News
Library Re-Use Envisioning Report
June 16, 2021
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
Like you, I have been eager to hear the findings from the April and May efforts to "envision" what could happen on the site of the current library if it is relocated. The report has been released, and there is a rather glaring discrepancy between the narrative in the body of the report and the Appendix (pages 58-84).
If you want a far more accurate and enlightening picture of how people feel about this, you really must read the nearly 300 comments starting on page 63 - "Is there anything else you want to tell us?" (more informative than the mere 513 completed surveys)
Over the past 5 years the people of Santa Cruz have been repeating that they DO NOT WANT THE LIBRARY MOVED. Please don't assume that they are unaware of the pros and cons of renovation vs. new library. When are you going to stop ignoring these strong feelings about our library (and how people never would have voted for Measure S if this was revealed)?
Comments also reiterate that people put a low priority on building a parking garage.
Though most Santa Cruzans see the need for more housing, many point out that this location is not an optimal one, for a number of reasons.
Many favor a family-friendly, safe open space/Commons downtown, with ongoing activities to prevent it from becoming a place for loitering. But many point out that active uses of a plaza/commons may be in conflict with residents' need for peace and quiet if housing was built there.
Note the statement on Slide 37 - successful public spaces "Have a strong inner and outer square." That means there are surrounding or adjacent cafes, shops, etc. That is what Lot 4 offers as a far better Commons, in addition to the mature trees there and established Farmers' Market.
With the departure of the City Manager (who pushed staff into the terrible garage-library idea once Measure S money became available) and the Library Director, this is a good time to take a good hard look at how to cease work on the Mixed-Use Project once and for all.
Build subsidized housing on Lot 7.
Renovate the library where it is. Jayson Architects will do a fine job, especially with some extra funding, which the city always promised they would contribute to supplement Measure S funds.
Restore the public's faith in city government.
You can do it.
Thank you.
Judi Grunstra, Librarian
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
Like you, I have been eager to hear the findings from the April and May efforts to "envision" what could happen on the site of the current library if it is relocated. The report has been released, and there is a rather glaring discrepancy between the narrative in the body of the report and the Appendix (pages 58-84).
If you want a far more accurate and enlightening picture of how people feel about this, you really must read the nearly 300 comments starting on page 63 - "Is there anything else you want to tell us?" (more informative than the mere 513 completed surveys)
Over the past 5 years the people of Santa Cruz have been repeating that they DO NOT WANT THE LIBRARY MOVED. Please don't assume that they are unaware of the pros and cons of renovation vs. new library. When are you going to stop ignoring these strong feelings about our library (and how people never would have voted for Measure S if this was revealed)?
Comments also reiterate that people put a low priority on building a parking garage.
Though most Santa Cruzans see the need for more housing, many point out that this location is not an optimal one, for a number of reasons.
Many favor a family-friendly, safe open space/Commons downtown, with ongoing activities to prevent it from becoming a place for loitering. But many point out that active uses of a plaza/commons may be in conflict with residents' need for peace and quiet if housing was built there.
Note the statement on Slide 37 - successful public spaces "Have a strong inner and outer square." That means there are surrounding or adjacent cafes, shops, etc. That is what Lot 4 offers as a far better Commons, in addition to the mature trees there and established Farmers' Market.
With the departure of the City Manager (who pushed staff into the terrible garage-library idea once Measure S money became available) and the Library Director, this is a good time to take a good hard look at how to cease work on the Mixed-Use Project once and for all.
Build subsidized housing on Lot 7.
Renovate the library where it is. Jayson Architects will do a fine job, especially with some extra funding, which the city always promised they would contribute to supplement Measure S funds.
Restore the public's faith in city government.
You can do it.
Thank you.
Judi Grunstra, Librarian
Green spaces keep hearts healthy and save lives
Climate News Network
November 16, 2020
by Paul Brown
Planting trees and creating urban parks brings more green spaces and cleaner air, cutting heart deaths and saving lives.
A vast study of the incidence of heart disease, the amount of green spaces and air quality in each county of the United States has shown that the presence of trees, shrubs and grass saves lives.
Click HERE for the story.
Click HERE for the original study.
November 16, 2020
by Paul Brown
Planting trees and creating urban parks brings more green spaces and cleaner air, cutting heart deaths and saving lives.
A vast study of the incidence of heart disease, the amount of green spaces and air quality in each county of the United States has shown that the presence of trees, shrubs and grass saves lives.
Click HERE for the story.
Click HERE for the original study.
City Council votes to proceed with the Mixed Use Project
Downtown Commons Advocates Press statement
For immediate release, June 24, 2020
Downtown Commons Advocates regard as misguided the Santa Cruz City Council’s adoption of a resolution to move ahead with planning a Lot 4 mixed-use project. The decision is based on a failure of city planning to give adequate consideration to the future of Downtown Santa Cruz as a whole. Downtown Commons Advocates plan to use legal and political remedies to stop development of this project, and we call for other civic groups and citizens of Santa Cruz to join with us.
To meet the deadline for use of Measure S funds, the City Council needs to move ahead soon. Reconstruction of the Downtown Library on the existing site is the most attractive, viable plan to do so. We encourage the City Council to reconstruct a first-class library on its existing site. The Council should not combine a library with an expensive and unneeded parking garage and it should reject using affordable-housing fees to cover the library funding gap.
Lot 4 is not needed for affordable housing. Money, not land, is the obstacle to developing affordable housing. In the plan that the Council’s resolution embraces, to increase the square footage of the library requires selling either affordable or market-rate “air rights.” In our view, market-rate housing does not belong on city land, and every dime of income from affordable-housing fees should be used to leverage the development of more affordable housing units, not increase library square footage. Affordable-housing money is money for affordable housing, it is not money for the library.
There are two additional, interrelated problems with the Council’s resolution.
First, the Subcommittee evaluation matrix shows that in comparison to the basically shovel-ready Civic Center library reconstruction project, the Lot 4 project is much less likely to be completed before the library bond deadline. The Lot 4 project faces substantial and unpredictable planning, funding, design, environmental review, and political challenges.
Second, building a new library as part of a mixed-use project on Lot 4 represents a bait-and-switch use of Measure S funds, and the public is overwhelmingly opposed to Lot 4 development. Emails to the Council run around 75% against the project. As the 2013 death of the de-sal project demonstrates, voters have the means to stop an unpopular project.
The City Council runs very real risks when it disregards popular opinion. In particular, it risks losing public support for future ballot measures and losing citizen trust in government. The people of Santa Cruz deserve better from our elected officials.
For immediate release, June 24, 2020
Downtown Commons Advocates regard as misguided the Santa Cruz City Council’s adoption of a resolution to move ahead with planning a Lot 4 mixed-use project. The decision is based on a failure of city planning to give adequate consideration to the future of Downtown Santa Cruz as a whole. Downtown Commons Advocates plan to use legal and political remedies to stop development of this project, and we call for other civic groups and citizens of Santa Cruz to join with us.
To meet the deadline for use of Measure S funds, the City Council needs to move ahead soon. Reconstruction of the Downtown Library on the existing site is the most attractive, viable plan to do so. We encourage the City Council to reconstruct a first-class library on its existing site. The Council should not combine a library with an expensive and unneeded parking garage and it should reject using affordable-housing fees to cover the library funding gap.
Lot 4 is not needed for affordable housing. Money, not land, is the obstacle to developing affordable housing. In the plan that the Council’s resolution embraces, to increase the square footage of the library requires selling either affordable or market-rate “air rights.” In our view, market-rate housing does not belong on city land, and every dime of income from affordable-housing fees should be used to leverage the development of more affordable housing units, not increase library square footage. Affordable-housing money is money for affordable housing, it is not money for the library.
There are two additional, interrelated problems with the Council’s resolution.
First, the Subcommittee evaluation matrix shows that in comparison to the basically shovel-ready Civic Center library reconstruction project, the Lot 4 project is much less likely to be completed before the library bond deadline. The Lot 4 project faces substantial and unpredictable planning, funding, design, environmental review, and political challenges.
Second, building a new library as part of a mixed-use project on Lot 4 represents a bait-and-switch use of Measure S funds, and the public is overwhelmingly opposed to Lot 4 development. Emails to the Council run around 75% against the project. As the 2013 death of the de-sal project demonstrates, voters have the means to stop an unpopular project.
The City Council runs very real risks when it disregards popular opinion. In particular, it risks losing public support for future ballot measures and losing citizen trust in government. The people of Santa Cruz deserve better from our elected officials.
Financial details sought prior to contractor hiring
Santa Cruz Sentinel
By Jessica A. York
September 24, 2020
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/09/24/santa-cruz-downtown-project-financial-details-sought-prior-to-contractor-hiring/
An otherwise routine contract approval took the Santa Cruz City Council nearly three hours to decide Tuesday, ending with a vote to delay hiring a downtown library-garage-housing project manager.
The council is asking city officials to return at a meeting in October with the completed contract language to hire Griffin Structures Inc. as an “owner’s representative” — a $240,000 deal.
After a barrage of objections from the community and some council members, the council voted unanimously to hear back on “broad-based financial information” on the project’s costs, plus more details on funding available specifically for affordable housing and parking components. Funds planned for the library portion of the project primarily would come from the voter-approved 2016 Measure S library facility bond measure, plus expected private fundraising. This week’s information request doubled down on a similar earlier council request.
The council also is seeking more detailed information on available affordable housing developers that could be linked to the project.
City Manager Martín Bernal told the council that hiring a project manager would help the city to obtain specifics around the planned project.
“All of these questions that the community is asking, they will be answered, they have to be answered, obviously, because you will have to approve every single step of the way, every single agreement in terms of the financing, the permits, the financing plans,” Bernal said. “It’s just a matter of — not all the answers are going to be obtained within a few weeks or a few months. Some will come at a later time.”
Separate from hiring an outside project manager, numerous community members calling in to the virtual meeting continued to protest the mixed-use project, approved by the council at the end of June, in its entirety.
“Only two weeks ago, we were choking on smoke,” said Santa Cruz Climate Action Network representative Pauline Seales. “Climate change is here now and it’s going to get worse and we have to make drastic changes. Business as usual is completely unacceptable. Around the world, many cities are making drastic moves to become sustainable cities. Building a new garage is completely wrong.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Robert Singleton, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council, said he supported hiring an owners’ representative for “an incredibly valuable project for the future of our downtown.”
“The major decision to move forward with this project has already been taken by this council, so this is really more of a procedural vote to make sure that we have a really strong advocate, to make sure that we’re getting the best deal for our taxpayer dollars,” Singleton said.
By Jessica A. York
September 24, 2020
https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2020/09/24/santa-cruz-downtown-project-financial-details-sought-prior-to-contractor-hiring/
An otherwise routine contract approval took the Santa Cruz City Council nearly three hours to decide Tuesday, ending with a vote to delay hiring a downtown library-garage-housing project manager.
The council is asking city officials to return at a meeting in October with the completed contract language to hire Griffin Structures Inc. as an “owner’s representative” — a $240,000 deal.
After a barrage of objections from the community and some council members, the council voted unanimously to hear back on “broad-based financial information” on the project’s costs, plus more details on funding available specifically for affordable housing and parking components. Funds planned for the library portion of the project primarily would come from the voter-approved 2016 Measure S library facility bond measure, plus expected private fundraising. This week’s information request doubled down on a similar earlier council request.
The council also is seeking more detailed information on available affordable housing developers that could be linked to the project.
City Manager Martín Bernal told the council that hiring a project manager would help the city to obtain specifics around the planned project.
“All of these questions that the community is asking, they will be answered, they have to be answered, obviously, because you will have to approve every single step of the way, every single agreement in terms of the financing, the permits, the financing plans,” Bernal said. “It’s just a matter of — not all the answers are going to be obtained within a few weeks or a few months. Some will come at a later time.”
Separate from hiring an outside project manager, numerous community members calling in to the virtual meeting continued to protest the mixed-use project, approved by the council at the end of June, in its entirety.
“Only two weeks ago, we were choking on smoke,” said Santa Cruz Climate Action Network representative Pauline Seales. “Climate change is here now and it’s going to get worse and we have to make drastic changes. Business as usual is completely unacceptable. Around the world, many cities are making drastic moves to become sustainable cities. Building a new garage is completely wrong.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Robert Singleton, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council, said he supported hiring an owners’ representative for “an incredibly valuable project for the future of our downtown.”
“The major decision to move forward with this project has already been taken by this council, so this is really more of a procedural vote to make sure that we have a really strong advocate, to make sure that we’re getting the best deal for our taxpayer dollars,” Singleton said.
Library Mixed-Use Project - Interview with John Hall and Jean Brocklebank
KSQD Talk of the Bay
August 18, 2020
Click HERE to listen to the interview on your browser. The program starts at 1 minute and 40 seconds into the recording. Drag the dot to 1:40.
KSQD Talk of the Bay
August 18, 2020
Click HERE to listen to the interview on your browser. The program starts at 1 minute and 40 seconds into the recording. Drag the dot to 1:40.
Environmental and Societal Impacts of the Proposed Garage/Library Structure–A Deeper Dive
KSQD Talk of the Bay
May 26, 2020
Interviews with John Hall and Bob Morgan of Downtown Commons Advocates, and with Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis of Don't Bury the Library, discussing the Library under a parking garage project.
Click HERE to listen
KSQD Talk of the Bay
May 26, 2020
Interviews with John Hall and Bob Morgan of Downtown Commons Advocates, and with Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis of Don't Bury the Library, discussing the Library under a parking garage project.
Click HERE to listen
Downtown Commons Advocates Garage Alternatives
KSQD Talk of the Bay
April 28, 2020
Interview with John Hall and Bob Morgan, with call in from Jean Brocklebank.
Click HERE to listen.
KSQD Talk of the Bay
April 28, 2020
Interview with John Hall and Bob Morgan, with call in from Jean Brocklebank.
Click HERE to listen.
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network planning committee supports Downtown Library proposal by Jayson Architecture!
November 13, 2019
Climate Action Network [SC CAN] joins with other community groups in supporting the reconstruction and renewal of the Downtown Library at the Civic Center, as outlined by Jayson Architecture in their presentation on October 24, 2019, with community input in the design process. The Jayson presentation and video are available HERE.
Climate Action Network [SC CAN] joins with other community groups in supporting the reconstruction and renewal of the Downtown Library at the Civic Center, as outlined by Jayson Architecture in their presentation on October 24, 2019, with community input in the design process. The Jayson presentation and video are available HERE.
Santa Cruz Local reports on Jayson Architects proposal to reconstruct Downtown Library on its historic Civic Center site
October 28, 2019
UPDATE ON THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY PROPOSAL
The Downtown Library Subcommittee met Thursday at the Louden Nelson Community Center. Jayson Architects presented a plan to rebuild the current library at 224 Church St., Santa Cruz. The subcommittee is Vice Mayor Justin Cummings and Councilmembers Sandy Brown and Donna Meyers. They attended with more than 40 community members.
LIBRARY PROPOSAL BACKGROUND
The city council in May shifted away from a plan for a new library and parking garage elsewhere in downtown. The council formed a committee to look at alternatives such as a new building at the current library on Church Street.
County voters in 2016 passed a bond measure that provides $27 million for a new downtown library. The city must have a library constructed by 2024 to use the money. It takes roughly two years to design and two years to construct, Jayson Architects Founder Abraham Jayson said. The 2020 deadline to pick a design is approaching.
THURSDAY'S MEETING
Jayson presented a few concepts to reconstruct the library at its current location.
The library was built in 1904. It needs so many new components that it must be rebuilt rather than renovated.The current library is 42,000 square feet, but about 35% of that is for staff use. A goal is to make it 13% for staff and the rest for the public — like other modern libraries.
A new library would be two floors and potentially 26,000 square feet to stay on budget.
Because of the way libraries now are used, the goals are to increase spaces for children, meeting rooms and study. The library may have fewer shelved books to accomplish those goals.
Designs showed a new front entrance on Center Street to face City Hall.
Designs eliminate the sloped roofs of the current building to make it more earthquake safe. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the first level would draw in sunlight.
An enclosed patio (like the Scotts Valley branch library's) may be a feature.
Designs show a large space for public meetings. That was a response to public input.
The city council expects to discuss the library committee’s recommendations at its Nov. 26 meeting. The city’s website has more details.
UPDATE ON THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY PROPOSAL
The Downtown Library Subcommittee met Thursday at the Louden Nelson Community Center. Jayson Architects presented a plan to rebuild the current library at 224 Church St., Santa Cruz. The subcommittee is Vice Mayor Justin Cummings and Councilmembers Sandy Brown and Donna Meyers. They attended with more than 40 community members.
LIBRARY PROPOSAL BACKGROUND
The city council in May shifted away from a plan for a new library and parking garage elsewhere in downtown. The council formed a committee to look at alternatives such as a new building at the current library on Church Street.
County voters in 2016 passed a bond measure that provides $27 million for a new downtown library. The city must have a library constructed by 2024 to use the money. It takes roughly two years to design and two years to construct, Jayson Architects Founder Abraham Jayson said. The 2020 deadline to pick a design is approaching.
THURSDAY'S MEETING
Jayson presented a few concepts to reconstruct the library at its current location.
The library was built in 1904. It needs so many new components that it must be rebuilt rather than renovated.The current library is 42,000 square feet, but about 35% of that is for staff use. A goal is to make it 13% for staff and the rest for the public — like other modern libraries.
A new library would be two floors and potentially 26,000 square feet to stay on budget.
Because of the way libraries now are used, the goals are to increase spaces for children, meeting rooms and study. The library may have fewer shelved books to accomplish those goals.
Designs showed a new front entrance on Center Street to face City Hall.
Designs eliminate the sloped roofs of the current building to make it more earthquake safe. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the first level would draw in sunlight.
An enclosed patio (like the Scotts Valley branch library's) may be a feature.
Designs show a large space for public meetings. That was a response to public input.
The city council expects to discuss the library committee’s recommendations at its Nov. 26 meeting. The city’s website has more details.