Swenson Builder Introduces New Project Name
Swenson Builder
Email Announcement
May 21, 2019
One of the challenges of any new development project is choosing a name that is both recognizable and in-line with the character of the surrounding neighborhood. While “Harbor Village” was our initial short-and-simple approach, it belongs to an established Live Oak townhome community. A number of respondents have also expressed their opinion that the proposal does not fit the definition of a traditional village.
To remedy this, we have selected “Harbor Landing” as our new project name. Keep in mind that this name may not necessarily be used for the lodging portion of the project, and is primarily used as a project identifier. While our website URL [http://santacruzharborvillage.com] and email address may not immediately reflect this change, references to “Harbor Village” have been removed from our proposed plans and updated throughout the text on the website.
Thank you all for your continued support and constructive feedback!
Email Announcement
May 21, 2019
One of the challenges of any new development project is choosing a name that is both recognizable and in-line with the character of the surrounding neighborhood. While “Harbor Village” was our initial short-and-simple approach, it belongs to an established Live Oak townhome community. A number of respondents have also expressed their opinion that the proposal does not fit the definition of a traditional village.
To remedy this, we have selected “Harbor Landing” as our new project name. Keep in mind that this name may not necessarily be used for the lodging portion of the project, and is primarily used as a project identifier. While our website URL [http://santacruzharborvillage.com] and email address may not immediately reflect this change, references to “Harbor Village” have been removed from our proposed plans and updated throughout the text on the website.
Thank you all for your continued support and constructive feedback!
Swenson receives feedback on Santa Cruz Harbor Village project
By Elaine Ingalls
Santa Cruz Sentinel
March 15, 2019
The Santa Cruz Harbor Village project is in the works of going from a site plan to a reality.
The project is a mixed-use development with central lodging, commercial use, housing and public open space at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street.
In the early 2000s, the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Agency acquired three parcels of land at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street and near the north entrance of the Santa Cruz Harbor. The County Redevelopment Successor Agency took ownership of it in 2011, and in 2013 the agency created a management strategy to sell the property within the county’s land use and zoning requirements. In 2017, the agency chose Swenson Builders to be as the developer for the site, aimed at accommodating visitors and creating commercial use and public open space.
The first public meeting for the development was in April 2017. A community meeting was held Wednesday night at Live Oak Elementary School for feedback from neighbors and county residents.
Five Swenson employees and three PlaceWorks employees were available to answer questions during the meeting. Approximately 110 people signed into the meeting, according to Bruce Brubaker, associate principal of community planning consultant company PlaceWorks. Attendees could visit five stations (site background, site plan, circulation of traffic, uses and architecture) for questions and comments.
There is no public access to the site
Santa Cruz Sentinel
March 15, 2019
The Santa Cruz Harbor Village project is in the works of going from a site plan to a reality.
The project is a mixed-use development with central lodging, commercial use, housing and public open space at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street.
In the early 2000s, the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Agency acquired three parcels of land at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street and near the north entrance of the Santa Cruz Harbor. The County Redevelopment Successor Agency took ownership of it in 2011, and in 2013 the agency created a management strategy to sell the property within the county’s land use and zoning requirements. In 2017, the agency chose Swenson Builders to be as the developer for the site, aimed at accommodating visitors and creating commercial use and public open space.
The first public meeting for the development was in April 2017. A community meeting was held Wednesday night at Live Oak Elementary School for feedback from neighbors and county residents.
Five Swenson employees and three PlaceWorks employees were available to answer questions during the meeting. Approximately 110 people signed into the meeting, according to Bruce Brubaker, associate principal of community planning consultant company PlaceWorks. Attendees could visit five stations (site background, site plan, circulation of traffic, uses and architecture) for questions and comments.
There is no public access to the site
The site area is 8.3 acres: 2.3 acres of open space, with 1 acre designated as a public park. The property falls under a C2-D Community Commercial Zone, which allows for hotels, motels, and inns, multifamily residential and mixed use, and buildings to not exceed three stories or 35 feet, according to the meeting presentation.
Swenson is looking at about 265 proposed parking spaces in total, but needs to determine if car parking is a priority, or if parking will be limited to accommodate multimodal transportation, such as bikes and buses, according to Development Project Manager Jessie Bristow.
Dennis Smith, chairman of the Santa Cruz Port Commission, said the commission wants to support the community through this process.
“We want to be involved so we know how the community feels, what they think,” he said.The port commission submitted a Request for Proposal to develop the project but was not selected. However, the port commission did pass a resolution in support of the County of Santa Cruz’s efforts in facilitating the sale and development of the project.
Two concerns expressed at the meeting were traffic and parking, Bristow said. He said Swenson is working with the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor and the port commission on how the 2-acre site could be used for boat, trailer and vehicle parking.
County resident Janet Benaquisto said her husband parks in the overflow lot, which is used for boaters’ trucks and trailers, and he has been stressing about it not being available in this project.
“I don’t want to see something go away that’s important for the boating community,” she said.
Benaquisto said she thinks the whole county should know about this development. “This is our county tax money,” she said. “We all have a say in this.”
The community meetings are one of the first steps in the development process. Swenson will adjust the site plan based on community and county feedback, then submit a pre-application with the Santa Cruz County Planning Department, Bristow said.
The next community workshop is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Live Oak Elementary School, 1916 Capitola Road. Spanish translation services will be available and food will be provided. The workshop will provide the same information as the previous workshop. For information, visit santacruzharborvillage.com and harborneighbors.weebly.com.
Swenson is looking at about 265 proposed parking spaces in total, but needs to determine if car parking is a priority, or if parking will be limited to accommodate multimodal transportation, such as bikes and buses, according to Development Project Manager Jessie Bristow.
Dennis Smith, chairman of the Santa Cruz Port Commission, said the commission wants to support the community through this process.
“We want to be involved so we know how the community feels, what they think,” he said.The port commission submitted a Request for Proposal to develop the project but was not selected. However, the port commission did pass a resolution in support of the County of Santa Cruz’s efforts in facilitating the sale and development of the project.
Two concerns expressed at the meeting were traffic and parking, Bristow said. He said Swenson is working with the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor and the port commission on how the 2-acre site could be used for boat, trailer and vehicle parking.
County resident Janet Benaquisto said her husband parks in the overflow lot, which is used for boaters’ trucks and trailers, and he has been stressing about it not being available in this project.
“I don’t want to see something go away that’s important for the boating community,” she said.
Benaquisto said she thinks the whole county should know about this development. “This is our county tax money,” she said. “We all have a say in this.”
The community meetings are one of the first steps in the development process. Swenson will adjust the site plan based on community and county feedback, then submit a pre-application with the Santa Cruz County Planning Department, Bristow said.
The next community workshop is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Live Oak Elementary School, 1916 Capitola Road. Spanish translation services will be available and food will be provided. The workshop will provide the same information as the previous workshop. For information, visit santacruzharborvillage.com and harborneighbors.weebly.com.
Fisherwoman bringing new focus to Harbor issues
By Jessica A. York
Santa Cruz Sentinel
January 30, 2019
Only the second woman elected to serve on the Santa Cruz Port Commission since the choice was put to public vote 40 years ago, Neli Cardoso has wasted little time getting to the point.
Shortly after being sworn in alongside returning Commissioner Toby Goddard last week, Cardoso said she immediately got down to business: seeking dedicated free parking for harbor businesses. The idea did not earn her peers’ support, however, she said.
Next on her personal agenda is to build momentum for an idea to have the harbor acquire the deed to a leased harbor overflow parking lot. The 8.3-acre property at Brommer Street and Seventh Avenue, purchased in recent decades by the now-defunct county redevelopment agency, “must be sold under state law,” according to Santa Cruz County officials. In October 2017, San Jose-based Swenson was chosen by the county as the “preferred lead developer,” with additional efforts to seek public input promised.
Community draw
Tuesday, Cardoso, 66, and her husband, Thomas Whieldon, drew passing community members by the handful while speaking with a reporter for less than an hour at the vacant overflow parking lot. Passersby were attracted by one of Cardoso’s election staples, a large banner sign erected above one of the couple’s vehicles, stating in part, “No Hotel at 7th & Brommer.” Most just asked where they could sign a petition opposing such a development favored by county leaders.
“I never give up,” Cardoso, who speaks five languages, said of her approach to problem-solving. “I’m not a good talker. I’m good at listening and reflect what people say. When I do my opinions, I have a straight answer. I don’t like to do curves — speak out my mind when I’m sure.”
Cardoso, who overtook incumbent Commissioner Reed Geisreiter in the Nov. 6 election, lives close to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor in a Live Oak neighborhood and rents a harbor slip for her 17-foot boat. A 40-year-resident of Santa Cruz County, Cardoso said she is concerned for the interests of boaters, commercial and recreational anglers, harbor businesses and nearby residents. Her most immediate female predecessor, Patricia Johnson, was elected in 1979 on the strength of campaign to represent the voice of the harbor’s nonboating neighbors. Johnson was the only nonincumbent in the Port District’s first election. Previous commission members dating back to 1951 were appointed by the Santa Cruz City Council and Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, including former Santa Cruz Mayor Sally Di-Girolamo’s months-long 1977 appointment.
Parking lot visions
The Brommer Street lot’s future was one of Cardoso’s biggest campaign issues in both her 2018 and unsuccessful 2016 campaigns. She said this week she envisions the lot housing a small affordable housing project on 2 acres of the lot, a place where harbor workers can live, plus opening the site up to public parking for the area. When Cardoso introduces her idea, she typically stresses favoring a “park,” potentially blurring understanding of her concept for listeners. While the Port District has no ownership rights to the lot, Cardoso, a retired cosmetologist, said she envisions the county handing over the property for free to harbor officials.
“You keep people happy,” Cardoso said of supplying neighborhood parking. “If people are happy, they come back for the businesses.”
Another interest the dual Brazilian and American citizen has is to increase the harbor’s juvenile salmon releases into Monterey Bay. The idea is also a favorite for Whieldon, who tends to be a vocal shadow for Cardoso.
“Everything, we’re doing together. Go dancing, go fishing, play with our grandson — we do things together,” Cardoso said. “We met each other in a class, dancing.”
“I didn’t think this beautiful lady would ever dance with me in a million years,” said Whieldon, Cardoso’s husband of 10 years. “But you never know until you try.”
Santa Cruz Sentinel
January 30, 2019
Only the second woman elected to serve on the Santa Cruz Port Commission since the choice was put to public vote 40 years ago, Neli Cardoso has wasted little time getting to the point.
Shortly after being sworn in alongside returning Commissioner Toby Goddard last week, Cardoso said she immediately got down to business: seeking dedicated free parking for harbor businesses. The idea did not earn her peers’ support, however, she said.
Next on her personal agenda is to build momentum for an idea to have the harbor acquire the deed to a leased harbor overflow parking lot. The 8.3-acre property at Brommer Street and Seventh Avenue, purchased in recent decades by the now-defunct county redevelopment agency, “must be sold under state law,” according to Santa Cruz County officials. In October 2017, San Jose-based Swenson was chosen by the county as the “preferred lead developer,” with additional efforts to seek public input promised.
Community draw
Tuesday, Cardoso, 66, and her husband, Thomas Whieldon, drew passing community members by the handful while speaking with a reporter for less than an hour at the vacant overflow parking lot. Passersby were attracted by one of Cardoso’s election staples, a large banner sign erected above one of the couple’s vehicles, stating in part, “No Hotel at 7th & Brommer.” Most just asked where they could sign a petition opposing such a development favored by county leaders.
“I never give up,” Cardoso, who speaks five languages, said of her approach to problem-solving. “I’m not a good talker. I’m good at listening and reflect what people say. When I do my opinions, I have a straight answer. I don’t like to do curves — speak out my mind when I’m sure.”
Cardoso, who overtook incumbent Commissioner Reed Geisreiter in the Nov. 6 election, lives close to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor in a Live Oak neighborhood and rents a harbor slip for her 17-foot boat. A 40-year-resident of Santa Cruz County, Cardoso said she is concerned for the interests of boaters, commercial and recreational anglers, harbor businesses and nearby residents. Her most immediate female predecessor, Patricia Johnson, was elected in 1979 on the strength of campaign to represent the voice of the harbor’s nonboating neighbors. Johnson was the only nonincumbent in the Port District’s first election. Previous commission members dating back to 1951 were appointed by the Santa Cruz City Council and Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, including former Santa Cruz Mayor Sally Di-Girolamo’s months-long 1977 appointment.
Parking lot visions
The Brommer Street lot’s future was one of Cardoso’s biggest campaign issues in both her 2018 and unsuccessful 2016 campaigns. She said this week she envisions the lot housing a small affordable housing project on 2 acres of the lot, a place where harbor workers can live, plus opening the site up to public parking for the area. When Cardoso introduces her idea, she typically stresses favoring a “park,” potentially blurring understanding of her concept for listeners. While the Port District has no ownership rights to the lot, Cardoso, a retired cosmetologist, said she envisions the county handing over the property for free to harbor officials.
“You keep people happy,” Cardoso said of supplying neighborhood parking. “If people are happy, they come back for the businesses.”
Another interest the dual Brazilian and American citizen has is to increase the harbor’s juvenile salmon releases into Monterey Bay. The idea is also a favorite for Whieldon, who tends to be a vocal shadow for Cardoso.
“Everything, we’re doing together. Go dancing, go fishing, play with our grandson — we do things together,” Cardoso said. “We met each other in a class, dancing.”
“I didn’t think this beautiful lady would ever dance with me in a million years,” said Whieldon, Cardoso’s husband of 10 years. “But you never know until you try.”
What does public participation really mean to the county?
By Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis
Santa Cruz Sentinel
June 11, 2017
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20170610/jean-brocklebank-and-michael-lewis-what-does-public-participation-really-mean-to-the-county
On June 7 with the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors, the Office of Economic Development issued a Request for Qualifications to find a buyer and developer of the property at 7th Ave. and Brommer St., a Coastal Priority Site in the county’s General Plan.
The General Plan specifies the “preferred use” of this site as a “community park facility,” with “community commercial” as an "alternate" use.
From 1994 to 2007 residents knew the preferred use for the site was the development of a community park facility. The Redevelopment Agency purchased one parcel in 2000 as “a designated park site.” In 2005 the County Parks Commission recommended to the RDA that it purchase the remainder of the property for “addition into the County Park System.
However, for the eventual purchase by the RDA the preferred use was combined with the alternate use, thus changing 13 years of history of the property as a Community Park Facility. That change was initiated by the Planning Department director in his letter to the RDA for its June 5, 2007 meeting which stated “the property is being acquired with the intent of using it for a future public park and visitor serving uses, including visitor accommodations.”
With the RDA’s change of use for the site, the public had to accept there would be visitor serving development at 7th and Brommer in addition to a community park. Then in 2011 the RDA was dissolved and the county was required to sell the property by 2019, with sale proceeds going to school and fire districts, etc.
In June 2016, when the Office of Economic Development issued its first Request for Qualifications, the site suddenly became a Hospitality Development Opportunity. The word park was gone from that descriptive title.
Three months later, in September 2016, the Board of Supervisors voted to reject the only response to the first Request for Qualifications. In the staff report for that item, the property was rebranded yet again, this time called the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site. The word park was still missing from that descriptive name.
Fast forward to April 27, 2017. This time the county provided a community forum before issuing a new Request for Qualifications, to request community input, assuring us that the county wanted to hear our ideas, our visions for the property. More than 100 residents attended.
While the first objective of the Request for Qualifications on page two is to “Achieve the goals of the community,” we found an omission and an addition in this year’s Request for Qualifications, both of which appear to contradict any objective to achieve the goals of the community.
First, under Role of the Developer, the bullet point “Provide required parks and public amenities,” that was in the 2016 Request for Qualifications, disappeared. This deliberate omission calls into question the stated intent to meet the vision of the community, since the comments received before the Request for Qualifications was issued overwhelmingly favored park and public amenities. Second, the Development Vision includes a new bullet point that reads: “Justification of proposed land uses other than the coastal priority uses being contemplated.” This ambiguity leaves the door open for a proposal that ignores community desires.
Residents are now asking these questions: What does public participation really mean to the county? Why bother?
Santa Cruz Sentinel
June 11, 2017
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20170610/jean-brocklebank-and-michael-lewis-what-does-public-participation-really-mean-to-the-county
On June 7 with the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors, the Office of Economic Development issued a Request for Qualifications to find a buyer and developer of the property at 7th Ave. and Brommer St., a Coastal Priority Site in the county’s General Plan.
The General Plan specifies the “preferred use” of this site as a “community park facility,” with “community commercial” as an "alternate" use.
From 1994 to 2007 residents knew the preferred use for the site was the development of a community park facility. The Redevelopment Agency purchased one parcel in 2000 as “a designated park site.” In 2005 the County Parks Commission recommended to the RDA that it purchase the remainder of the property for “addition into the County Park System.
However, for the eventual purchase by the RDA the preferred use was combined with the alternate use, thus changing 13 years of history of the property as a Community Park Facility. That change was initiated by the Planning Department director in his letter to the RDA for its June 5, 2007 meeting which stated “the property is being acquired with the intent of using it for a future public park and visitor serving uses, including visitor accommodations.”
With the RDA’s change of use for the site, the public had to accept there would be visitor serving development at 7th and Brommer in addition to a community park. Then in 2011 the RDA was dissolved and the county was required to sell the property by 2019, with sale proceeds going to school and fire districts, etc.
In June 2016, when the Office of Economic Development issued its first Request for Qualifications, the site suddenly became a Hospitality Development Opportunity. The word park was gone from that descriptive title.
Three months later, in September 2016, the Board of Supervisors voted to reject the only response to the first Request for Qualifications. In the staff report for that item, the property was rebranded yet again, this time called the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site. The word park was still missing from that descriptive name.
Fast forward to April 27, 2017. This time the county provided a community forum before issuing a new Request for Qualifications, to request community input, assuring us that the county wanted to hear our ideas, our visions for the property. More than 100 residents attended.
While the first objective of the Request for Qualifications on page two is to “Achieve the goals of the community,” we found an omission and an addition in this year’s Request for Qualifications, both of which appear to contradict any objective to achieve the goals of the community.
First, under Role of the Developer, the bullet point “Provide required parks and public amenities,” that was in the 2016 Request for Qualifications, disappeared. This deliberate omission calls into question the stated intent to meet the vision of the community, since the comments received before the Request for Qualifications was issued overwhelmingly favored park and public amenities. Second, the Development Vision includes a new bullet point that reads: “Justification of proposed land uses other than the coastal priority uses being contemplated.” This ambiguity leaves the door open for a proposal that ignores community desires.
Residents are now asking these questions: What does public participation really mean to the county? Why bother?
Three examples of Comments to the Board of Supervisors
regarding approval of the new 2017 RFQ
Consent Agenda Item 18*
June 6, 2017
Supervisors:
At this morning's Board of Supervisors meeting, I presented my concerns about the RFQ for the 7th and Brommer property, in particular on an omission and an addition to the text that weaken the RFQ's response to input solicited from the public at the recent public meeting on this development.
On Page 4, under "Role of the Developer," the bullet point "Provide required parks and public amenities,” that was in the 2016 RFQ, was removed from the 2017 document. Why was this done? This calls into question the expressed intent of the RFQ to incorporate the overwhelming comments from the community favoring park and public amenities at this site.
On Page 7 of the RFQ, the Development Vision includes a bullet point that reads: "Justification of proposed land uses other than the coastal priority uses being contemplated." This phrase is confusing and ambiguous. It leaves the door open for a proposal that not only may ignore community desires and input from the April 27 meeting, but may also be in conflict with historic use designations for the property.
The RFQ is scheduled for release tomorrow, so there is still time to edit and correct the document. I ask that you direct the Office of Economic Development to restore the "Provide required parks and public amenities” bullet point to the "Role of the Developer" section on page two, and remove the ambiguous bullet point from the "Development Vision" section of Page 7.
These two edits will restore direction to potential bidders to include park and public amenities in their proposals, and will make the RFQ consistent with its stated first objective: "1. Achieve the goals of the community."
Michael A. Lewis
Live Oak
__________________________________________________
I am a resident of Sorrento Oaks and wanted to express my concerns about the upcoming sale and development of the property at 7th and Brommer St. and also to request a delay in issuing the RFQ until further community input is provided.
A single meeting (which I was out of town for) is insufficient to garner community input on a project that will have such a large impact on local traffic and on the character of the Live Oak neighborhood. I personally am open to a commercial visitor project, if done in the right way. I teach Strategic Communication for the Naval Postgraduate School and the process that you have outlined carries great risk for both the County and the Developer. The RFQ does not provide adequate guidance for the developer to obtain community input nor does it address the many risks associated with a design that does not include community needs.
If you do not call for a detailed process for gathering requirements you will likely trigger a "NIMBY" response from the community that will impact the sale of the property and your own political futures. Because of the high risk, I request that you delay issuing the RFQ until further structured community input is provided. This input should outline specific processes and outcomes that should be addressed by the developer. The current RFQ provides such broad and unspecific guidance that the developer can do anything that they want. Please delay the RFQ.
Anita Salem
Live Oak
__________________________________________________
I request that the RFQ not be accepted and that it be returned to the Office of Economic Development to be rethought and rewritten.
Over the past 23 years, liberties have been taken with the property at 7th & Brommer.
We started with a Community Park Facility as the "Preferred Use" of this Coastal Priority Site in the 1994 General Plan. Community Commercial was (and still is) an "Alternate Use" of the site in the General Plan.
Six years later, in 2000, the RDA purchased one lot of the property. This purchase was provided for through the County’s policy which creates first right of purchase on designated park sites.
Five years after that first designated park site purchase, in June 2005 the County Parks Commission passed a motion to recommend to the RDA Board that the County acquire the last of the 7th Avenue parcels "for addition into the County Park System."
Since the General Plan's Preferred Use for the site was (and remains so) Development of a Community Park Facility, and since the RDA had already purchased one parcel in 2000 as a designated park site, and since the County Parks Commission had recommended to the RDA that it purchase the remainder of the property for "addition into the County Park System," all of this occurring over a 13 year period, the public trusted that this is why the RDA was purchasing the remainder of the property.
However, in June 2007 we find the Preferred Use was unilaterally combined with the Alternate Use for the Coastal Priority Site, thus changing 13 years of administrative history of the property as a Community Park Facility. This change was initiated by the Planning Department Director in his letter to the RDA for its June 2007 meeting which stated "the property is being acquired with the intent of using it for a future public park and visitor serving uses, including visitor accommodations."
By June 2016, under the pen of the County Office of Economic Development, the property use morphed further, called a Hospitality Development Opportunity in the first RFQ issued last year.
Three months later in September 2016 in a staff report from the CAO concerning a BOS agenda item to reject the one response to the 2016 RFQ, the property was renamed again, this time the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site.
The RFQ mentions "meeting the vision of the community." I invite everyone to read Appendix A and see if the RFQ incorporates that community vision, as it invites 2.6 million northern California residents to come view the waterfront.
Jean Brocklebank
Live Oak
* Approve Request for Qualifications for the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site, and direct the Office of Economic Development to return with an exclusive negotiation agreement with a qualified developer, as recommended by the County Administrative Officer.
Click HERE for the June 6, 2017 Agenda, scroll down to Consent Agenda Item #18
At this morning's Board of Supervisors meeting, I presented my concerns about the RFQ for the 7th and Brommer property, in particular on an omission and an addition to the text that weaken the RFQ's response to input solicited from the public at the recent public meeting on this development.
On Page 4, under "Role of the Developer," the bullet point "Provide required parks and public amenities,” that was in the 2016 RFQ, was removed from the 2017 document. Why was this done? This calls into question the expressed intent of the RFQ to incorporate the overwhelming comments from the community favoring park and public amenities at this site.
On Page 7 of the RFQ, the Development Vision includes a bullet point that reads: "Justification of proposed land uses other than the coastal priority uses being contemplated." This phrase is confusing and ambiguous. It leaves the door open for a proposal that not only may ignore community desires and input from the April 27 meeting, but may also be in conflict with historic use designations for the property.
The RFQ is scheduled for release tomorrow, so there is still time to edit and correct the document. I ask that you direct the Office of Economic Development to restore the "Provide required parks and public amenities” bullet point to the "Role of the Developer" section on page two, and remove the ambiguous bullet point from the "Development Vision" section of Page 7.
These two edits will restore direction to potential bidders to include park and public amenities in their proposals, and will make the RFQ consistent with its stated first objective: "1. Achieve the goals of the community."
Michael A. Lewis
Live Oak
__________________________________________________
I am a resident of Sorrento Oaks and wanted to express my concerns about the upcoming sale and development of the property at 7th and Brommer St. and also to request a delay in issuing the RFQ until further community input is provided.
A single meeting (which I was out of town for) is insufficient to garner community input on a project that will have such a large impact on local traffic and on the character of the Live Oak neighborhood. I personally am open to a commercial visitor project, if done in the right way. I teach Strategic Communication for the Naval Postgraduate School and the process that you have outlined carries great risk for both the County and the Developer. The RFQ does not provide adequate guidance for the developer to obtain community input nor does it address the many risks associated with a design that does not include community needs.
If you do not call for a detailed process for gathering requirements you will likely trigger a "NIMBY" response from the community that will impact the sale of the property and your own political futures. Because of the high risk, I request that you delay issuing the RFQ until further structured community input is provided. This input should outline specific processes and outcomes that should be addressed by the developer. The current RFQ provides such broad and unspecific guidance that the developer can do anything that they want. Please delay the RFQ.
Anita Salem
Live Oak
__________________________________________________
I request that the RFQ not be accepted and that it be returned to the Office of Economic Development to be rethought and rewritten.
Over the past 23 years, liberties have been taken with the property at 7th & Brommer.
We started with a Community Park Facility as the "Preferred Use" of this Coastal Priority Site in the 1994 General Plan. Community Commercial was (and still is) an "Alternate Use" of the site in the General Plan.
Six years later, in 2000, the RDA purchased one lot of the property. This purchase was provided for through the County’s policy which creates first right of purchase on designated park sites.
Five years after that first designated park site purchase, in June 2005 the County Parks Commission passed a motion to recommend to the RDA Board that the County acquire the last of the 7th Avenue parcels "for addition into the County Park System."
Since the General Plan's Preferred Use for the site was (and remains so) Development of a Community Park Facility, and since the RDA had already purchased one parcel in 2000 as a designated park site, and since the County Parks Commission had recommended to the RDA that it purchase the remainder of the property for "addition into the County Park System," all of this occurring over a 13 year period, the public trusted that this is why the RDA was purchasing the remainder of the property.
However, in June 2007 we find the Preferred Use was unilaterally combined with the Alternate Use for the Coastal Priority Site, thus changing 13 years of administrative history of the property as a Community Park Facility. This change was initiated by the Planning Department Director in his letter to the RDA for its June 2007 meeting which stated "the property is being acquired with the intent of using it for a future public park and visitor serving uses, including visitor accommodations."
By June 2016, under the pen of the County Office of Economic Development, the property use morphed further, called a Hospitality Development Opportunity in the first RFQ issued last year.
Three months later in September 2016 in a staff report from the CAO concerning a BOS agenda item to reject the one response to the 2016 RFQ, the property was renamed again, this time the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site.
The RFQ mentions "meeting the vision of the community." I invite everyone to read Appendix A and see if the RFQ incorporates that community vision, as it invites 2.6 million northern California residents to come view the waterfront.
Jean Brocklebank
Live Oak
* Approve Request for Qualifications for the 7th Avenue Visitor Accommodation Site, and direct the Office of Economic Development to return with an exclusive negotiation agreement with a qualified developer, as recommended by the County Administrative Officer.
Click HERE for the June 6, 2017 Agenda, scroll down to Consent Agenda Item #18
Santa Cruz County seeks hotel bids for Live Oak lot
Santa Cruz Sentinel
July 9, 2016
Santa Cruz County is seeking development proposals for an 8.3-acre parcel at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street, for a possible hotel and recreational park overlooking the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Click HERE to read the full article.
July 9, 2016
Santa Cruz County is seeking development proposals for an 8.3-acre parcel at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Brommer Street, for a possible hotel and recreational park overlooking the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Click HERE to read the full article.
Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 15, 2016
Make 7th and Brommer an open space area
In response to the county planner’s request for citizen input, many Live Oak residents do not want a luxury hotel built on the 8.3 acre parcel at the corner of 7th Avenue and Brommer Street. Live Oak already experiences congested traffic on three busy streets: 7th Avenue, Brommer Street and Murray Street. During morning and afternoon commute hours, long lines of traffic line pile up at the Seabright/Murray traffic signal. A luxury hotel, with the potential of a new traffic light at the intersection of 7th and Brommer, means more cars, more congestion. Besides creating traffic, hotels also use too much water, a precious commodity. Thoughtful county planners should consider turning the entire 8.3 acre parcel into an open space for all residents to use, not a high–priced hotel catering to wealthy visitors.
— Grace Voss, Santa Cruz
In response to the county planner’s request for citizen input, many Live Oak residents do not want a luxury hotel built on the 8.3 acre parcel at the corner of 7th Avenue and Brommer Street. Live Oak already experiences congested traffic on three busy streets: 7th Avenue, Brommer Street and Murray Street. During morning and afternoon commute hours, long lines of traffic line pile up at the Seabright/Murray traffic signal. A luxury hotel, with the potential of a new traffic light at the intersection of 7th and Brommer, means more cars, more congestion. Besides creating traffic, hotels also use too much water, a precious commodity. Thoughtful county planners should consider turning the entire 8.3 acre parcel into an open space for all residents to use, not a high–priced hotel catering to wealthy visitors.
— Grace Voss, Santa Cruz
County of Santa Cruz Facebook Page
8 July at 09:41 ·
We want to let the community know about an important upcoming project. The Redevelopment Successor Agency controls a large parcel near the Upper Harbor at 7th and Brommer, which must be disposed of under state law. We are hoping to enlist the community in developing a plan for a visitor-serving site and open space, with the first step being the selection of a development team to guide the process. See below.
PRESS RELEASE:
The County of Santa Cruz is seeking a development team to create a vision for a hospitality-focused mixed-use site near the upper Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, one of the prime development opportunities in the County.
The 8.3-acre vacant parcel is located at the intersection Brommer Street and 7th Avenue, has harbor access and is located off Highway 1 and near Twin Lakes State Beach. The County is seeking proposals for a landmark project with lodging, destination-oriented commercial uses and a large, public open space.
“By working with the public and a first-rate development team, we hope to turn this property into a remarkable example of what this community can do when we work together. We’re hoping to attract the best talent to help us envision the future of the site,” said Andy Constable, Economic Development Manager for the County of Santa Cruz.
The site is currently owned by the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Successor Agency, and its sale is required under a state-approve Long Range Property Management Plan. The County seeks to manage development of the site to maximize community benefits rather that selling the parcel on the open market.
Once a winning respondent is determined and approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the proposal will be advanced by the County, the development team and the community. The County would eventually negotiate a Disposition and Development Agreement to be negotiated with the selected development team.
8 July at 09:41 ·
We want to let the community know about an important upcoming project. The Redevelopment Successor Agency controls a large parcel near the Upper Harbor at 7th and Brommer, which must be disposed of under state law. We are hoping to enlist the community in developing a plan for a visitor-serving site and open space, with the first step being the selection of a development team to guide the process. See below.
PRESS RELEASE:
The County of Santa Cruz is seeking a development team to create a vision for a hospitality-focused mixed-use site near the upper Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, one of the prime development opportunities in the County.
The 8.3-acre vacant parcel is located at the intersection Brommer Street and 7th Avenue, has harbor access and is located off Highway 1 and near Twin Lakes State Beach. The County is seeking proposals for a landmark project with lodging, destination-oriented commercial uses and a large, public open space.
“By working with the public and a first-rate development team, we hope to turn this property into a remarkable example of what this community can do when we work together. We’re hoping to attract the best talent to help us envision the future of the site,” said Andy Constable, Economic Development Manager for the County of Santa Cruz.
The site is currently owned by the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Successor Agency, and its sale is required under a state-approve Long Range Property Management Plan. The County seeks to manage development of the site to maximize community benefits rather that selling the parcel on the open market.
Once a winning respondent is determined and approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the proposal will be advanced by the County, the development team and the community. The County would eventually negotiate a Disposition and Development Agreement to be negotiated with the selected development team.
Santa Cruz Co. Harbor Hospitality Site
KSCO, June 30, 2016
SANTA CRUZ- The County of Santa Cruz is seeking a development team to create a vision for a hospitality-focused mixed-use site near the upper Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, one of the prime development opportunities in the County. The 8.3-acre vacant parcel is located at the intersection Brommer Street and 7th Avenue, has harbor access and is located off Highway 1 and near Twin Lakes State Beach. The County is seeking proposals for a landmark project with lodging, destination-oriented commercial uses and a large, public open space. “By working with the public and a first-rate development team, we hope to turn this property into a remarkable example of what this community can do when we work together. We’re hoping to attract the best talent to help us envision the future of the site,” said Andy Constable, Economic Development Manager for the County of Santa Cruz. The site is currently owned by the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Successor Agency, and its sale is required under a state-approve Long Range Property Management Plan. The County seeks to manage development of the site to maximize community benefits rather than selling the parcel on the open market. Once a winning respondent is determined and approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the proposal will be advanced by the County, the development team and the community. The County would eventually negotiate a Disposition and Development Agreement to be negotiated with the selected development team. Bids are due August 12, For more information and to download the request for qualifications, go to http://www.co.santacruz.ca.us/Departments/GeneralServices/Purchasing/Solicitations.aspx
KSCO, June 30, 2016
SANTA CRUZ- The County of Santa Cruz is seeking a development team to create a vision for a hospitality-focused mixed-use site near the upper Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, one of the prime development opportunities in the County. The 8.3-acre vacant parcel is located at the intersection Brommer Street and 7th Avenue, has harbor access and is located off Highway 1 and near Twin Lakes State Beach. The County is seeking proposals for a landmark project with lodging, destination-oriented commercial uses and a large, public open space. “By working with the public and a first-rate development team, we hope to turn this property into a remarkable example of what this community can do when we work together. We’re hoping to attract the best talent to help us envision the future of the site,” said Andy Constable, Economic Development Manager for the County of Santa Cruz. The site is currently owned by the Santa Cruz County Redevelopment Successor Agency, and its sale is required under a state-approve Long Range Property Management Plan. The County seeks to manage development of the site to maximize community benefits rather than selling the parcel on the open market. Once a winning respondent is determined and approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, the proposal will be advanced by the County, the development team and the community. The County would eventually negotiate a Disposition and Development Agreement to be negotiated with the selected development team. Bids are due August 12, For more information and to download the request for qualifications, go to http://www.co.santacruz.ca.us/Departments/GeneralServices/Purchasing/Solicitations.aspx