Application alert: the Bluffs at 44th
At 10 a.m. Monday, July 7, applications will open for 10 one-bedroom apartments with $2,829 monthly rent. Income limits apply. The first 20 applications emailed to the developer will be considered.
Last updated: July 2025
Many Santa Cruz Local readers have asked how to apply for below-market-rate rentals in new and upcoming housing projects. Some projects will have interest lists from nonprofit developers and others will draw tenants from waitlists maintained by the County of Santa Cruz and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz. Some projects will draw tenants from multiple waitlists.
Residents who want to join interest lists can sign up at these links:
- MidPen Housing has a list of projects in Santa Cruz County and the San Francisco Bay Area. Click on “leasing status” and filter for properties with open interest lists or open waitlists.
- Eden Housing has a list of apartment complexes in the San Francisco Bay Area that are accepting applications.
- Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist: This waitlist has been closed for several years and there is no date to reopen it, housing authority staff said in June 2024. Residents on the waitlist are advised to keep their contact information updated.
- Measure J affordable homes for sale: The County of Santa Cruz lists below-market-rate homes for sale.
Find more information about specific housing projects below. This list is not exhaustive and more projects are expected to be added.
Editor’s note: If you’re interested in housing, contact the organizations on this page. Santa Cruz Local is a news organization and does not handle housing applications or waitlists.
Jump to a section:
- Housing projects under construction
- Recently completed housing projects
- Housing projects due after 2025
- Who is eligible for affordable housing?
- More housing resources
Housing projects under construction
SANTA CRUZ
Pacific Station South, 800 block of Pacific Avenue
Project: 69 below-market rate units that include studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units above ground-floor commercial space. Tenants were in the building as of June 2025.
Interest list: Closed.
Housing Authority waitlist: 47 units were filled from the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist, according to the housing authority. That list is closed.
A seven-story building with 69 affordable housing units stands at Pacific Station South in June 2025. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
Pacific Station North, 800 block of Pacific Avenue
Project: Pacific Station North is a seven-story building with 128 affordable units with offices, stores and a new Santa Cruz Metro office. Construction started in spring 2024 and is anticipated to finish in February 2026.
Interest list contact: Eden Housing has an interest list for prospective tenants on its website. To sign up, fill out your name and contact information and select “Pacific Station North Apartments” from the drop down under “Community.”
Ground-floor shops are included in plans for Pacific Station North. (First Community Housing)
314 Jessie St. affordable supportive housing
Project: Fifty units of supportive housing for people with disabilities finished construction in February 2025. “Residents have been moving in, and lease-up activity is continuing,” wrote Lyn Hikida, a spokesperson for MidPen Housing, in a June 2025 email.
Interest list: Closed. Tenants were referred from the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz and from the county’s Smart Path assessment system for homeless and formerly homeless residents, Hikida said.
A four-story, 50-unit apartment complex stands at 314 Jessie St. in Santa Cruz in June 2025. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
415 Natural Bridges Drive apartments
Project: Twenty studios opened in spring 2025 at a property owned by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz.
Waitlist status: Tenants were chosen from the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist. That list is closed.
Twenty studio apartments opened at 415 Natural Bridges Drive in Santa Cruz in May 2025. (Housing Authority of Santa Cruz County)
APTOS
Project: Twenty-nine homes finished construction in May 2025. Five homes will be sold or rented below market rate, county staff said.
Interest list: Applications closed May 29 for five units priced from $365,000 for a one-bedroom to $428,000 for a three-bedroom condo, county officials said. Applicants were expected to be selected by a random drawing in late June 2025. Potential buyers had to submit an application and meet Measure J buyer eligibility criteria.
Aptos Village Phase 2 finished construction in May 2025. (Swenson)
CAPITOLA
4401 Capitola Road, The Bluffs at 44th
Project: Thirty-five affordable homes and one manager’s unit started construction in April 2024 and are expected to finish in August 2025. The developer is San Diego-based CRP Affordable Housing & Community Development.
Application: At 10 a.m. Monday, July 7, applications will open for 10 one-bedroom apartments with $2,829 monthly rent. Income limits apply. The first 20 applications emailed to the developer will be considered.
Waitlist contacts: Tenants in 25 units will come from the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist, which is closed. Some tenants from the Housing Authority waitlist were contacted in June 2025, wrote CRP Affordable Housing & Community Development representative Jake Moran, in an email.
A 36-unit housing project at 4401 Capitola Road remained under construction in June 2025. (Tyler Maldonado — Santa Cruz Local)
SCOTTS VALLEY
Ridgewood West townhomes on Erba Lane
Project: Nineteen townhomes are proposed on a vacant lot between MacDorsa Park and the Scotts Valley Fire Department on Erba Lane. All homes are expected to be for sale, including two homes for “low income” buyers and one for a “moderate income” buyer. Santa Cruz County makes announcements when affordable homes become available.
Interest list contact: Applications for affordable housing in Scotts Valley are administered through a third party called Housekeys. Residents can submit a profile and find more information on the Housekeys website.
Two-story townhomes are proposed on Erba Lane in Scotts Valley. (City Ventures)
SOQUEL
2838 Park Ave., Soquel, Park Haven Project Homekey housing
Project: Construction started in October 2022 on 35 permanent supportive housing units and one manager’s unit. The project aimed to prevent homelessness among young adults who aged out of the foster-care system, and veterans. The project was put on hold in April 2025 due to unexpected cost increases, and is pursuing additional funding to finish the project. Developer Novin Development and the county are working to secure the site.
Tenant placement: If the project finishes, tenants in 17 units will be referred through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Tenants in 14 units will be placed through family unification vouchers for transition-age youth through the County of Santa Cruz’s Human Services Department. Four units will be for homeless families with minor children from the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist, which is closed.
Thirty-five permanent supportive housing units are partially built at 2838 Park Ave., Soquel. (Novin Development)
Recently completed housing projects
141 Miles Lane, Sparrow Terrace affordable housing project
Project: A 72-unit affordable housing project with supportive services completed construction in late 2025 and reached full occupancy in spring 2025, wrote Lyn Hikida, a spokesperson for MidPen Housing, in an email. It includes studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom homes.
Waitlist contacts: The MidPen waitlist for the project is closed, but the leasing office can be reached at (831) 707-2130 or [email protected]. Some units were filled from the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist, which is closed.
Seventy-two homes reached full occupancy at 141 Miles Lane in Watsonville in spring 2025. (Tyler Maldonado— Santa Cruz Local)
1520 Capitola Road, Bienestar Plaza
Project: Fifty-seven below-market-rate rentals opened in 2023.
Interest list: Closed. The MidPen leasing office can be reached at (831) 318-6061 or [email protected].
Fifty-seven units of affordable housing opened on the 1500 block of Capitola Road in 2023. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
1515 Brewington Ave., Cienega Heights affordable housing
Project: An 80-unit affordable housing complex finished construction in 2024.
Interest list: Closed. The MidPen leasing office can be reached at (831) 707-2130 or [email protected].
Eighty new homes finished construction in 2024 on Brewington Avenue in Watsonville. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local)
Housing projects due after 2025
Downtown Santa Cruz library, affordable housing and parking garage at Cedar and Cathcart streets
Project: Up to 125 affordable housing units are anticipated. Construction is expected to start in summer 2025 and finish in 2027, city staff said.
Interest list contact: Eden Housing has an interest list signup for prospective tenants on its website.
Up to 125 units of affordable housing are anticipated in the Downtown Santa Cruz library project. (Jayson Architecture)
900 High St., Santa Cruz, Peace Village housing complex at Peace United Church of Christ
Project: A 40-unit complex with nine affordable units has been approved on church property at 900 High St. Developers are working on the final project design, which is due in August 2025. Construction is expected in fall 2026 or later, said Jim Weller, a project leader.
Interest list: There is no public waitlist.
Leaders of Peace United Church of Christ in Santa Cruz hope to start construction on a rental housing project in fall 2026. (Workbench)
558 Main St., Watsonville, The Residence at 558 Main
Project: Fifty new homes have been approved at 558 Main St. Forty of the units are expected to be market rate and 10 units are expected to be rented below market rate. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2025. “We definitely hope to finish in under two years,” a developer representative said in June 2025.
Tenant placement: Tenants for the 10 affordable units are expected to come from the housing authority’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist, which is closed.
A four-story housing project is planned at 558 Main St., Watsonville. (Pacific Coast Development)
Who is eligible for affordable housing?
Each affordable housing project has different eligibility requirements that include maximum household income and often additional requirements.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and California authorities set income limits for affordable housing annually. Income limits are based on the total household income before taxes.
Each housing project — or even units within a project — may base eligibility on income limits set by separate authorities. Occasionally, a project will use a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level as a threshold for eligibility.
As a general guide, the area median income for Santa Cruz County for 2025 and income thresholds set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development are shown below:
| Household size | 1 person | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Area median income (AMI) | $92,950 | $106,250 | $119,500 | $132,800 | $143,400 | $154,050 | $164,650 | $175,300 |
| 60% of AMI | $55,770 | $63,750 | $71,700 | $79,680 | $86,040 | $92,430 | $98,790 | $105,180 |
| 50% of AMI | $46,475 | $53,125 | $59,750 | $66,400 | $71,700 | $77,025 | $82,325 | $87,650 |
| 40% of AMI | $37,180 | $42,500 | $47,800 | $53,120 | $57,360 | $61,620 | $65,860 | $70,120 |
| 30% of AMI | $27,885 | $31,875 | $35,850 | $39,840 | $43,020 | $46,215 | $49,395 | $52,590 |
For example, if you live with your spouse, one child and your parents, your household has five people. If the combined income of your household of five people was $80,000 before taxes, your household made less than 60% of the area median income for Santa Cruz County ($86,040). If a project uses income limits set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development and units are for households making less than 60% of area median income, your household may be eligible to apply for units in that project.
Many affordable housing units have additional eligibility requirements. Units could be reserved for people who are:
- Seniors.
- Disabled.
- Veterans.
- Homeless or formerly homeless.
- Farmworkers.
- Current residents of the city or county.
Some affordable housing projects only accept people referred by a partner organization or from the county housing authority’s waitlist.
Have a question about affordable housing or waitlists? Know of other lists? Email [email protected].
More housing resources
Resources from Santa Cruz Local:
- How to find home insurance
- How to get rent assistance
- Ayuda para la renta
- Santa Cruz Local’s housing tracker
- Housing glossary: decode housing jargon
Other resources:
- Housing Santa Cruz County’s Affordable Housing Projects page
- Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) waitlist information