City of Santa Cruz
In one of the least affordable communities in the nation, a project that provides thoughtful infill and transit-oriented, mixed-use housing can help fulfill the need for housing availability and affordability as well as carbon mitigation and job creation. The 831 Water Street project, proposed by Novin Development Corp., is unique in that it addresses a full spectrum of housing needs, from very low-income (30-80% area median income) to the “missing middle” workforce housing needs. It’s the first development in the city of Santa Cruz to seek streamlined approval under state law SB 35, which removes barriers to the development of affordable housing construction in California cities and counties that have not met state-mandated housing construction requirements.
The proposed mixed-income four-story multi-use development would bring 140 residential apartments — including 71 units of affordable housing and 69 units of middle-income housing — along with artist units and ground-floor commercial space. The project meets all of MBEP’s key criteria and could be a model for mixed-income, higher density proposals on a major commercial corridor.
