Local music venue, The Catalyst, has been in the building on Pacific Avenue for more than 50 years. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/Catchlight Local)

SANTA CRUZ >> Residents got their first of several opportunities to voice their concerns in a community meeting for the proposed redevelopment of the iconic Catalyst nightclub in Downtown Santa Cruz.

While many people pleaded to preserve the Catalyst building at Thursday’s meeting, residents were also concerned with potential noise complaints from tenants should the Catalyst move to the bottom floor of a new building. Others cited worries about housing affordability and the overall changing appearance of Downtown that they said takes away from its charm. 

“The people of Santa Cruz are opposed to this project en masse,” said resident Andrew Sweeney. The proposal “permanently eliminates an irreplaceable cultural institution that is both a major downtown economic driver and a core part of Santa Cruz’s identity.” 

The meeting, held on Zoom, was open to the public and saw a presentation from GSH Ventures, a developer from Mountain View proposing the project, before hearing questions and comments from residents. 

The Catalyst building is growing “long in the tooth,” Catalyst General Manager Igor Gavric said, and the Catalyst’s team have had conversations separate from this project about its sustainability in the future. 

“This can be viewed as a really good opportunity to create something that the community can have for another 50 years,” he said. “At its current capacity, there’s no guarantee that the Catalyst would keep operating in that building for any amount of time.”

GSH Ventures submitted a pre-application in November 2025 for a seven-story building with 64 condominiums on Pacific Avenue at the Catalyst nightclub’s location with one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Peter Given, an owner representative from GSH Ventures, said the project will include “a certain percentage” of below-market-rate homes. Santa Cruz’s affordable housing guidelines require at least 15% of the units in new projects to be affordable.

A rendering shows a proposed seven-story apartment building where the Catalyst nightclub currently stands on Pacific Avenue. (Humphreys & Partners Architects)

He added that developers are working with the Catalyst to try to put them into a new music venue on the building’s ground floor, though there is no formal agreement yet with the Catalyst.

In its current form, Given said, the Catalyst is not as functional as it could be. He said developers want to design a space for the Catalyst that is intended for music, as the nightclub currently operates out of a former bowling alley. 

Developers estimated the project will be economically beneficial for the city and for businesses in the area, however, some business owners had concerns.

Alyssa Pullen, owner of Tea House spa, said the spa’s bamboo garden shares a wall with the Catalyst. If demolition goes through, Pullen said the spa would be forced to close and relocate, as the shared wall ensures total privacy for the tub and sauna rooms. 

The project is currently in the preliminary application and feasibility phase, Given said, so they have room to take input into account. 

Two design update meetings are scheduled for February and March at the Catalyst.

“We’re really not trying to remove the Catalyst,” Given said. “We’re trying to find creative ways to keep it and to give it a home that it can actually thrive and grow into in the future.”

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