By Frank Barron

Remember the outrageous 16-story Clocktower Center skyscraper that a development company called Workbench proposed last year? That 192-foot tall building was allowed in a 50-foot height limit zone because of the state’s new 100% density bonus law (AB 1287), which allows developers to build much taller than the local zoning would normally allow. That skyscraper project is on hold for the time being, but it still could be resurrected.

Now Santa Cruz city leaders want to increase the building height limits in the South of Laurel Area (SOLA), even though they don’t need to raise them in order to meet our state required housing goals, or to build the proposed new Warriors arena. They are about to make a huge mistake. By raising the zoning height limits to 85 feet, as proposed, developers will be able to come in and build skyscrapers twice or three times that tall. We’re talking 20, 25 or possibly even 30-story buildings, and the city won’t be able to stop them thanks to new state laws like AB 1287 that override local control. The city does not need to raise the height limits. If they do it will be an unnecessary, self-inflicted (and irreversible) wound that will forever change the Santa Cruz we know.

This is all part of the proposed Downtown Plan Expansion project. It is likely the biggest, most impactful development proposal in the city’s history. It proposes to significantly upzone 29 acres in the SOLA to allow 1,600-1,800 new housing units in a series of 12-plus-story buildings. The unintended consequence will be that buildings twice that tall (or more) would be allowed by the new state density bonus law.

The Downtown Plan Expansion draft environmental impact report came out a couple weeks ago, with a comment period deadline of Feb. 21, 2025. You can find it and the accompanying appendices and related documents on the city’s website. Just Google Downtown Plan Expansion.

This environmental report has many flaws, but probably the worst one is that it does not analyze (or even acknowledge) the impact new 100% state “stackable” density bonus provisions in AB 1287 will have in combination with the proposed upzonings. This is a huge oversight. Environmental impact reports are supposed to be “full disclosure” documents that evaluate the direct and secondary impacts of big projects like this one. The new state density bonus provisions in AB 1287 is one of those secondary impacts the environmental report should evaluate, but fails to. Not only could the proposed upzoning result in much taller buildings than anticipated, but also far more housing units than the planned 1,600-1,800 units. This would increase all of the project’s environmental impacts. The environmental impact report must be rewritten to fully evaluate these impacts.

The most sensible approach is for the project to be downsized to keep the height limits where they are now — 35 to 48 feet — which will still likely result in buildings twice or more that height when the density bonus is applied. Those building heights will be big enough to accommodate the project goals of 1,600 new housing units and funding a new Warriors arena.

Please spend some time reviewing the Downtown Plan Expansion draft environmental impact report and commenting on it by the Feb. 21 deadline. A hardcopy is also available at the Main Library downtown. Also contact the mayor and members of the City Council and let them know how you feel about this.

Frank Barron is a retired land use planner and Santa Cruz resident. He was an advocate for the Housing for People initiative (Measure M) that was defeated in the March 5, 2024, election. The measure, if approved by city voters, essentially would have put plans to build most very tall buildings to a vote.