Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Articles

With the overwhelming approval of Measure Q, formally known as the “Santa Cruz County Safe Drinking Water, Clean Beaches, Wildfire Risk Reduction and Wildlife Protection Act,” County staff and partners are establishing the structure necessary to fulfill voters’ vision, including …

Host, Mathilde Rand is in conversation with Frank Barron and Rick Longinotti about the Santa Cruz Downtown Expansion.
Frank Barron is a retired urban planner and a proponent for direct input by the community on building higher than the already …

The rail corridor runs by Twin Lakes State Beach near El Dorado Avenue. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Following an executive order from President Donald Trump, a major grant to fund the Coastal Rail Trail …

Storm surf washes against Capitola restaurants after floods in January 2023. (Grace Stetson — Santa Cruz Local file)
Key takeaways

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday joined several other local elected officials and residents demanding answers into the causes of the Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing.

In the year 2025, cities and towns across the country will be planning and executing some fairly audacious infrastructure projects. The State of New York plans to expand the Hudson Tunnel along the northeast corridor; Interstate 5 along the West …

Tom Little Bear is President and Chairman of the Esselen tribe of Monterey County. He discusses the land back movement to return stolen lands from native tribes, and a recent 327 -acre land acquisition on the Little Sur River in …

A board is forming to oversee $7 million in anticipated tax revenue from Measure Q in Santa Cruz County. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> Applications are open to oversee about $7 million annually for environmental …

A rendering shows a proposed housing project on Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus. (Cabrillo College)
Community meeting on Cabrillo housing

One day after a group of Santa Cruz County residents collected soil samples from the areas impacted by the Jan. 16 battery storage facility fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant to test for heavy metals, a San Jose State …

Trump backs Newsom's Delta plans in a big way, but are the President's sweeping anti-environmental orders so broad that the Governor and other California leaders...

The Santa Cruz City Council in May 2024. (Marcello Hutchinson-Trujillo — Santa Cruz Local file)
Santa Cruz City Council meeting

The Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday is expected to consider a new Miramar restaurant on the Santa Cruz wharf. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
Santa Cruz City Council meeting

A new battery storage facility slated for a lot on the outskirts of Watsonville has some residents on edge after a Jan. 16 fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant, which sent a thick column of black smoke into the …

Bodie Shargel interviews two of the organizers behind the Workforce Housing Solutions Act, which kicked off its signature-gathering effort last week. Andrew Goldenkranz, the current chair of the County Democratic Party and Grace Stetson, signature gathering coordinator discuss the details …

Santa Cruzans can look forward to a key payoff in a long game of investment as the newest section of the rail trail rolls out soon. Here’s some nearby fun.

The CZU Lightning Complex Fire burn scar in Santa Cruz County in 2020. (NASA)
SANTA CRUZ >> As wildfires rage in Southern California, Santa Cruz County officials are urging residents to prepare for the possibility of a destructive wildfire here …

Jacob Sandoval speaks about a state pesticide proposal at a news conference in Watsonville in November. (Ruby Lee Schembari — Santa Cruz Local file)
Hearings on proposed pesticide rules
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will present details of a …

Santa Cruz Planning Commissioners approved a six-story, 83-unit housing complex on the 900 block of Water Street in Santa Cruz. (Natalya Dreszer — Santa Cruz Local file)
SANTA CRUZ >> The Santa Cruz Planning Commission on Jan. 9 unanimously approved …

A decision to rebuild the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is not expected for months, after detailed engineering work is done. (Tom Gigliotti)
Key takeaways