A six-story hotel is proposed for 324 Front St. in Downtown Santa Cruz. (BCV Architecture + Interiors)

Last updated: March 2024

Project name: The Cruz Hotel

Location: 324 Front St. 

Front and Laurel streets downtown. Part of the property includes two city-owned parking lots.

Status

  • The Santa Cruz City Council approved the project March 26, 2024 on a 5-1 vote, with Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley, Vice Mayor Renee Golder, and Councilmembers Sonja Brunner, Scott Newsome and Martine Watkins in favor and Councilmember Sandy Brown opposed. The project is expected to be appealed to the California Coastal Commission, the developer said.
  • The Santa Cruz Planning Commission approved the project Feb. 15, 2024. The project needs approval from the Santa Cruz City Council and the California Coastal Commission.
  • The proposed building takes advantage of a change to the Downtown Plan approved by the city council in October 2023. Under previous rules, buildings in some parts of downtown could be up to 70 feet tall if they include housing. The changes allow buildings without housing to qualify for the extra height. In this case, the extra height in this case allows for 116 additional hotel rooms, according to planning documents.
  • In May 2021 the Santa Cruz City Council approved the potential sale of two publicly-owned parcels to a developer for the proposed high-end hotel. The resolution does not guarantee the land sale. 
  • In September 2021, the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union sold its building at 324 Front St. to the developer for $6 million, according to county records.

Developer

SCFS Venture LLC, a New York-based company affiliated with New York-based hotel real estate investor Eagle Point Hotel Partners and Santa Cruz-based developer Owen Lawlor of Lawlor Land Use.

Project description

  • Total rooms: 232.
  • Height: 6 stories.
  • Details: Plans submitted by New York-based developer SCFS Venture LLC include:
    • Three floors of underground parking with 214 spaces and an automated valet system. It does not include parking for about 130 anticipated employees.
    • Shops, a cafe and a restaurant on the ground floor.
    • A publicly accessible rooftop bar with three pools.
    • A banquet hall and conference space.
    • A public outdoor dining area and lawn with a path to the Santa Cruz Riverwalk on the San Lorenzo River levee.
A hotel is proposed in Santa Cruz at Front and Laurel streets.

A six-story hotel is proposed on two city lots and a former credit union building near Laurel and Front streets in Downtown Santa Cruz. Across Front Street, the six-story Pacific Front Laurel housing project started leasing in March for occupancy in June 2024. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)

A rendering of the proposed hotel at 324 Front St. in Downtown Santa Cruz from an aerial perspective shows the potential building as a similar height as the new Front Pacific Laurel housing development across Front Street.

A public dining area near the San Lorenzo Riverwalk is included in a hotel project at Laurel and Front streets in Downtown Santa Cruz. (BCV Architecture + Interiors)

Cruz hotel rooftop

A rooftop pool, bar and views are part of a proposed six-story hotel at 324 Front St. in Santa Cruz. (BCV Architecture + Interiors)

Developers proposed a public outdoor dining area and a walk and bike path that connects Front Street to the San Lorenzo Riverwalk. (BCV Architecture + Interiors)

A rendering of the rooftop of the proposed Cruz Hotel at 324 Front St. in Downtown Santa Cruz shows kids and adults in a swimming pool that has a view of the ocean.

A rooftop pool, bar and views of Monterey Bay are part of a proposed six-story hotel at 324 Front St. in Santa Cruz. (BCV Architecture + Interiors)

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