Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Digest

California State Parks and partner Friends of California State Parks are working together on a project to rehabilitate a number of dunes at Rio Del Mar State Beach to reduce erosion, increase resilience and restore wildlife habitat.

The next phase of the $94.2M project to add lanes and bike/pedestrian overpasses on the three mile span of Highway 1 between the three mile Bay Avenue/Porter Street has commenced.

The Downtown Streets Program is growing to 8 teams in the County with the start of a new 6 month pilot program in Boulder Creek on the Highway 9 commercial corridor.

Open since 1933, Bocci's Cellar is for sale for $1.1M.

In its April 9 meeting, the Watsonville City Council voted to seek contractor bids to clear out a homeless camp from the nearly 2-acre lot on Airport Boulevard.

Marimo Berk and Brad Lewis joined the Board of Directors of Sempervirens Fund, the oldest land trust in California.

Feedback is being solicited by the City of Santa Cruz for a new location for the downtown farmers market, which will be displaced when the library/parking garage project begins.

Supporters of the rail trail rallied in front of the Santa Cruz County building on April 3 to advocate for approval of segments 10 and 11.

Local homeless and housing rights activist Reggie Meisler filed a challenge to the renewal of the City of Santa Cruz large-vehicle parking ban.

Plans for an 18 story building 192 feet tall were submitted to the City of Santa Cruz planning department.

The passage of California Proposition 1 is leaving local mental health and homeless service providers with questions as to the impact in the count.

After failing to negotiate a new lease for the East Cliff Village shopping center location with owners San Jose based Swenson Builders, the Live Oak Farmers Market is looking for a new home.

Supervisor Zach Friend recuses, and Supervisors McPherson and Koenig voted against moving forward with segments 10 and 11 of the Coastal Rail Trail between 17th Avenue in Live Oak and State Park Drive in Aptos.

Local opposition is growing in response to a petition before the California Fish and Game Commission to establish a new marine reserve off Pleasure Point and expand an existing reserve next to Natural Bridges State Beach.

Rumors are flying that California Forever is using dodgy tactics to gather signatures.

Suit claims deficiencies in Environmental Impact Report for Highway 1 widening and Coastal Rail Trail Segment 12 construction.

The $79 million Highway 1 widening project will demolish and rebuild the Capitola Avenue overpass and is projected to take 14 months.

The over 2,000 page final environmental impact report for the Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10 and 11 is on the agenda for the March 26 County Supervisor meeting.

Work on repairing and rebuilding the Capitola Wharf has been complicated after inspections reveal structures at the end of the structure will require demolition.

After the City Council approves a map of docking locations, 50 BCycles served by 100 docking stations will become active in Capitola.

In this regular Our Ocean Backyard column, UCSC Professor Gary Griggs tells the story of the building of the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor.

Mayor Keeley speaks to the priority of building more affordable housing in Santa Cruz, touting the 320 units in progress downtown and the units built on River Street and in progress in Harvey West.

The cannabis dispensary specializes in providing medical marijuana to patients with serious diseases and will be allowed to do business in the city of Santa Cruz after the Planning Commission approved its application.

Reprepresentatives Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta, and Senators Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla sent a letter to the Biden administration are requesting full funding for the Pajaro River Levee project.

The HOA responded to the 2023 California Coastal Commission fine of $4.7M for blocking beach access by ... erecting a chain link fence to better block beach access.

A crew from Lewis Tree Service removed the large redwood, which was causing extensive damage to the sidewalk and was threatening an adjacent apartment building.

After several public engagement workshops over the last year, the City of Santa Cruz has released the community vision for the 50-year future of its beloved West Cliff Drive.

41 students who live in a trailer park on campus were told that they had to move out by the end of March because of safety concerns have now been informed they can stay, so long as they unhook their propane tanks.

The agency announced it has secured two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which will push the construction of the Watsonville Slough System closer to fruition.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.