Santa Cruz breaks ground on library and affordable housing
Briana Mathaw
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — The City of Santa Cruz is celebrating a major milestone as it breaks ground on a long-anticipated development that promises to bring more affordable housing to the area and create a vibrant cultural hub.
The Downtown Library Affordable Housing Project has been in the planning stages for years and will now rise from what was once a surface parking lot.
The project will include 124 apartment units designated as affordable housing, a modern public library, a childcare facility, and commercial space. In addition, a public parking garage will be built to support the downtown retail community.
“It will allow social workers, service workers, construction workers and workers of various industries in our community to live where they work, raise their families here and contribute to the rich tapestry of our community.”
Housing affordability is a key component of the development. Rents will vary depending on income eligibility, but are significantly lower than the local market rate.
“A one-bedroom, for example, will be as low as $975 a month up to a little over $2000,” Andrea Osgood said, Eden Housing said
The city also announced that the weekly Downtown Farmer’s Market, which currently takes place at the development site every Wednesday, will be relocated to a new permanent home elsewhere in downtown Santa Cruz.
The entire project is scheduled for completion by early 2028.