Resources on Housing
The following are three sets of materials taken from separate education “tours” of housing within the City limits of Santa Cruz, compared to the City’s finalized Housing Element, which guides all development over the next seven years.
The first item is a copy of the presentation that was given by representatives of UC Santa Cruz to a series of local elected officials and representatives from the real estate and building industries. This presentation is a comprehensive overview of everything related to housing at UCSC, including the number and type of beds, the larger plans and frameworks for providing housing in general, multiple case studies of recent remodels of existing facilities, and an overview of the challenges faced by the University in providing housing.
The second set of materials was taken from a tour of all of the affordable housing projects in the City of Santa Cruz. Totaling 21 projects in total, these housing units have been built specifically to meet the needs of lower income and special needs residents (seniors, veterans, etc.). They vary widely in location, housing type, and architecture, as well as financing models. The materials provide an overview, but by new means a comprehensive view of affordable housing. Any further questions related to this topic should be addressed to the City’s Economic Development Department who led the tour. You can also read a post that talks about the flow of the tour here.
The last item is a link to the City of Santa Cruz’s finalized Housing Element, which provides a comprehensive overview and strategy for addressing the housing needs of the City for the next seven years. It also provides a series of suggested policy changes for helping to more effectively meet these needs.