📣 UPDATE: 7th Ave & Brommer Development
📣 UPDATE: 7th Ave & Brommer Development
The County has already approved the sale of the 7th & Brommer property to Community HousingWorks and plans are advancing quickly. The current proposal calls for at least 100 affordable homes (County Application No. 26178; APN 026-261-13, -16, -17) on just 2.36 acres, including a four-story apartment complex directly bordering existing single- and two-story homes. We do not support the current density and design.
Decisions are happening now. If we don’t act immediately, this project could move forward without meaningful community input
What we've found
All 100 units are being crammed onto the 2.36 acres of the larger 3.5-acre area the County authorized for this project not spread across the full site. This concentrates height and bulk directly against existing single- and two-story homes, creating a "fishbowl" effect where upper-story windows look straight into neighboring yards and living rooms.
The site's only vehicle access currently appears to be a single, right-turn-only driveway onto 7th Avenue. No traffic or circulation study has been completed. We don't yet know how 100 households (150+ vehicles) are supposed to safely turn right, how emergency vehicles reach the building in a fire or medical emergency, or why an access point on Brommer Street a through-street with far better turning movement hasn't been evaluated.
The California Coastal Commission's own staff report on this site requires development be kept to the "smallest feasible footprint" and clustered near existing homes. We believe cramming the entire project onto the smaller half of the site does the opposite of what that condition was meant to achieve, and will reduce public access to the adjacent open space rather than protect it.
It remains unconfirmed whether the remaining acreage (sometimes referred to as "Parcel 2") has actually been sold to the developer. We've asked the County to clarify parcel ownership, site access rights, and whether an easement is required and to explain, in writing, why development can't be distributed across the full 3.5-acre area the project is entitled to use, which would reduce height and preserve real distance from neighboring homes.
A future second phase of development on this site may already be under discussion. We're asking the County to confirm the total planned build-out now, rather than reviewing this project in pieces.
What we're asking for
• Spread the 100 units across the full 3.5-acre site instead of concentrating them on 2.36 acres, to reduce height and preserve meaningful setbacks and privacy for neighboring homes.
• A real traffic and circulation study completed and public before further approvals, including whether Brommer Street can provide a second access point.
• Written confirmation of parcel ownership, easement rights, and whether any future phase is planned.
• Protection of public access to the adjacent open space/greenbelt, consistent with the Coastal Commission's own conditions.
We are not against affordable housing. We are against a design that ignores its own neighbors.
Get involved — here's exactly what to do:
Sign this petition and share it with neighbors on 7th Avenue, Brommer Street, and Stagg Lane.
Email these people directly, it takes two minutes:
Supervisor Manu Koenig: Manu.Koenig@santacruzcountyca.gov
Supervisor Justin Cummings: Justin.Cummings@santacruzcountyca.gov
County Planner Jonathan DiSalvo: jonathan.disalvo@santacruzcountyca.gov
Senator John Laird (State Senate District 17) sd17.senate.ca.gov/contact-us
or call the Santa Cruz district office at (831) 425-0401
This is not about opposing housing, it’s about demanding a responsible, balanced approach that protects the people and character of our community. ACT NOW. Every email, every signature, and every voice could make the difference. 📣