Variable. Includes single-story homes and three-story townhomes.

* Parking: 691 spaces.

Santa Cruz Changes 109: 232 River Street

 

This site is to the right in the image above, across River Street from the San Lorenzo Lumber parking lot, and adjacent to the old deco-style motel (that building will remain). The developer wants to demolish the existing house (behind the white picket fence) and build a 27-unit condominium building, which will share a long driveway with the old deco-style building. This stretch of River Street has many narrow-but-deep lots that end at the river levee, which dictates the narrow-but-deep shape of developments. 

The City of Santa Cruz has scheduled a pre-application informational meeting. From the City project page:

Below is an image from the developer's plan set:

Santa Cruz Changes 108: 831 Water Street - again

The first page of the submitted plan set is the image above, showing a current view of the project site, as seen from the Water street-Branciforte Ave. intersection. Below is one of the developer's renderings of the finished project from the same vantage, which includes some fanciful street changes that are not part of the proposal. 

This site was the subject of Changes 21, back in June of 2021. On the development proposal submitted at that time, that post opined: "It's not hard to envision a re-development that would improve on what's there now. The proposed structure, however, is a massive change that will be strenuously opposed by many of its residential neighbors. Several years of permit applications, presentations, and public meetings lie ahead, so we won't know for some time how this turns out."

That turned out to be true, and the original proposal was withdrawn. Now, developers are ready to try again, with a somewhat scaled-down version and even more help from state housing policies. According to a Santa Cruz Sentinel story: "The building would contain 800 square feet of retail space, 2,500 square feet of work/live units, a community room, shared spaces, on-site laundry and a manager’s office on the ground ground floor. In sum, the building would contain 140 housing units that are a mix of studios, one, two, three-bedroom and work/live apartments." Gone from the first proposal, among other non-housing elements, is the controversial rooftop restaurant/bar.

An online community meeting is planned. From the city's project page: 

"What: 831 Water St. mixed-use development online community meeting
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Nov. 20
Where: Online via Zoom at us06web.84416407747"

Santa Cruz Changes 107: Soquel Drive at 41st Avenue

This corner has been waiting a long time for Changes. A Nissan car-dealership proposal was approved by the County in 2018, but a lawsuit stopped completion of permitting. Then the end of the COVID recession brought inflation in construction costs, causing the owner to give up on the idea, and the eight adjoining parcels went back on the market. Fast forward to 2024 and new owners: housing developer Pacific West Companies/Linc Housing Corporation are proposing a 289-unit affordable housing development. Watch for the probable next step soon - a pre-application public presentation.

The image above is from a Lookout Santa Cruz article by Wallace Baine. More info is in a 2022 LSC article by Max Chun.

Santa Cruz Changes 106: Kresge College, UCSC

The photo above shows the new academic center building at Kresge College, on the UCSC campus, as approached from the end of the long elevated bridge spanning a deep ravine.

Unlike the new East Meadow housing (Changes 95), much of the built environment of UCSC is hidden in the redwoods. So, for those Santa Cruzans who don't have regular business on campus, it's easy to lose track of what's going on up there. Kresge College - one of the original five - is in the middle of a major expansion and, at the same time, a major renovation of the existing campus, whose early-1970s construction has not proven robust enough to survive the passing years.

The project continues, as seen in the photo below: