NEW:  Comments on the draft EIR for the Downtown Santa Cruz Plan Expansion

To: Sarah Neuse, Senior Planner

Via email:  sneuse@santacruzca.gov   

Dear Ms. Neuse,

Our organization’s vision motivates our interest in contributing to the future vision for the South of Laurel area. Our vision statement includes support for:

• Reducing our community’s dependency on auto travel by making it safe and convenient to get around without a private automobile. To achieve this vision, we advocate for public transit and safe bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure rather than projects that increase auto capacity.

• Land use decisions that encourage walkable compact development rather than sprawl to improve people’s access to their jobs, school, shopping, recreation, and social life.

• Measures to protect and increase the supply of affordable housing near jobs to reduce demand for motorized transportation and encourage stable and healthy communities.

We appreciate the project’s plans for walkability and bicycle infrastructure and compact development! 

We appreciate that a free transit pass will be provided for each ticket to the Arena!

We appreciate that the City has incorporated the requirement that new development unbundle the cost of parking from the cost of renting/owning a residential unit! This measure will contribute to both a lower cost of housing for those who opt out of purchasing parking, as well as a strong incentive to reduce car ownership. We encourage the City to extend the unbundling requirement to the entire Downtown. 

We request that the City include permanent implementation of a robust shuttle between Downtown and the beach. Most previous plans have called for such a shuttle and various iterations have run for a while; but to date there is no plan nor funding source for a permanent shuttle. For the longer-term we request that the City include in its vision a plan to connect rail transit with the METRO Pacific Station. Connecting rail with bus transit would enhance ridership on both modes. It could also alleviate some of the congestion on Front St. during the peak visitor season that will be exacerbated by increased development.

Here are some additional transportation demand management measures that we believe would be effective:

1. Implement congestion pricing, charging non-resident vehicles proceeding towards the beach on Front St. Proceeds from the charge would go towards a shuttle between City garages Downtown and the beach. Signage and advertising would promote parking in City garages Downtown. We note the considerable vacant capacity in City garages on summer weekends. This congestion pricing plan would result in large numbers of visitors parking Downtown, and businesses in our existing Downtown would benefit. 
2. Offer free bus passes for all residents of new housing development, as already implemented at Pacific Shores Apartments and 1010 Pacific Ave. 
3. Because of the impact of the project on streets immediately outside the project area, improve Laurel St., Pacific Ave., Front St. and Chestnut St. for pedestrian and bike safety as part of the project, including during construction. Currently, on a block of Pacific Ave. the sidewalk and bike lane have disappeared. Prolonged construction in the project area will adversely affect bicycle and pedestrian movement unless adequate detours are established.
4. Eliminate existing free right turns on Front St. outside the project area since they are hazardous to pedestrians and bicyclists.
5. Ensure that new development promotes an enticing and safe sidewalk environment. One of the rationales for multi-use buildings is that ground floor commercial uses would activate the streetscape for pedestrians. But, to date long portions of new ground floor frontage consists of walls or private residential support uses neither of which entice pedestrian use.
6. Prepare an emergency response traffic plan to address (1) how emergency vehicles access or traverse the project area during congested times and (2) how emergency access to serve such a concentrated population will occur (e.g., what if there has to be evacuation of a 12 story building?)

Affordable Housing

We have a concern that allowing much greater heights and hence density than currently allowed will reduce incentives for affordable housing. Under current State law, the more affordable housing provided (both quantity and affordability level), the more incentives are offered to build bigger. Allowing developers to build much bigger by right may reduce the incentive to use density bonus provisions and thus only the minimum required number of affordable units would get constructed.

Furthermore, the City’s proposed Downtown Density Bonus could provide an incentive to developers to opt out of building required affordable units in favor of paying a fee. The amount of the fee appears to be significantly less than the cost of building affordable units. The result would be fewer affordable units built. 

We suggest that the EIR analyze the potential for affordable units under AB 1287 with and without the proposed upzoning of the project area, and with and without the proposed Downtown Density Bonus. Without such analysis, it is not possible to compare the project alternatives in meeting the affordable housing goals of the project.

We also suggest that the EIR examine if rezoning blocks designated medium density residential and high density residential to Regional Visitor Commercial will promote hotels rather than housing. With the recent opening of the Courtyard Santa Cruz on Riverside Avenue, the current construction of LaBahia, and the planned Cruz Hotel, is there really a need for more hotels and with the current closing of several restaurants and the amount of vacant commercial space in the city is there really a need for more restaurants?  Following from the above discussion on activating the sidewalk, the City should prepare an incentive program or require the new projects to incorporate commercial uses that will serve the new residents so that they can walk to at least some of the establishments that they would want to patronize.

Thank you for considering these comments. Could you please acknowledge receipt of this email?

Thank you,

Rick Longinotti, Chair

Expanding Hwy 1 would axe over 1,100 trees

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