More than a dozen Scotts Valley residents attend a Santa Cruz Local listening session at Scotts Valley Branch Library in June. (Kara Meyberg Guzman — Santa Cruz Local)
SCOTTS VALLEY >> Some Scotts Valley voters said they wanted more shops and services in the city, additional affordable housing and more support for families, according to recent interviews and an informal poll.
In the Nov. 5 election, Scotts Valley voters will elect three city council members to four-year terms.
To understand voters’ concerns and priorities, Santa Cruz Local gathered more than a dozen Scotts Valley residents at a listening session at Scotts Valley Branch Library on June 12. They talked about some problems and potential solutions for Scotts Valley, and outlined their questions for city council candidates. More residents shared their concerns in an online survey.
Santa Cruz Local asked:
- What is the most important issue to you in Scotts Valley?
- In an ideal world, how would this issue be resolved?
- What questions do you have for candidates running for Scotts Valley City Council?
Respondents’ most common issues included:
- A need for affordable housing and long-term solutions for homelessness.
- Support for families, including more after-school programs and family activities.
- Bike safety.
Housing and commercial development
Michael Meyer, 68, said more housing options would help residents. (Kara Meyberg Guzman — Santa Cruz Local)
Affordable housing was a top issue. While Scotts Valley exceeded its goals for new housing from 2014 to 2023, the city fell behind on its goals for affordable housing, issuing zero permits for very low income housing. Residents said they were frustrated with the lack of affordable housing.
Michael Meyer, 68, said that many people in the community can’t afford to rent or buy homes. He said the problem is a low supply of housing. “The answer to housing affordability is it’s a supply and demand thing,” Meyer said. “We don’t have much supply, which is why we need more housing.”
Participants said they wanted more done to address empty shops and offices in Scotts Valley, especially along Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road.
The office vacancy rate in Scotts Valley — which is a snapshot of the overall commercial vacancy rate — was 24.8% in the third quarter of 2023, according to the real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield. That rate has more than doubled since 2019 and is more than twice the rate of Santa Cruz County as a whole, the firm reported.
“We look like a ghost town,” said Doug Lentz, a 30-year resident of Scotts Valley. “The businesses that were in the county and in the city are gone.” He said vacancies on Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road are becoming more noticeable. “I see vacant signs everywhere.”
Support for families
Participants in the listening session also said they wished Scotts Valley businesses and city services were more accommodating to families.
It’s common for Scotts Valley parents to work in Santa Clara County, and many respondents said they wanted more options for child care and after-school activities in Scotts Valley. A standard commute home from San Jose or other parts of Silicon Valley can mean parents don’t return home until 6 or 7 p.m., several hours after children get out of school.
“We have so many households who are dual-income workers in order to make it in the county and who commute over the hill for their jobs,” said Lis DuBois, a Scotts Valley resident and executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County. “Their kids need a place to be after school.”
Scotts Valley resident Linda Turner, a retired library technician, said more housing is needed in the city. (Kara Meyberg Guzman — Santa Cruz Local)
Nancy Lentz, 68, said more kids activities in Scotts Valley would be welcome. (Kara Meyberg Guzman — Santa Cruz Local)
Families want more weekend activities in the city of Scotts Valley. “Every other minute my kids are going down to Boardwalk Bowl, and I think to myself that’s money we could be spending in Scotts Valley,” said Nancy Lentz, 68.
“I would like to see some of these vacant spaces used,” said Lentz. More commercial recreation would also help ease the need for after-school care.
“I’ve heard from a lot of our community members about the need for more places, safe places, for teens in particular,” said DuBois. “Like a bowling alley or a movie theater, places where they can go and be teens in a safe environment.”
Bike safety
Bike safety was also a top issue. Participants said they wanted protected bike lanes on Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road.
Respondents also expressed a desire for narrower lanes on Scotts Valley Drive to calm traffic in an area where drivers often speed. Residents said that some after-school programs walk children along Scotts Valley Drive, and would be better supported by a protected biking and pedestrian area.
The Scotts Valley City Council in 2021 approved an Active Transportation Plan that would address some of the participants’ concerns, adding a section of protected bike lane and narrower vehicle lanes on Scotts Valley Drive. It would also add sidewalks on sections of Scotts Valley Drive and Mount Hermon Road, among other priorities. The plan is not yet funded.
“I do want to throw the note of caution out that while there’s a lot of great thinking and intriguing ideas to get us all excited [in the plan], what there’s not is a funding plan to go with it,” said Jim Reed, a former Scotts Valley mayor.
Questions for Scotts Valley City Council candidates
Participants’ questions for Scotts Valley City Council candidates included:
- What specific tactics or solutions will you implement to support youth and families in Scotts Valley?
- How can all the empty office and retail space be utilized?
- How will you build better, safer and more ways for kids and adults to bike in town?
- How will you address infrastructure needed to support the state’s requirements to build more housing?
- What’s your plan to grow tourism in Scotts Valley?
Santa Cruz Local plans to press the candidates on voters’ top concerns and publish their responses in a guide to the Nov. 5 election.
What do you think?
Editor’s note: Santa Cruz Local’s policy is to disclose donors who give $5,000 or more per year. Michael Meyer donated more than $5,000 to Santa Cruz Local in 2023. Read Santa Cruz Local’s editorial independence policy.
Jay Leedy is Santa Cruz Local's community engagement manager.
