Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz
No doubt you’ve noticed, after a long pause, construction has begun on Phase 2 for the Aptos Village mixed-use project.
Builder Swenson says this is the last step in completing the “heart of Aptos” development approved by Santa Cruz County supervisors in 2012 after much debate.
Swenson expects work is to be completed in spring 2025.
Aptos Village Way, a shortcut used by shoppers to get to Soquel Avenue, was blocked off Oct. 3 and Oct. 5 for concrete pours for the project, according to Steve Wiesner, assistant director of the Santa Cruz County Department of Community Development & Infrastructure.
Earlier, the Parade Street railroad crossing on the Soquel Drive side of the Aptos Village Project opened to through traffic, a benefit for motorists.
Phase 2 encompasses seven mixed-use buildings, flanking both sides of Aptos Village Way.
Swenson said the buildings will have 15,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space and 39,000+ square feet for rental residential units on upper floors.
In all, 29 homes will be built as part of Phase 2, including five affordable units.
In Phase 1, there were 36 homes built, condos and townhomes, all very close to the 10,000-acre Forest of Nisene Marks State Park with its hiking and mountain biking trails.
Initial ads online described condo prices starting at the mid-$500,000s, and townhomes starting from the upper $700,000s.
Prices have gone up.
A one-bedroom condo on Aptos Village Way, steps away from New Leaf Community Market, sold in 2019 for $615,000.
A three-bedroom condo on Granite Way sold in 2019 for $895,000.
A three-bedroom condo on Granite Way in the development sold in January for $1.4 million.
Phase 1, completed in 2018, preserved the historic Hihn Apple packing shed, which became home to New Leaf Community Market.
Small locally owned businesses in the project include: The Penny Ice Creamery, Cat & Cloud Coffee, Mentone, Sockshop & Shoe Company, Sante Arcangeli Family Wines Tasting Room and Doon To Earth, a joint tasting room featuring Ser Winery and Bonny Doon Vineyard.
Tradin Organic, an international firm funded in 1985, moved in two months ago for its U.S. office, joining Sereno Group real estate, a division of Compass, Edward Jones financial services and the County of Santa Cruz satellite office.
Across from Mentone, a commercial space is still awaiting the right tenant or tenants.
Mixed-use is what zoning in California cities and counties called for, so the local government could collect sales-tax revenue.
But brick-and-mortar retail shrank as more people shopped online, and the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated that trend. To cool inflation, the Federal Reserve has doubled interest rates in the past year — from 3% to more than 7% on a mortgage — but higher prices mean shoppers can’t buy as much.
When construction is final, the project also will deed to the County of Santa Cruz a 24,000-square-foot parcel of land near the entrance road to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park.
Swenson said the County will determine the specific use of that land, which is expected to be used as park land.
The map at theaptosvillage.com shows “Future County Park.”
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For info visit www.theaptosvillage.com.