SANTA CRUZ — The eight-story mixed-use building proposed for 201 Front St. in the city of Santa Cruz’s newly established south of Laurel area, or SOLA, was discussed at an online community meeting Wednesday evening.
The meeting began with a rundown of the project from Santa Cruz Senior Planner Ryan Bane, who stressed that the developers have only submitted a preliminary application, not a formal application, and that project planning is still in early days.
“As part of our community outreach, we are having a community meeting early on in the process so the public is aware, is familiar with the project and can provide some input,” said Bane at the meeting. “The formal submittal and review will happen a little later on and also a new thing that we’ll be having as part of this downtown expansion is that we will be establishing an architectural review committee.”
Bane was joined in the meeting by the applicants behind the mixed-use project, local developer Owen Lawlor, along with Allie Meister and Jenny Pham of the development firm Lincoln Property Co., which has an office in San Francisco. Bane mentioned that when the developers submit a formal application and it is reviewed by city planners, the architectural committee will review the project, followed by the city’s Planning Commission and the Santa Cruz City Council.
Bane described the details of the proposed eight-story structure that would fill most of the 1.2-acre property, which is currently home to a surface parking lot, Ace Hardware and the former Cruz Cafe, which would be demolished. The proposed structure, which has a center courtyard, includes 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, along with a leasing office and a co-working space, a fitness center, a clubhouse and a south-facing roof terrace. The building would contain 256 parking stalls located in the basement and the first three levels of the structure.
The proposed building would include 245 market-rate residential units that range in size from about 495-square-foot studios to 1,795-square-foot live/work units. In total, the proposed building would contain 16 studio apartments, 40 one-bedroom junior units, 99 one-bedroom units, 78 two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units and six live/work units that would face Laurel Street.
The plan set makes no mention that any of the units would be deed-restricted affordable units because the developers have chosen to qualify for the city’s Downtown Density Bonus program — which serves an alternative to the state’s Density Bonus Law — by dedicating a parcel of land outside the project to be developed as affordable housing. According to Bane, the project requires a minimum of 49 affordable housing units, or 20% of the units in the building’s base plan set.
However, as Pham mentioned in the meeting’s question-and-answer period, the developers do not yet have a parcel to dedicate, which would have to be located within a half mile of the south of Laurel area, within the city’s downtown plan area or within the coastal zone.
After presentations from Meister, Pham and the building’s architect, the developers and city staff took questions and received feedback from community members. Local author Debbie Bulger, who wrote the “Secret Walks & Staircases in Santa Cruz,” inquired whether the design of the former Cruz Cafe, which was once a historic car showroom, would be included in the project design.
“I think we need to honor history more,” Bulger said.
Bane mentioned that because it was remodeled in the 1990s, the building wasn’t considered historic by the city and the inclusion of the showroom design would be up to the developer and architect.
Following Bulger, numerous members of local construction unions spoke about the need for a project labor agreement to ensure that local workers, whether carpenters or sheet metal workers, be hired to build the proposed building. Other concerns from community members included the inclusion of retail space on the ground floor, considering the many commercial vacancies in the city’s downtown, whether the Ace Hardware on the site would be relocated nearby and increased traffic and parking issues.
To view the project plans and watch the meeting, visit cityofsantacruz.com.