The August 23 Santa Cruz City Council's meeting Item 21 will include a discussion and decision on the Objective Standards the city staff is proposing. One of the items in the Objective Standards is to eliminate the opportunity for the public to comment on projects of any size. This is of huge importance for the very large projects that are being purposed and will be proposed to be built in Santa Cruz. There are already numerous projects proposed which you will see as you scroll down the page here https://www.choosesantacruz.com/projects/upcoming-significant-downtown-projects
Now with the purposed objective standards taking away public comment, negative impacts could take place on our community.
State laws have made it much more difficult than it used to be for the City to modify proposed developments. It is imperative that the City enact Objective Standards that will help it achieve important objectives while also reflecting the community. The City Council must maximize opportunities for public comment and public participation when land use and development proposals are considered.
Please write the Santa Cruz City Council at citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com to let them know the public deserves to weigh in on projects being purposed in the City of Santa Cruz. We live in a democratic society that includes having the right to voice our opinions on the buildings built in Santa Cruz!
Your letter is vitally important. Ask the city council to make the objective standards understandable and not fragmented. Tell them the community input is important! Thank you for caring about Santa Cruz!
Here is a sample letter to send to the City Council:
Dear City Council,
Don't take away our rights to speak at a public hearing for proposed building projects in Santa Cruz. Please modify the objective standard to reflect this. We live in a democracy and this is an important matter. Thank you.