Sunday, May 7, 2023

Santa Cruz Changes 62 - Front Street demo begins


It's been over two years since I first wrote about the mixed-use project at 418-508 Front Street, demolition of the existing buildings is under way. 



Beginnings:

  1. New construction-area-enclosure fencing is in place surrounding the site (view from the Riverwalk side top-right).
  2. Abatement is underway at 428 Front - where University Copy was (middle-right). This specialized crew is probably needed to remove and dispose of asbestos.
  3. In the same parking lot, two big crawlers have started to pull down the walls at 504 Front - directly across from the end of Cathcart Street (below). The left photo is from Sunday, and on the right is Monday. Take a last look at the colorful wall mural.


Until recently, this Front Street parking lot had been used as a storage and staging area for the big project now under construction across Front Street (bounded on two other sides by Laurel Street and Pacific Ave.) The fourth side of that project abuts a separate project called Pacific Station South, which is also now under construction. Both buildings have now, I believe, reached their final heights. Here's a look (below) at progress on those two - a view from the Riverwalk across the Sherwin Williams/Community Credit Union parking lot (which will not be part of the 418-508 Front project, but would be included in the proposed Cruz Hotel project at the Laurel Street end of the same Front Street block. Final design of this project has not yet been reviewed by the City.