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Santa Cruz County Land Use & Development Overview



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The Wilderness Land Trust “keeps the promise of wilderness” by working to transfer private land to public ownership while protecting wilderness.

California Local Pin Marker Local Land Use & Development Digest

Santa Cruz Wharf to Remain Closed

12/24/2024

There is no estimate in when the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will be reopened. Read on for the latest update on the partial collapse and next steps.

New Watsonville Tiny Village Appeal Filed

12/19/2024

Another Watsonville resident has filed an appeal against the 34-unit homeless tiny village proposed for the parcel occupied by the Westview Presbyterian Church.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
‘Governors Are Going to Have to Create a New System’: Leaders in the West Lambast Insurance Industry Over Rising Costs for Homeowners

Smoke and burned trees are pictured near Sylvan Lake State Park during a wildfire that erupted south of Eagle in the White River National Forest on June 20, 2021. With intense wildfires becoming a greater threat in the West, homeowners …

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Sibley Simon on Tackling Housing Challenges in Santa Cruz: Insights From Workbench’s Partner

On this episode of "Talk of the Bay", host Bodhi Shargell dives into housing issues in Santa Cruz with Sibley Simon, a local housing advocate, founder of New Way Homes, and a partner at Workbench. The conversation stems from Simon’s …

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
Scotts Valley Water District to Drill New Well

The Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) will begin construction of a new production well at 5299 Scotts Valley Drive this winter. The work begins by removing a former commercial building at the project site before the start of well drilling. …

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Scotts Valley Housing Updates: Town Center, Valley Gardens Golf Course and More

A proposal at 4444 Scotts Valley Drive includes a three-story, L-shaped building with 25 apartments. (BSB Design)
SCOTTS VALLEY >> Four housing projects in Scotts Valley could provide more than 500 new homes if they come to fruition.
The city …

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Cotoni-Coast Dairies Trails Expected to Open in Summer 2025

Miles of North Coast hills and grasslands are set to open with trails at the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument unit in 2025. (Bureau of Land Management)
DAVENPORT >> Hiking and mountain biking trails are expected to open this summer at …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Cabrillo College Housing Project Takes Shape

In a little less than a year, Cabrillo College will break ground on a sprawling, multi-story housing project on its Aptos campus, a development that will offer 624 beds for students attending both the college and UC Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Map: Rezones Could Boost Housing Development in Live Oak, Soquel

A property at 3500 Paul Sweet Road could be rezoned to allow multi-family housing. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local)
Santa Cruz County supervisors meeting

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Vital Questions About the Rail Project

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) $9 million Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail project study (ZEPRT) has generated heated debate and confusion.

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Cabrillo College Housing Project Taking Shape

In a little less than a year, Cabrillo College will break ground on a sprawling, multi-story housing project on its Aptos campus, a development that will offer 624 beds for students attending both the college and UC Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Graham Hill Housing Proposal Faces Challenges, Ownership Lawsuit

A proposal to build 157 homes on Graham Hill Road near Rollingwoods Drive has several hurdles to clear. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> A controversial proposal for 157 new homes on Graham Hill Road faces an …

Featured

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.
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