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Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Articles



Image caption: The future of malls looks like one where the rich get richer while lower-end malls simply die out.
Mall Culture and the American Dream

Shopping malls revolutionized how Americans shopped, socialized, and lived. Now, malls face an uncertain future. How did the dream of a new town square go so wrong?

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Downtown Santa Cruz library project advances

City council to weigh potential parking changes.

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Neighbors challenge Pajaro housing project

PAJARO—A group of Pajaro neighbors has filed a lawsuit against a developer, the County of Monterey and its Board of Supervisors, challenging an agricultural workforce housing project in Pajaro that would place 45 units on Susan Street, a dead-end road …

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Ocean Street apartment plans revised in Santa Cruz

Developers of one of the largest recent housing proposals in Santa Cruz have revised plans and will share new details at a Feb. 9 meeting.

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Santa Cruz Downtown expansion plan scaled back

Building height limits reduced, affordability boosted.

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Studios proposed on Water Street in Santa Cruz

Shops included in four-story, 105-unit complex.

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Housing, shops approved on Mount Hermon Road in Scotts Valley

Mount Hermon Road project was stalled since 2008.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Objective design standards approved by Santa Cruz City Council

New rules expedite housing development, provide bus passes.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville’s urban growth limit extension leads countermeasure

More Watsonville voters have elected to extend the city’s urban growth boundaries for the next 18 years rather than head back to the drawing board and determine a new growth plan, according to initial election results released Tuesday night. As …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
What the Election Means for South County’s Future

Proponents of competing urban growth measures say they have the key to building a better community

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Rio Del Mar Walkway Battle Continues

County says it will appeal recent ruling that allowed homeowners to block walkway

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What Measure O Means for the Future of Downtown

Proponents say the measure is about parking, while opponents say it will set back affordable housing and a new library

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Apprehension Voiced as Downtown Plan Expansion Moves Forward

City officials promise more affordable housing and assure Santa Cruz’s ‘eccentric charm’ will remain intact

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Will Box Stores Change the Culture of Scotts Valley?

Longtime local businesses fear the competition will force them out of the area or close their doors for good

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Details sharpen for Downtown Santa Cruz library, housing project

Plus: Santa Cruz council approves water tie with Scotts Valley

Image caption: It may not seem like it, but California has too many parking spaces.
New Housing and Climate Law Cuts Back on Parking Spaces

There's too much parking! Why a new law, AB 2097, cutting back on parking space requirements in new housing and business developments could be a game changer for the climate, and the housing crisis.

Image caption: Action Heroes: EA promotes alternative transportation year round, not just during Bike Month.
Ecology Action’s Plan for a Greener Future

For half a century, this group has reduced waste, reimagined local transportation and redesigned buildings. It’s all part of Ecology Action’s quest for sustainability.

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
CZU Fire Rebuilding by the Numbers

By M.C. Dwyer As we approach the two year anniversary of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, I submitted questions to Santa Cruz County’s Recovery Permit Center at the Planning Department regarding the pace of rebuilding in the CZU zone. The …

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Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.