A couple of months ago, I mentioned how I had attended a meeting of the Zoning Administrator at Santa Cruz City Hall. In that entry, I mentioned how one of the projects being discussed that day was a project on Sumner Street, in Seabright. It seems that this project has now caught the attention of even the Santa Cruz Sentinel!
Ahhh yes, it’s a small world, and even a smaller town that we live in. When you read that article, you can begin to get the picture: Santa Cruz isn’t going to be breaking out of its greenbelt, at least not any time soon – and that means we’re going to have to have higher density projects. Higher density projects means smaller lot sizes, so you’ll end up being closer to your neighbors.
Well, not everyone, of course – just those places that are zoned for higher density, as it happens this neighborhood in Seabright is. The owners there, who were speaking against the project at the aforementioned city hall Zoning meeting, probably don’t want the city to bust out of its greenbelt…and they probably do agree that higher density is the way to go. That is, if the city must grow (sigh), then it must do so via higher density…
Just Not In My Back Yard! And there you have it. The crux of the problem. It’s got to happen – just please don’t let it happen to me! The problem for the neighbors who are lobbying against the problem is that their neighborhood is, in fact, zoned for higher density. When you go to buy a property, if you are worried about high density…buy somewhere with low density zoning. That’s no guarantee that they won’t build a massive apartment complex next to your fine equestrian estate, because zoning can change. But do what you can – and be sure to check the parcel’s zoning before you buy!
Live by the Beach
