Residents Question Haven Housing

By Jondi Gumz

On April 14, residents of Hidden Glen, Rolling Woods, Pasatiempo and Woods Cove filled the Scotts Valley Library Community Room, where Fifth District Monica Martinez was holding office hours to voice concerns about Mike Formico’s builder’s remedy proposal for The Haven, building 157 homes and a community center on 40 acres of pasture (four parcels) and removing 602 trees on Graham Hill Road across from Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

Those concerns include traffic overwhelming the two-lane Graham Hill Road, which has no sidewalk or bike lanes, the loss of a wildlife corridor for mountain lions and deer, loss of rare Zayante sandhills habitat, home to the endangered Mount Hermon June beetle, the lack of water or sewer connections for all the parcels.

Neighbors say they have heard trees being cut down without permits at night. They say they have reported the situation to the county, prompting a county red tag.

County planners note the property is outside the urban services line, such as public water and sewer, which is why the property is zoned rural residential for far fewer homes.

A development of this size would have to install fire hydrants that would meet flows set by the county fire marshal.

The reasons county planners deemed the application incomplete on Feb. 27:

• The property is not within the boundaries of a County Sanitation District or Sewer CSA so sewer service to the property is not available; however engineered plans for proposed sewer mains and laterals are required. Planner Heather Reynolds determined that if onsite wastewater treatment is proposed this site cannot support the number of units proposed.
• A sanitation will serve letter certifying ability to serve the project.
• A will serve letter for water, with evidence of water supply to serve all parcels. The San Lorenzo Valley Water District pointed out all four parcels do not have frontage on a road with a District water main, so a main extension would be required. One parcel is in SLVWD’s LAFCO Sphere of Influence but not within SLVWD’s jurisdictional boundary. One other parcel is not within either boundary. This would have to be rectified through a LAFCO boundary change.
• A geotechnical report
• A biotic report.

County planner Kathleen McLaughlin indicated the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will require a Habitat Conservation Plan and that process can take up to 2 years.

• Plans do not show building envelopes

As of March 28, the application was still deemed incomplete.

Santa Cruz County supervisors had approved its Housing Element — plans for housing from 2023 through 2031 — and sent it to state officials, who took months to approve it.

Because the Haven proposal was submitted April 11 before the state approved the Santa Cruz County Housing Element, and proposes 20% affordable units, the proposal qualifies for the builder’s remedy — sidestepping local zoning rules.

The application number is 241369 on the Santa Cruz County planning website: https://cdi.santacruzcountyca.gov/Planning.aspx

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Opponents have created a Facebook page, Stop The Haven, which has 500 members.

TOP PHOTO: The Scotts Valley community room is full of people with questions about The Haven housing proposal for Supervisor Monica Martinez. • Photo Credit: Jack DeStories