WATSONVILLE >> Four days after being officially zoned, the development of a 34-unit “tiny home village” to temporarily house homeless people living along the Pajaro River levee received its official unveiling in a Watsonville City Council presentation Tuesday more than a year after its announcement and scrutiny by neighbors and council members.

The Recurso de Fuerza — Spanish for “Resource of Strength” — project seeks to develop 34 temporary housing units at 5 Cherry Court on property owned by Westview Presbyterian Church for a two-year pilot program. Principal Planner Matt Orbach said the project was a joint venture between Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and is intended to house those displaced by the construction of the Pajaro River levee following last year’s breach and flooding. Construction and operation of the project is being funded through a $7.9 million Encampment Resolution Funding grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development for a two-year period.

“After that two-year period ends, the county of Santa Cruz intends to prioritize available funding resources to continue operating the facility as a continuing resource for sheltering unhoused people throughout Santa Cruz County, including recuperative care and short-term post-hospitalization housing capacity,” said Orbach.

The project was announced in June 2023 with the first application submitted in October.

“That initial submittal was a very rough conceptual plan, not much more than rectangles on a satellite image,” said Orbach. “As a result, the city put together a guidance letter that was issued Nov. 29, 2023, that requested a significant amount of additional information to determine exactly what it was that was being proposed.”

A series of meetings were held with building and planning staff between January and June with different iterations of the site design and to review fire codes, Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain codes and other regulations. The second application was submitted in July, followed by a second guidance letter requesting additional clarification about the type of use being proposed. The third submittal was received in August with the full plan set of all the different departments. With all of the required information provided, the zoning clearance was approved Friday.

The floor plan consists of 26 single-bedroom units, two double-bedroom units, four Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant units, four shared bathrooms, one staff bathroom, a dining room, warming kitchen, multipurpose room, two laundry rooms, two staff offices, an intake area, storage areas, pet relief and exercise area, utility area and trash enclosure.

The project will also have separate LifeArk modular units about 65 square feet in size and capable of being used as shelter with lighting and a wall air conditioner and heating unit. There are also options for an automatic fire sprinkler, drywall, solar panels, furnishing and appliances and a deck with stairs or a ramp.

“(These modules) have a very simple foundation system that allows them to be used on top of multiple ground services such as compacted dirt or concrete,” said Orbach.

As a low-barrier navigation center, Orbach said the shelter is prohibited from requiring local governments to have a conditional use permit or other discretionary approval as long as it meets certain operational standards. These include services to connect clients to permanent housing, a coordinated entry system for clients, code compliance and a system for entering information regarding client stays, demographics, income and exit destination. Through Monterey County’s Good Neighbor Protocol, staff and clients are also expected to maintain a clean environment, have proper hygiene and attire, not make too much noise, have on-site security and have coordination with the neighborhood.

Councilwoman Ari Parker asked if the project would have portable bathrooms and showers. Orbach said the units would have in-ground utilities.

Councilwoman Kristal Salcido felt the 6-foot fence barrier was not high enough and asked if it could be higher. Orbach said a fencing plan is required by the guidance letter that was submitted Friday and is anticipating something more tangible in the building permit.

Salcido also asked if there would be on-site storage. Orbach said there would be storage in the southeast corner and northeast corner, but the types of storage are not available yet.

Councilman Eduardo Montesino asked about security. Roxanne Wilson, Monterey County homeless services director, said the site would allow for security guards, but those details would need to be brought back as part of the planning and design stages.

Councilman Casey Clark asked if the Good Neighbor protocol was legally binding. Wilson said those who broke the law would be kicked out of the program.

“This type of intervention is highly effective,” she said. “We’ve seen it work all across the United States of America.”

Clark reiterated that he was against the project, citing that it took two government agencies and a church three attempts within a year to get a submittal approved.

“I feel that this is being set up for failure,” he said.

Local faith leaders, including Westview pastor the Rev. Dan Hoffman, spoke in favor of the project as a way to provide housing for those in need. Hoffman said he got to know members of the unhoused community by serving breakfast near the levee for years.

“I get to sit and pray with them and hear their stories, and it is tragic and it is painful to hear what they’ve been through,” he said. “They just need a place to rest and get their bearing and find housing or employment.”

The Rev. Julianne Porras-Center, executive director of Somos Watsonville, said it was important to treat homeless people with dignity.

“A culture of fear, a culture of distrust of our neighbors is something that we see nationally, and it only worsens problems,” she said. “Instead, we need to have a culture of care and also trust incredibly capable people who have put together incredibly capable plans for caring for these neighbors.”

Residents of District 1, where the project is located, spoke out against it. Catalina Torres said her district experiences a lot of crimes like vandalism but lacks parks.

“We’re not against the shelter, but we need to find a better place for it and not our community that really is struggling,” she said.

Ilia Bulaich, who lives near the project site, said he had witnessed a woman get assaulted and robbed by a homeless woman.

“This is the reality that the constituents have to put up with when you put something like this in a poorly designed format,” he said.

Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter asked when the council would be able to hear about additional phases of the project. City Manager Tamara Vides said Wednesday’s presentation was about the zoning clearance, which stipulated that the project could exist in the proposed location.

“We’re not done,” she said. “This is Step 1. There are other conversations that the council might be interested in and continue to ensure that the project that comes to Watsonville is well-managed, provides the resources that we envision in this process.”

Vides said the applicant would be invited to come back with additional details in later phases.

In other business, the council unanimously approved modifications to the municipal code regarding closures or conversions of mobile home parks.