Scotts Valley

Scotts Valley APR was approved for submission to HCD

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Santa Cruz YIMBY letter. Summary of our view: Scotts Valley’s 2024 Annual Progress Report shows some procedural updates have been made—such as the adoption of key housing ordinances—actual housing production remains dangerously low, and some of the city’s programs, especially those aimed at the missing middle, appear to exist only on paper and not in good faith. The city permitted just 3 single-family homes and 6 ADUs in 2023, with only 16 condominiums completed at 4104 Scotts Valley Drive. This pace is far from sufficient to meet the city’s RHNA targets. Meanwhile, vague language in the APR, such as frequent use of phrases like “on track” without concrete metrics, fails to demonstrate real progress. Scotts Valley must address stalled pipeline projects—including Valley Gardens, La Madrona, and Oak Creek Park and Town Center—and take urgent, transparent steps to ensure zoning reforms and procedural updates lead to actual housing development.

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During the council meeting, council members were hopeful about 1 addl project due shortly, and raised concerns about an AB2011 project that will bring 100% affordable housing (100 homes) to SV. They were confused about the project, and the Mayor reinforced his view that AB2011 is not a good law for SV, including that it was ministerial. 

Submitting this form because of the lackluster Housing Element that HCD approved. All new rezones are 50% inclusionary. The City cited evidence from nearby jurisdictions of housing projects being approved, but those other cities have HCD pro-housing designation and much larger zoning capacity.

Here's a link to HCD's bullshit finding of compliance for Scotts Valley's HE draft: https://www.scottsvalley.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4811/HCD-Letter---received-04022024

HCD has certified Scotts Valley's awful housing element draft. April 2nd they got the golden letter, after public comment closed on the HE draft on March 27th. The latest HE doesn't address any of the issues raised in HCD's previous findings letter. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q4uBD5NR1rTEHmyrHlaY3q2vlgrOgWfw/view?usp=drive_link

SCC staff are insulating their work from council. May be an attempt to minimize the work necessary to implement the housing element.

I attended the workshop. It looks like a lot of other YIMBYs did too because there seemed to be way more comments complaining about the lack of housing and cost of housing than the typical "we like Scotts Valley like it is" comments that often happen. The city/consultant are planning on submitting their first HCD document in December just before the statutory deadline and are counting on a "120 day grace period" to get everything resolved.

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The RHNA requirement for Scotts Valley jumped from 140 total units last cycle to 1,220 units this cycle!

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The timeline they'll be working on is they'll have a plan comm/city council sesh, 2nd workshop and public review draft in the spring. Then another planning comm/city council study sesh in the summer and submit the first draft (maybe the consultant submitting a draft to the city?) in the summer, then in Winter 2023/2024, they'll have adoption hearings.

Item 3 passed and three councilmembers expressed importance of minding state's authority. 

Ambag approved a rhna methodology. 

- Selection of draft RHNA Methodology + continuation of public hearing to be deferred until December 8th special meeting

- AMBAG (finally!) brought incorporation of AFFH factor into methodology to board - no action was taken on it, but majority of board of directors were in support

- Salinas Valley jurisdictions (namely City of Soledad) would like to see farmworker housing set aside incorporated into methodology

- Water constantly being brought up as a concern by Monterey Peninsula jurisdictions