🚨 SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: 300 UNITS AT 7TH AVE & BROMMER
The Issue
STOP THE RUSH AT 7TH AVE & BROMMER — NOW IT'S UP TO 300 UNITS
Updated September 26, 2026 | Application No. 261178
HELP US HIRE A LAND-USE ATTORNEY
We are raising funds to retain an attorney experienced in California coastal development & land-use law to help protect our Live Oak neighborhood.
Donations will go toward legal fees, reviewing County approvals, evaluating potential appeals & helping our community fight for responsible development. Every donation helps, and sharing this fundraiser is just as important!
For months, our community has been responding to a 100-unit affordable housing development at 7th Avenue & Brommer.
On September 26, 2026, Supervisor Manu Koenig stated at the Town Hall that development at this location is anticipated in three phases of approximately 100 units each. That means we may be looking at approximately 300 units — not simply the 100 units currently under review.
At the same time, the developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
That leaves a limited window for our community to understand the larger development, review the technical information, ask questions & provide meaningful input before decisions made for the first 100 units shape what happens next.
We support affordable housing. This petition is asking for responsible planning, transparency, meaningful neighborhood participation & a full understanding of the cumulative impacts of the development already anticipated.
WHAT WE KNOW: The current application concentrates the first 100 units on approximately 2.36 acres. An additional approximately 1.14 acres is anticipated for future development — together totaling the 3.5-acre area.
Key numbers for Phase 1 include:
• 100 affordable rental units
• 4 stories
• 58 feet, 2 inches in height
• 66 onsite parking spaces
• Only 52 street parking spaces counted by neighbors along approximately 1.3 miles of 7th Avenue from Capitola Road to Eaton Street, with most already occupied
• Approximately 200 additional units now anticipated through two future phases
That matters because decisions being made today about traffic, parking, roads, water, sewer, drainage, public transit, emergency evacuation & coastal access could affect the larger anticipated development.
• HEIGHT, DENSITY & USE OF THE 3.5 ACRES •
The current Phase 1 proposal concentrates 100 units on approximately 2.36 acres, with a building reaching 58 feet, 2 inches directly beside predominantly one- & two-story homes.
The Coastal Commission's 2026 action limits the overall housing development footprint to no more than 3.5 contiguous acres, including buildings, parking, paths, landscaping & required open space.
Now that Supervisor Koenig has stated that three phases of approximately 100 units each are anticipated, we believe the County & developer should look at the site as a whole before locking in the Phase 1 layout.
Why concentrate the first 100 units on 2.36 acres and build nearly 60 feet high against existing homes if the larger 3.5-acre development area can be planned more responsibly?
We are asking the County & developer to evaluate an alternative site plan that:
• Uses the 3.5-acre development area more effectively
• Spreads development away from existing homes where feasible
• Reduces height & massing along existing residential property lines
• Creates meaningful step-downs toward one- & two-story homes
• Provides greater setbacks, privacy buffers & landscaping
• Evaluates whether better distribution could improve parking & circulation
• Plans Phase 1 in the context of the approximately 200 additional units now anticipated
Before approving the current layout, show the community the alternative site plans considered and explain why a lower, better-distributed design across the development area is or is not feasible.
• TRAFFIC, PARKING & EVACUATION •
7th Avenue is already a heavily used corridor connecting neighborhoods, businesses, Highway 1, the Harbor & beaches.
With only 66 onsite parking spaces for the first 100 units, we want to see the actual traffic, parking & circulation analysis being relied upon and understand how the anticipated future phases are being considered.
Any traffic counts taken while the Murray Street Bridge is closed should explain how the closure affects current traffic patterns & whether those counts represent conditions expected after the bridge reopens.
This neighborhood is within an evacuation zone.
The Fire Marshal has approved Phase 1, but our concern is broader than building-level fire access. We want to understand how existing residents, Harbor users, beach visitors & potentially hundreds of new residents evacuate if 7th Avenue is congested, blocked, flooded or otherwise unavailable during an emergency.
We are asking for:
• Cumulative traffic & parking analysis
• Emergency evacuation/egress analysis separate from ordinary traffic
• Consideration of all three anticipated phases
• Evaluation of Brommer Street as additional or alternative access
• WATER, INFRASTRUCTURE & NATURAL DRAINAGE •
If approximately 300 units are anticipated, we want to know whether infrastructure being designed for the first 100 units is already being sized or planned for the approximately 200 units anticipated to follow.
That includes:
• Water & sewer
• Stormwater & drainage
• Roads & intersections
• Utilities
• Public transit
We also want a clear answer about natural water movement across & beneath this property.
The proposed approximately four-foot retaining wall, grading, foundations & hardscape could change surface & subsurface water movement.
Where does the water naturally moving through this property go today, and where will it go after development?
We are asking for existing-versus-proposed drainage information identifying natural drainage pathways, known groundwater conditions, springs or seeps, groundwater recharge, the retaining wall, stormwater infrastructure & final discharge locations, including whether there is a hydrologic connection to the Santa Cruz Harbor area.
•METRO CAPACITY & FUNDING •
Public transit is important when a 100-unit development proposes only 66 onsite parking spaces.
A nearby bus stop does not by itself establish that METRO has sufficient capacity or sustainable funding to support hundreds of additional residents here while also serving significant new housing planned throughout the County.
We want to know:
• How much additional ridership is anticipated
• Whether existing routes have sufficient capacity
• Whether additional buses, drivers or service will be needed
• What that additional service will cost
• Who will fund that service long-term
If reduced parking relies partly on access to public transit, the public should see the analysis showing that the transit system has the capacity & sustainable funding to support that assumption.
• $46+ MILLION IN STATE DISASTER-RELIEF FUNDING •
A June 2026 letter in the County record states that Community HousingWorks secured more than $46 million in state disaster-relief funding for the project.
We have heard that deadlines may apply to this funding, while the developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
Rather than speculate, we are asking the County to release the actual funding agreement showing:
• The exact funding source & amount
• Spending, obligation & construction deadlines
• Any “use it or lose it” provisions
• Available extensions
• Whether the funding applies only to Phase 1 or future phases as well
If a funding deadline is contributing to the speed of this project, the public deserves to know exactly what that deadline requires.
Public-funding deadlines should not replace meaningful review of traffic, evacuation, infrastructure, drainage & coastal impacts.
• COASTAL ZONE & THE EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD •
This property is within California's Coastal Zone.
The Coastal Commission's 2026 action limits the housing development footprint to no more than 3.5 contiguous acres, including buildings, parking, paths, landscaping & required open space.
With approximately 300 units now anticipated, we want the cumulative effects on traffic, parking, public coastal access, Harbor & beach access, natural drainage, transportation & emergency conditions considered as part of the larger development picture.
The current Phase 1 building is proposed at 58 feet, 2 inches beside predominantly one- & two-story homes.
We are asking for meaningful step-downs, setbacks, privacy buffers & a better transition between the existing neighborhood and new development.
More importantly, we are asking the County to evaluate whether better use of the larger 3.5-acre development area could reduce the need to concentrate the first 100 units vertically against the existing neighborhood.
STOP THE RUSH — GIVE THE COMMUNITY TIME TO PARTICIPATE
The developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
Yet on September 26, our community received significant new information from Supervisor Koenig that approximately 300 units may ultimately be anticipated at this location.
We are not asking for endless delay.
We are asking the County to stop the rush long enough to allow meaningful neighborhood input, release the information being relied upon & responsibly consider the larger development picture before decisions are locked in for Phase 1.
Residents should not have to piece together a development of this scale through individual emails, verbal statements & repeated public-record requests.
When the County says an issue has already been studied or resolved, our request is simple:
Show the public the study, report, map or analysis.
• WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR: Before the developer's stated December 11 construction target, we are asking Santa Cruz County to:
• Evaluate an alternative site plan using the 3.5-acre development area to better distribute development, reduce the nearly 60-foot height & massing against existing homes, improve setbacks, parking & circulation, and plan Phase 1 in the context of the approximately 200 additional units now anticipated
• Stop the rush & provide meaningful time for neighborhood input
• Confirm in writing the three anticipated phases described by Supervisor Koenig on September 26
• Evaluate cumulative impacts based on the approximately 300 units anticipated, not simply the first 100
• Provide meaningful traffic, parking & emergency evacuation analysis
• Explain whether Phase 1 infrastructure is being designed or sized for future phases
• Document existing & proposed natural drainage and the effects of the retaining wall
• Address METRO capacity & sustainable long-term funding
• Release the $46+ million disaster-relief funding agreement & its actual deadlines
• Address cumulative Coastal Act, Harbor & public coastal-access impacts
• Provide meaningful height, setback & privacy protections for existing homes
• Release the technical information being relied upon before final decisions are made
WHY YOUR SIGNATURE MATTERS NOW
Two dates matter:
September 26, 2026: Supervisor Koenig stated publicly that three phases of approximately 100 units each are anticipated, totaling 300 units
December 11, 2026: The developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by this date.
That leaves a limited amount of time for residents to understand the larger development, review the information & put their concerns into the public record.
If approximately 300 units are anticipated, the cumulative impacts of approximately 300 units should be understood before decisions made for the first 100 shape everything that follows.
Please sign this petition asking Santa Cruz County to stop the rush, provide meaningful neighborhood input & responsibly plan for the full development anticipated at 7th Avenue & Brommer.
CONTACT THE DECISION-MAKERS
Reference: Application No. 261178 — 7th Avenue & Brommer Street
APN 026-261-16
Ask that your comments be included in the official project record.
Suggested subject: 7th & Brommer — Responsible Planning & Cumulative Review — Application 261178
• Supervisor Manu Koenig: Manu.Koenig@santacruzcountyca.gov
• County Planner Jonathan DiSalvo: jonathan.disalvo@santacruzcountyca.gov
• The developer: 7thandbrommer@gmail.com
• State Senator John Laird: senator.laird@senate.ca.gov
• California Coastal Commission, Central Coast District Office: (831) 427-4863
Request project documents through the County’s Records Request Form.
Ask to receive notification of meetings, hearings, decisions & deadlines related to Application No. 261178.
Watch official notices carefully. If the County uses a coastal-development hearing-waiver procedure, follow the instructions & deadline stated in the actual notice.
Coastal Commission appeal eligibility & deadlines depend on the approval and applicable procedures. Signing this petition alone does not preserve individual appeal rights. Residents who want to preserve their rights should submit their own comments & confirm applicable requirements directly with the County and Coastal Commission.
OUR REQUEST IS SIMPLE
We support affordable housing. We also support responsible planning, transparency & meaningful neighborhood participation.
Stop the rush. Look at the cumulative impacts. Give the neighborhood meaningful input. Release the information. Make responsible decisions before construction begins.
By signing, we are asking for these issues to be addressed and for written answers before the project moves forward under its current design.
We'll continue updating this petition as additional information becomes available.
Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared, attended meetings & stayed involved. Community participation matters as this project moves forward.
HARBOR NEIGHBORS
Another active community group, Harbor Neighbors, was established in 2016 and provides updates regarding development at the 7th & Brommer site.
To receive their updates, visit: https://harborcornerneighbors.weebly.com/contact-us.html
2,189
The Issue
STOP THE RUSH AT 7TH AVE & BROMMER — NOW IT'S UP TO 300 UNITS
Updated September 26, 2026 | Application No. 261178
HELP US HIRE A LAND-USE ATTORNEY
We are raising funds to retain an attorney experienced in California coastal development & land-use law to help protect our Live Oak neighborhood.
Donations will go toward legal fees, reviewing County approvals, evaluating potential appeals & helping our community fight for responsible development. Every donation helps, and sharing this fundraiser is just as important!
For months, our community has been responding to a 100-unit affordable housing development at 7th Avenue & Brommer.
On September 26, 2026, Supervisor Manu Koenig stated at the Town Hall that development at this location is anticipated in three phases of approximately 100 units each. That means we may be looking at approximately 300 units — not simply the 100 units currently under review.
At the same time, the developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
That leaves a limited window for our community to understand the larger development, review the technical information, ask questions & provide meaningful input before decisions made for the first 100 units shape what happens next.
We support affordable housing. This petition is asking for responsible planning, transparency, meaningful neighborhood participation & a full understanding of the cumulative impacts of the development already anticipated.
WHAT WE KNOW: The current application concentrates the first 100 units on approximately 2.36 acres. An additional approximately 1.14 acres is anticipated for future development — together totaling the 3.5-acre area.
Key numbers for Phase 1 include:
• 100 affordable rental units
• 4 stories
• 58 feet, 2 inches in height
• 66 onsite parking spaces
• Only 52 street parking spaces counted by neighbors along approximately 1.3 miles of 7th Avenue from Capitola Road to Eaton Street, with most already occupied
• Approximately 200 additional units now anticipated through two future phases
That matters because decisions being made today about traffic, parking, roads, water, sewer, drainage, public transit, emergency evacuation & coastal access could affect the larger anticipated development.
• HEIGHT, DENSITY & USE OF THE 3.5 ACRES •
The current Phase 1 proposal concentrates 100 units on approximately 2.36 acres, with a building reaching 58 feet, 2 inches directly beside predominantly one- & two-story homes.
The Coastal Commission's 2026 action limits the overall housing development footprint to no more than 3.5 contiguous acres, including buildings, parking, paths, landscaping & required open space.
Now that Supervisor Koenig has stated that three phases of approximately 100 units each are anticipated, we believe the County & developer should look at the site as a whole before locking in the Phase 1 layout.
Why concentrate the first 100 units on 2.36 acres and build nearly 60 feet high against existing homes if the larger 3.5-acre development area can be planned more responsibly?
We are asking the County & developer to evaluate an alternative site plan that:
• Uses the 3.5-acre development area more effectively
• Spreads development away from existing homes where feasible
• Reduces height & massing along existing residential property lines
• Creates meaningful step-downs toward one- & two-story homes
• Provides greater setbacks, privacy buffers & landscaping
• Evaluates whether better distribution could improve parking & circulation
• Plans Phase 1 in the context of the approximately 200 additional units now anticipated
Before approving the current layout, show the community the alternative site plans considered and explain why a lower, better-distributed design across the development area is or is not feasible.
• TRAFFIC, PARKING & EVACUATION •
7th Avenue is already a heavily used corridor connecting neighborhoods, businesses, Highway 1, the Harbor & beaches.
With only 66 onsite parking spaces for the first 100 units, we want to see the actual traffic, parking & circulation analysis being relied upon and understand how the anticipated future phases are being considered.
Any traffic counts taken while the Murray Street Bridge is closed should explain how the closure affects current traffic patterns & whether those counts represent conditions expected after the bridge reopens.
This neighborhood is within an evacuation zone.
The Fire Marshal has approved Phase 1, but our concern is broader than building-level fire access. We want to understand how existing residents, Harbor users, beach visitors & potentially hundreds of new residents evacuate if 7th Avenue is congested, blocked, flooded or otherwise unavailable during an emergency.
We are asking for:
• Cumulative traffic & parking analysis
• Emergency evacuation/egress analysis separate from ordinary traffic
• Consideration of all three anticipated phases
• Evaluation of Brommer Street as additional or alternative access
• WATER, INFRASTRUCTURE & NATURAL DRAINAGE •
If approximately 300 units are anticipated, we want to know whether infrastructure being designed for the first 100 units is already being sized or planned for the approximately 200 units anticipated to follow.
That includes:
• Water & sewer
• Stormwater & drainage
• Roads & intersections
• Utilities
• Public transit
We also want a clear answer about natural water movement across & beneath this property.
The proposed approximately four-foot retaining wall, grading, foundations & hardscape could change surface & subsurface water movement.
Where does the water naturally moving through this property go today, and where will it go after development?
We are asking for existing-versus-proposed drainage information identifying natural drainage pathways, known groundwater conditions, springs or seeps, groundwater recharge, the retaining wall, stormwater infrastructure & final discharge locations, including whether there is a hydrologic connection to the Santa Cruz Harbor area.
•METRO CAPACITY & FUNDING •
Public transit is important when a 100-unit development proposes only 66 onsite parking spaces.
A nearby bus stop does not by itself establish that METRO has sufficient capacity or sustainable funding to support hundreds of additional residents here while also serving significant new housing planned throughout the County.
We want to know:
• How much additional ridership is anticipated
• Whether existing routes have sufficient capacity
• Whether additional buses, drivers or service will be needed
• What that additional service will cost
• Who will fund that service long-term
If reduced parking relies partly on access to public transit, the public should see the analysis showing that the transit system has the capacity & sustainable funding to support that assumption.
• $46+ MILLION IN STATE DISASTER-RELIEF FUNDING •
A June 2026 letter in the County record states that Community HousingWorks secured more than $46 million in state disaster-relief funding for the project.
We have heard that deadlines may apply to this funding, while the developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
Rather than speculate, we are asking the County to release the actual funding agreement showing:
• The exact funding source & amount
• Spending, obligation & construction deadlines
• Any “use it or lose it” provisions
• Available extensions
• Whether the funding applies only to Phase 1 or future phases as well
If a funding deadline is contributing to the speed of this project, the public deserves to know exactly what that deadline requires.
Public-funding deadlines should not replace meaningful review of traffic, evacuation, infrastructure, drainage & coastal impacts.
• COASTAL ZONE & THE EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD •
This property is within California's Coastal Zone.
The Coastal Commission's 2026 action limits the housing development footprint to no more than 3.5 contiguous acres, including buildings, parking, paths, landscaping & required open space.
With approximately 300 units now anticipated, we want the cumulative effects on traffic, parking, public coastal access, Harbor & beach access, natural drainage, transportation & emergency conditions considered as part of the larger development picture.
The current Phase 1 building is proposed at 58 feet, 2 inches beside predominantly one- & two-story homes.
We are asking for meaningful step-downs, setbacks, privacy buffers & a better transition between the existing neighborhood and new development.
More importantly, we are asking the County to evaluate whether better use of the larger 3.5-acre development area could reduce the need to concentrate the first 100 units vertically against the existing neighborhood.
STOP THE RUSH — GIVE THE COMMUNITY TIME TO PARTICIPATE
The developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by December 11.
Yet on September 26, our community received significant new information from Supervisor Koenig that approximately 300 units may ultimately be anticipated at this location.
We are not asking for endless delay.
We are asking the County to stop the rush long enough to allow meaningful neighborhood input, release the information being relied upon & responsibly consider the larger development picture before decisions are locked in for Phase 1.
Residents should not have to piece together a development of this scale through individual emails, verbal statements & repeated public-record requests.
When the County says an issue has already been studied or resolved, our request is simple:
Show the public the study, report, map or analysis.
• WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR: Before the developer's stated December 11 construction target, we are asking Santa Cruz County to:
• Evaluate an alternative site plan using the 3.5-acre development area to better distribute development, reduce the nearly 60-foot height & massing against existing homes, improve setbacks, parking & circulation, and plan Phase 1 in the context of the approximately 200 additional units now anticipated
• Stop the rush & provide meaningful time for neighborhood input
• Confirm in writing the three anticipated phases described by Supervisor Koenig on September 26
• Evaluate cumulative impacts based on the approximately 300 units anticipated, not simply the first 100
• Provide meaningful traffic, parking & emergency evacuation analysis
• Explain whether Phase 1 infrastructure is being designed or sized for future phases
• Document existing & proposed natural drainage and the effects of the retaining wall
• Address METRO capacity & sustainable long-term funding
• Release the $46+ million disaster-relief funding agreement & its actual deadlines
• Address cumulative Coastal Act, Harbor & public coastal-access impacts
• Provide meaningful height, setback & privacy protections for existing homes
• Release the technical information being relied upon before final decisions are made
WHY YOUR SIGNATURE MATTERS NOW
Two dates matter:
September 26, 2026: Supervisor Koenig stated publicly that three phases of approximately 100 units each are anticipated, totaling 300 units
December 11, 2026: The developer has stated that they plan to begin construction by this date.
That leaves a limited amount of time for residents to understand the larger development, review the information & put their concerns into the public record.
If approximately 300 units are anticipated, the cumulative impacts of approximately 300 units should be understood before decisions made for the first 100 shape everything that follows.
Please sign this petition asking Santa Cruz County to stop the rush, provide meaningful neighborhood input & responsibly plan for the full development anticipated at 7th Avenue & Brommer.
CONTACT THE DECISION-MAKERS
Reference: Application No. 261178 — 7th Avenue & Brommer Street
APN 026-261-16
Ask that your comments be included in the official project record.
Suggested subject: 7th & Brommer — Responsible Planning & Cumulative Review — Application 261178
• Supervisor Manu Koenig: Manu.Koenig@santacruzcountyca.gov
• County Planner Jonathan DiSalvo: jonathan.disalvo@santacruzcountyca.gov
• The developer: 7thandbrommer@gmail.com
• State Senator John Laird: senator.laird@senate.ca.gov
• California Coastal Commission, Central Coast District Office: (831) 427-4863
Request project documents through the County’s Records Request Form.
Ask to receive notification of meetings, hearings, decisions & deadlines related to Application No. 261178.
Watch official notices carefully. If the County uses a coastal-development hearing-waiver procedure, follow the instructions & deadline stated in the actual notice.
Coastal Commission appeal eligibility & deadlines depend on the approval and applicable procedures. Signing this petition alone does not preserve individual appeal rights. Residents who want to preserve their rights should submit their own comments & confirm applicable requirements directly with the County and Coastal Commission.
OUR REQUEST IS SIMPLE
We support affordable housing. We also support responsible planning, transparency & meaningful neighborhood participation.
Stop the rush. Look at the cumulative impacts. Give the neighborhood meaningful input. Release the information. Make responsible decisions before construction begins.
By signing, we are asking for these issues to be addressed and for written answers before the project moves forward under its current design.
We'll continue updating this petition as additional information becomes available.
Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared, attended meetings & stayed involved. Community participation matters as this project moves forward.
HARBOR NEIGHBORS
Another active community group, Harbor Neighbors, was established in 2016 and provides updates regarding development at the 7th & Brommer site.
To receive their updates, visit: https://harborcornerneighbors.weebly.com/contact-us.html
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Petition created on May 29, 2026