Santa Cruz County Local News: Land Use & Development

Two new housing developments in Santa Cruz County are set to exceed local height limits and could be approved without public input, county officials said this week. 

Construction will begin in June on a 34-unit community of small temporary dwellings based at Westview Presbyterian Church in Watsonville, after the Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved agreements to build and manage the facility.

When the Town Clock was dedicated in 1976, it represented Santa Cruzans’ hopes for the future and recalled memories of turn-of-the-century Pacific Avenue when trolleys lumbered by and the clock sat atop the Odd Fellows Building.

The agency responsible for the rebuild of the Pajaro River Levee has completed an environmental assessment for Reach 6 of the project, and is seeking public input before finalizing it.

In a weed-strewn, vacant lot on Airport Boulevard Tuesday, Bryan Hilgeman was busy around his makeshift tarp dwelling where he lives, along with about 40 people in the unsanctioned homeless camp.

The Low Impact Camping Ordinance drafted by the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission took some rural residents by surprise.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday reaffirmed its support for a paved path parallel to the train tracks through Capitola and Seacliff.

An AmeriCorps team led by San Lorenzo Valley Native Habitat Restoration Program founder and advisor Linda Skeff weeded invasive plants from the native plant demonstration beds at the San Lorenzo Valley Museum Grace Gallery in Boulder Creek on a rainy Saturday in April.

During a report at the April 3 Council meeting, Scotts Valley City Manager Mali LaGoe announced the California Department of Housing and Community Development had certified its Housing Element—on its first try.