Santa Cruz Changes 74 - ebike-share (again)

Santa Cruzans will remember the first attempt by the City of Santa Cruz to create a fleet of shared rental ebikes. From its 2018 inception, the bright red Jump bikes were a common sight. 

But too many were found abandoned with dead batteries in the middle of sidewalks, or in remote locations, before the City abandoned the program in 2020.

In June of 2023, the City tried again, with a different vendor, Wisconsin-based BCycle (Wisconsin?!) Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and transportation planner Claire Gallogly were among the first to try out the BCycle e-bikes (photo credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz).

So far, this system seems to be working better, with equal popularity and plenty of bike locations. 

If all goes well, the program will expand next year into other parts of the County. 

Santa Cruz Changes 73 - 900 High Street

Peace United Church, at 900 High Street, is proposing a development called "Peace Village Housing".  The City project page has this description: "Project Size: Large Development Project; Project APN: 001-022-40; City of Santa Cruz Project Number: CP22-0164

Minor Land Division, Design Permit, Slope Development Permit, and Density Bonus Request to divide a lot into two lots and construct a 40 unit (including 4 Low-Income units and 5 Very Low-Income units), four story apartment building within 20 feet of a 30 percent slope, with a concession for stories/height, on a site with an existing church in the R-1-10 (Single Family Residence) zone district.

On October 4th, 2023, this item will be agendized at the Zoning Administrator meeting. 

• October 4, 2023 Zoning Administrator Meeting 

Contact: Senior Planner: Brittany Whitehill: (831) 420-5134; bwhitehill@santacruzca.gov"

The proposed housing location is uphill from the upper parking lot of the existing church facilities, as shown below (High Street runs left-right at the bottom of this view):

 

Santa Cruz Changes 72 - 1800 Soquel Avenue

 

Another large Santa Cruz mixed use project gets its first public hearing (hybrid) before the Planning Commission next Thursday, Sep. 21, 7:00 pm.  The image above is one of the architect's rendering of the development proposed for 1800 Soquel Avenue, at the corner of Hagemann Avenue (across Hagemann from Walgreen's). Following is the city project description from the Planning Commission agenda:

"1800, 1812, 1818 Soquel Avenue - Commercial Demolition Authorization Permit to demolish an existing commercial building , Boundary Adjustment to merge three parcels, Design Permit, Special Use Permit, and Density Bonus Request involving incentives, concessions and waivers to development standards, including exceeding height, and a reduction in auto and bike parking and open space requirements, to construct a four-story mixed-use project consisting of 1,928 square feet of ground level commercial space, and 84 residential units on a parcel located in the CC (Community Commercial) zone district and within the Eastside Business Improvement Plan Area. (Environmental Determination: Categorical Exemption)"

A video of a May 3 public information meeting staged by the developer is available via a link on the city project page. Project plans and other information can also be found on the project page.

Redevelopment of this corner has been in discussions since May's restaurant closed several years ago, but nothing has happened yet. The Google Street View image below shows the current appearance of the location.

Santa Cruz Changes 71 - Mitigation Measures for Parking Structures

Until we kick the individual-motor-vehicle habit, large unattractive parking structures will remain part of urban landscapes. 

However, Santa Cruz and Watsonville have recognized that those blank concrete facades can become canvases for artists. 

A new mosaic mural now adorns the River Street facade of "Public Parking Lot 10" (aka River-Front parking garage) in Santa Cruz - seen in the image at right (courtesy of Kevin Painchaud and Lookout Santa Cruz).

Meanwhile, in Watsonville a similar project (left) has been proceeding in stages. Mosaic artist Kathleen Crocetti contributed her mosaic skills to both projects, partnering with artists Maha Taitano (Santa Cruz) and Juan R. Fuentes (Watsonville).

Fellow change-trackers will remember that Crocetti did the mosaic tile work on the 2020 China Bridge dragon sculpture, and has previously contributed decorative mosaic tile to the Water Street and Soquel Avenue bridges.

Santa Cruz Changes 67 - South of Laurel (again)

Since the 1970s, Santa Cruz has repeatedly tried to stimulate private redevelopment of the downtown between Laurel Street and the beach. The main tool available to the city for that purpose is zoning regulations. 

Past zoning changes - allowing more height and density - have resulted in the several projects now under construction north of Laurel Street. 

The map at right shows the area now under study. Note: One project has already been approved (construction not started) within this outline - at 130 Center Street (see Santa Cruz Changes 54).

The city website describes the next phase:

"The City of Santa Cruz is embarking on a planning study to consider future redevelopment of the area south of Laurel Street. City objectives include: 
1. Providing additional affordable and market-rate housing in the downtown,
2. Creating public amenities like parks, public plazas, or better pedestrian infrastructure,
3. Improving the connection to the San Lorenzo River and beach areas,
4. Creating new economic opportunities for local businesses and workers,
5. Coordinate with the Santa Cruz Warriors to construct a new permanent arena." 

The most controversial aspect of city proposals to emerge so far is a much taller height limit than anywhere else in the city. Descriptions include "15 and 17-story towers". For comparison, none of the buildings now under construction are more than 7 stories.

A couple of public meetings on this plan were held in late 2022, and an online community survey was announced on August 7 (link to the English-language version here). Response is requested by Sep. 1.

Update Mar. 1, 2024: The city has revised its height limit change down to 12 stories. Meanwhile, residents opposed to the height limit change qualified Measure M for the March 5, 2024 ballot. 

On March 1, a story by Max Chun of Lookout Santa Cruz reports that the Golden State Warriors organization has looked at development feasibility and concluded that buildings taller than the existing Palomar (85 feet; 7-8 stories) do not pencil out for the south-of-Laurel area. 

Santa Cruz Changes 66 - When the Levee Breaks

The title of my favorite Led Zeppelin song (yes, I'm old) leads in to a discussion of something we never think much about - until they break: the flood-protection levees lining the lower stretches of the San Lorenzo River and Pajaro River. 

This past January we saw the Pajaro levee fail on the Monterey County side, flooding the town named for the river - Pajaro. Investigation of the causes pointed to, among other things, a failure to maintain the levee.

Santa Cruz took notice of that failure, and is also facing the need to re-certify the ability of the San Lorenzo levees to protect nearby residents from similar failures. That need led to the odd sight users of the Riverwalk have noticed: numerous small puddles of concrete grout scattered along the levee top.

The photo above-right is from a good article published recently by Lookout Santa Cruz. It explains that the purpose of the grouting is to fill ground squirrel burrows that reduce the structural integrity and water-retaining ability of the levees, which are really nothing more than two long piles of rocks. The article goes on to look at contractor errors in distinguishing rodent burrows from native-plant restoration diggings, but that's another story.

Local history buffs will know that the levees (along with the concrete Branciforte Creek channel) were designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) in response to the major flooding of December 1955. Part of the deal was that ACE would maintain the levees at first, gradually handing over responsibilities to the city/county. As the Lookout article explains:

The city took over management of the levee from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July 2020 following the completion of the levee construction, which began in 1955. The management changeover started a three-year clock, which runs out this month, for the city to get accreditation for the levee from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If received, this would allow residents living near the river to maintain their discounted flood insurance.

Another thing highlighted in the Lookout article is how the local nonprofit Coastal Watershed Council has been very active in all matters relating to the health of the San Lorenzo River. Two thumbs up to Executive Director Laurie Egan, CWC staff, and the many volunteers who assist in these efforts. 

Santa Cruz Changes 65 - 190 West Cliff

This big multi-use project got design approval from the city way back in 2019. That approval was appealed to the Coastal Commission, which is finally going to hear the appeal this month. 

The site has been, for many years, the Dream Inn parking lot. In this design, the hotel parking will remain, but underground.

The rendering above-right is a view from across West Cliff Drive, at the Dream Inn entrance. The central space is a recessed courtyard, surrounded by retail/public uses. Above the street level on this side are apartments. The top-floor units will each have a private rooftop deck.

The view at left is another rendering by the project architect, looking toward the Dream Inn tower from Bay Street. The brown fence at left is the one surrounding the existing mobile home park. 

As can be seen in the rendering, the new buildings are separated from existing ones by a wide driveway with entrances on both streets, similar to the existing parking lot design. 

Also in this rendering, the existing condos can be seen on the right side of Bay Street. I don't know if the city plans to do away with the existing metered street parking there, which is not shown in this rendering.

While it's not hard to imagine a project design that would be more appealing to existing residents, it's also hard to argue that this project won't be better looking than the existing parking lot. Of course, a blessing by the Coastal Commission doesn't tell us when/if this will actually be built; or, if it is, whether it will look anything like these renderings. We'll have to watch what happens in coming years. 

Santa Cruz Changes 64 - Electrifying!

Santa Cruz is probably in the "early adopter" category when it comes to reducing fossil fuel use, and the changes are visible all over town. The City of Santa Cruz parking lot has been generating electricity since 2002 with its solar carports (right).

Last year, the Trader Joe's parking lot got a row of electric vehicle charging stations (left), joining a number of other locations.

And this week saw a "ribbon cutting" on the return of an electric bikeshare program. The new white bikes don't stand out like the red ones did a few years ago, but the city promises that the new system will correct the problems that doomed the red bikes.

More changes: internal-combustion Metro buses are gradually being replaced with natural-gas and electric models. As electric vehicle technology continues to improve, I expect electric power to replace natural gas.

p.s. Cabrillo (or whatever its new name will be) College is just finishing up a huge parking-lot solar installation.

 

Santa Cruz Changes 63 - Parklets permanence?

There were many Santa Cruz adaptations to the recently-ended COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings. Probably the most visible of those were the "parklets" - outdoor dining areas added to restaurants during the time when indoor dining was prohibited. 

Located mostly in the downtown-core Pacific Avenue-Cedar Street area, most were simply extensions onto and across sidewalks directly in front, similar to already-existing outdoor seating areas like the one at Walnut Avenue Cafe. 

One of my favorites was behind El Palomar (seen in the 2021 photo above), which took advantage of the semi-hidden wide paved area of Frazier Lewis Lane to put up its parklet, accessible from the kitchen's rear service entrance.

As business operating conditions mostly revert to pre-pandemic indoor dining norms, some restaurants - including El Palomar - have shut down the outdoor areas. A number of others have not, however (like those shown in the PacAve StreetView image at left).

The city has been working on a plan to create standards and fees giving those eateries the option to keep their outdoor tables. Lookout Santa Cruz published an article outlining how that might work, and talking with a few restaurant owners about the challenges they face. Applications for the permanent permits are due by the end of June, so we'll soon know how many of the parklets will become a permanent part of the downtown scene. 

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.