Housing and construction projects in Santa Cruz County

Stay up to date on major housing and construction projects across Santa Cruz County and find out how to make your voice heard. 

Major water and highway projects in Santa Cruz County

• Highway 1 work in Santa Cruz County through 2025
  • Three phases of Highway 1 work will add auxiliary lanes, bus-on-shoulder areas, new bridges for cyclists and walkers and Segment 12 of the Coastal Rail Trail. (Updated September 2023)
• Pure Water Soquel conveyance project
  • An 8-mile pipeline is being constructed underground from the Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility at 110 California St. in Santa Cruz to a new water purification center in Live Oak and on to Aptos.

Santa Cruz

• 119 Coral St., Harvey West Studios permanent supportive housing
  • A project was approved for 120 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless people with disabilities. (Updated September 2023)
• 126 Eucalyptus Ave., Watermark at Santa Cruz senior housing project
  • The project at the former Gateway School site has been approved with 76 homes for seniors. (Updated February 2023)
• 130 Center St., Calypso apartments
  • A six-story apartment complex with shops at 130 Center St. was approved by the city council in 2022. It awaited a building permit as of September 2023. The lot is across from Depot Park.
• 136 River St. affordable apartments
  • Fifty-one units of affordable housing are proposed at the former site of Outdoor World on River Street. (Updated November 2023)
• 150 Felker St. apartments
  • A 35-unit, five-story apartment complex has been proposed near Highway 1 and the San Lorenzo River. (Updated September 2023)
• 190 West Cliff Drive, Dream Inn parking lot housing project
  • Owners of the Dream Inn plan to build 89 housing units on a parking lot across from the hotel. The project would be four stories with two levels of underground parking. (Updated July 2023)
• 215 Beach St., La Bahia Hotel and Spa
  • A 155-room luxury hotel and spa is under construction. (Updated February 2023)
• 300 block of Swift Street, Santa Cruz City Schools workforce housing
  • The proposed project on the west side of Santa Cruz would provide roughly 80 units of rental housing for Santa Cruz City Schools’ district staff and teachers.
• 301 Beach St., Marea Sol Hotel, formerly Coastview Inn (Complete)
  • Owners are building an addition to the existing hotel, including the addition of five rooms, two new floors and an exterior remodel.
• 314 Jessie St. affordable supportive housing
  • A four-story, 50-unit supportive housing project with all affordable units is under construction at 314 Jessie St. in Santa Cruz. (Updated October 2023)
• 324 Front St. Downtown hotel
  • A six-story hotel with 228 rooms is proposed. It would replace the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union building and two city-owned parcels. (Updated October 2023)
• 350 Ocean St., Ocean Street Apartments (Complete)
  • Construction of 63 apartments finished in February 2022. Each unit has one to three bedrooms.
• 415 Natural Bridges Drive apartments
  • Twenty studios are expected to built on land owned by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz. Construction is expected to start in May 2023. (Updated April 2023)
• 500 block of Cedar Street, Cedar Street apartments
  • A 65-unit affordable housing project between Center and Cedar streets next to Calvary Episcopal Church. (Updated October 2023)
• 515 Soquel Ave., Talbott Apartments
  • A 43-unit, three-building apartment complex is proposed. (Updated July 2023)
• 530 Front St. housing complex
  • A seven- and eight-story, 276-unit rental housing complex is planned at Front Street and Soquel Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz. (Updated April 2023)
• 727 Hanover St. housing project
  • Eleven homes are proposed.
• 800 block of Pacific Avenue, Pacific Station housing complex
  • This project includes up to 179 affordable units above ground-floor commercial space. A new Downtown bus depot and medical and dental office space are in the project. (Updated September 2023)
• 831 Water St. (Water Street and Branciforte Avenue)
  • This proposal calls for a “workforce housing” building and a second “affordable housing” building at the intersection of Water Street and Branciforte Avenue. Each building would be four stories.
• 900 High St., Peace Village housing complex at Peace United Church of Christ
  • Church leaders have proposed a 40-unit complex with nine affordable units on church property at 900 High St.
• 908 Ocean St., Ocean Place condominiums
  • Twenty parcels are proposed to be combined on Ocean and May streets to build 390 condos and ground-floor shops. (Updated February 2023)
• 1130 Mission St., Food Bin redevelopment
  • This project calls for a five-story building with 59 single-occupancy units with ground-floor commercial space. (Updated April 2023)
• 2332 Mission St., Linda Vista Shopping Center, with La Cabaña Taqueria and Arrow Surf & Sport
  • Developers are renovating a strip mall that was severely damaged in a fire in 2022. The center now includes La Cabaña Taqueria and Arrow Surf & Sport, which will remain open during construction, then operate in the renovated center. (Updated February 2023)
• Downtown Santa Cruz library, parking garage and housing
  • This project calls for a new library, up to 125 affordable housing units and a parking garage at Cedar and Cathcart streets.
• Highways 1 and 9 intersection project (Complete)
  • New turn lanes, bike lanes and shoulders are being added to Highway 1 and 9, and along River Street in Santa Cruz.
• Mission Studios housing project
  • A three-story mixed use development with ground-floor offices and second- and third-story apartments is proposed on the south side of Mission Street between Palm and Dufour streets. (Updated July 2023)
• Pacific Front Laurel
  • This project calls for 205 market-rate housing units with ground-floor shops. The project takes up the entire downtown block between Pacific Avenue, Front and Laurel streets. The project has six stories plus two levels of underground parking.
• UC Santa Cruz housing projects, Student Housing West and Kresge College
  • Student Housing West is a proposal to build housing on two sites with beds for more than 3,000 UCSC students. Kresge College additions and renovations are expected to add 662 beds.  

Aptos

• Aptos Village Phase 2
  • Twenty-nine homes and at least seven shops are expected to be built next to 141 Aptos Village Way in Aptos.

Soquel

• 2838 Park Ave., Soquel, Project Homekey housing
  • Thirty-five permanent supportive housing units and one manager’s unit are proposed to be built with a potential $13.5 million from the state. The aim is to prevent homelessness among veterans and families house young adults who aged out of the foster-care system.

Live Oak

• 1520 Capitola Road, Bienestar Plaza
  • The project calls for 57 units of affordable housing and two clinics: a Dientes Community Dental Care and a Santa Cruz Community Health Center. (Updated April 2023)
• Maciel Residential Community
  • The project calls for 21 detached single-family townhomes at 1960 Maciel Ave. in Live Oak. (Updated February 2023)
• Kaiser Permanente medical complex, 5940 Soquel Ave. (Canceled)
  • Kaiser Permanente leaders in May backed out of purchasing 5940 Soquel Ave. in Live Oak for a previously planned 160,000-square-foot medical complex. (Updated September 2023)

Capitola

• 1098 38th Ave. affordable housing
  • Nonprofit developer MidPen Housing has proposed 52 units of affordable housing in a three-story project. (Updated November 2023)
• Capitola Mall
  • The Capitola Mall project calls for 637 housing units, commercial space and a theater where the Capitola Mall now stands.

Watsonville

• 141 Miles Lane, Sparrow Terrace affordable housing project
  • A 72-unit affordable housing project with supportive services is under construction on Miles Lane in Watsonville. (Updated October 2023)
• 1482 Freedom Blvd.
  • 53 affordable housing units have been approved for construction at Freedom Boulevard and Atkinson Lane.
• The Residence at 558 Main
  • 50 apartments will be built at 558 Main St., south of East Fifth Street in Watsonville.
• Watsonville City Plaza
  • A redesign of the plaza in downtown Watsonville would make improvements to walkways, increase seating and add other amenities.

Scotts Valley

• Bay Village subdivision
  • Eight houses and two duplexes will be built on a vacant lot between MacDorsa Park and the Scotts Valley Fire Department on Erba Lane.

More Resources:

• City of Santa Cruz Active Planning Applications and Status page
• County of Santa Cruz Planning Department page
• City of Capitola Community Development page
• City of Scotts Valley Current Projects page
• City of Watsonville Planning Division page
• Housing Santa Cruz County’s Affordable Housing Projects page

Construction continues on a 205-unit housing project with shops at Pacific Avenue and Laurel Street in Santa Cruz on Oct. 19, 2022. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local)