Three Aptos Buildings Among Those Suggested For PRH
By Lori Landino
The Bayview Hotel in Aptos Village • Photo Credit: Lori Landino
The County Planning Department has put forward a proposal for consideration to the Planning Commission (and soon the Board of Supervisors) for potentially creating Permanent Room Housing (PRH) in our area. There are nine properties in Santa Cruz County set to be “repurposed.”
They were chosen because of the increased demand for affordable housing. Three of these buildings are in Aptos: The historic Bayview Hotel at 8041 Soquel Drive, The old Arabian Motel at 10110 Soquel Drive, and the Adobe Hacienda apartments at 222 Santa Cruz Ave in Seacliff.
The Bayview Hotel is a three-story building, originally named the Anchor House; it was constructed in 1878 in Aptos Village. Historically, it was used as a community center, housing the area’s first post office and general store. In 1992, it was placed on the State and Nation registers of Historic Placed. The old Arabian Motel, next door to Sid’s Smokehouse was built in 1949. The area was once called “Rob Roy Junction” and the hotel called “Rio Del Mar Motel & Café.” The Adobe Hacienda is a former motel constructed in 1946 and expanded in 1961, over time the motel rooms were converted from visitor accommodation to long-term residential units.
The old Arabian Motel, behind Sid’s Smokehouse on Soquel Drive. • Photo Credit: Lori Landino
These properties are “obsolete for their original intent” and “affordable by design.” They can service an important role in addressing the housing crisis because the converted units are small. The county staff contacted owners of known opportunity sites, where obsolete visitor accommodation or care facilities have already been converted to residential use. Applications were processed where owners expressed interest in joining the Combing Zone District. They are working collaboratively to develop an ordinance with reasonable use and development standards.
As per the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission definition, a “PRH Unit” is an independent dwelling space intended for long-term (30 days or more) rental occupancy as a separate living quarters, with direct access from outside the building or through a common hall, meeting the development standards in section 13.10.427. This definition allows flexibility for shared kitchens and bathrooms, emphasizing the importance of “permanent” (long-term) residency.
A vintage photo of the Bayview Hotel
The County recognized that people are already living in these locations (some in violation of existing zoning) and wanted to see whether there was interest from the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to formalize and add improvements to make them available, most likely to median income and Section 8 tenants.
“The Board will need to take a thoughtful look about the appropriateness of this policy in general and whether these properties that are proposed are the right fits for this policy,” explained Supervisor Zach Friend. “There is no question we have an affordability crisis here, but it’s important to ensure whatever is sent to us from the Planning Commission is beneficial for addressing affordability and overall community needs.”
This project is in the early stages and nothing has been approved. There are other properties being considered along with the current nine.
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The public is encouraged to comment and attend community meetings. To learn more visit the Santa Cruz County Planning Department website: sccoplanning.com