Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Digest

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.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

Campaign finance disclosure statements show that real estate developers and contractors made the largest contributors to the campaign opposing Measure M while Measure M received support from Santa Cruz residents.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

The Santa Cruz Planning Commission voted unanimously to renew a controversial RV overnight street-parking ban for at least the coming five years, several months ahead of its expiration.

One of Watsonville’s most recognizable and historic community hubs could be getting a new look as the city plans a comprehensive revitalization of its downtown City Plaza.

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

City staff supports accepting a $500,000 grant from the California Natural Resources Agency to support the city's Capitola Wharf Resiliency and Public Access Project.

Richmond Ranch in south San Jose may be preserved as open space if multiple government entities succeed in a quest to buy its thousands of acres, public documents show.

Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. But in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum—one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches.

A draft of the city’s housing plans for the next eight years, which includes the construction of 2,053 new units, is available for the public to view at the Watsonville Public Library, Old City Hall and online.

A California icon dies, the A’s sign a deal to leave, and the drought is washed away.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

The land trust Sempervirens Fund has tapped Rachel Dann for its newly established director of government relations position. “Rachel is a highly esteemed political strategist, renowned for her extensive connections with regional policymakers,” said Executive Director Sarah Barth.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

A group called Affordable Housing Advocates Santa Cruz has emerged to counter the ballot measure known as the Housing for People Citizen Initiative, which qualified at the end of November to be placed on the city of Santa Cruz March 2024 ballot.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

The proposed “Peace Village” project—a 40-unit apartment building on the campus of Peace United Church of Christ at 900 High St. in Santa Cruz—will move forward after the Santa Cruz Planning Commission denied an appeal of the project.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will host an open house Dec. 5 in Aptos to gather input on aesthetic design elements for a major transportation project along Highway 1 to effectively blend elements such as retaining walls, bicycle and pedestrian fencing, and landscaping with the character of the town of Aptos.

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

Beyond the whirring of power tools and sprawling construction of Old Kresge, new residence halls and academic centers stand among the redwoods. These are the buildings that have sprouted out of the first phase of the Kresge Renewal project.