831 Water Street Proposal at Santa Cruz City Council

On Tuesday, November 23, the Santa Cruz City Council will consider a motion to rescind the October 12 denial of the 831 Water Street development project.

Proposed motion:

1) Consider rescinding the decision to deny the 831 Water Street project and direct staff to review the additional materials provided by the applicant to determine if the project can be brought into substantial compliance with the City’s objective zoning, subdivision, and design standards;

2) Consider scheduling follow-up public oversight hearing at December 14, 2021 City Council meeting; and

3) Direct staff to complete the Senate Bill 35 objective standards consistency review in light of new information.

Background

The Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 at its October 12 meeting to find that the housing development proposed by Iman Novin of Novin Development Corporation did not qualify for fast-track approval under SB 30 and the application was denied.

The group group 831 Responsible Development urged council to deny the permit, sending a letter stating the developer’s plans would lead to segregated housing on the site:
https://831responsibledevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021-10-11_letter-to_council_wittwer-parkin.pdf

831 Responsible Development summarized the October 12 meeting as follows:

In its vote on Tuesday night, (Oct. 12) the City Council determined that the Novin application should be denied for its violation, or potential violation, of the following city objective standards:

* The anti-segregation standard in the inclusionary ordinance and Density Bonus Ordinance that requires the dispersal of affordable units throughout a project, which also violates the city’s “Health in All Policies” ordinance.
* The slope regulation that projects be located no closer than 20 feet from a 30 percent slope without a variance.
* The lack of a completed Stormwater Management Plan and a completed Drainage Plan that ensure compliance with the City’s standards to prevent flooding on the property and in the neighborhood.
* The lack of a traffic study demonstrating that compliance with the City’s traffic standards protecting the public health and safety from the proposed driveway crossing a bike lane.
* The lack of a completed noise study documenting that the City’s objective noise standards will be met.
* The Council also found the developer’s density bonus application incomplete, saying it did not comply with the State Housing and Community Development’s regulation that affordable units are distributed throughout the development, and for not showing the breakdown of AMI (Area Median Income) levels and density bonus unit locations.

(Source: https://831responsibledevelopment.org/2021/10/13/a-big-win-the-effort-continues/)

More information:

831 Responsible Development
https://831responsibledevelopment.org/

City of Santa Cruz project page for 831 Water Street
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/831Water