Santa Cruz Housing Update
At the recent Santa Cruz Works New Tech on April 5, Gabriel Sanders of Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (“MBEP”). and Sibley Simon of New Way Homes provided an update on housing issues in Santa Cruz County.
Summary MBEP
Gabriel presented statistics on the wages versus housing costs, as well as the types of housing being produced. He also discussed the Regional Housing Needs Allocation and the Housing Element plan, which aims to build more units in different income levels to increase affordability. Gabriel also mentioned governmental and non-governmental constraints, such as land use controls and environmental concerns, that make building more challenging. Finally, he talked about efforts to make it easier to build more affordable housing through laws that make it easier to get more density in commercial areas.
Summary New Way Homes
Sibley talked about the need for regional collaboration to fill the gap between publicly subsidized affordable housing and expensive, high-return housing. He identifies three crises related to housing: 1) a housing shortage, 2) lack of affordable housing resulting in homelessness, and 3) a history of segregation and racial discrimination. Sibley presented the state's plan to address the issue of housing and racial segregation through housing elements and a mandate for affirmatively furthering fair housing. He also talked about upcoming construction of permanent supportive housing in Santa Cruz, along with a smattering of similar housing in the county.
Related Articles