Application Number 241371 - Multi Unit Building
Summary
SCH Number
2026020491
Public Agency
Santa Cruz County
Document Title
Application Number 241371 - Multi Unit Building
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/12/2026
Document Description
Proposal to demolish one existing residential dwelling unit and construct 57 units, several non-habitable storage units and common amenity spaces within a five-story multifamily building, and site improvements including surface parking and fencing. The project includes a 42.5-percent Density Bonus in exchange for the provision of four affordable units (comprising of one Very-Low Income (VLI) unit and three Extremely Low (ELI) units). Requires approval of a Site Development Permit pursuant to Builder's Remedy pursuant to Gov. Code Section 65589.5 and Density Bonus pursuant to Gov. Code Section 65915. The project site is located on the north side of Capitola Road at 841 Capitola Road (Assessor's Parcel Number 026-491-40) approximately 300 feet west of its intersection with Joes Avenue in Live Oak.
Contact Information
Name
Jonathan DiSalvo
Agency Name
County of Santa Cruz
Job Title
Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Clay Toombs
Agency Name
Workbench
Job Title
Development Manager
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Santa Cruz
Counties
Santa Cruz
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Capitola Rd and Jose Ave
Zip
95062
Total Acres
0.8940
Parcel #
026-491-40
Township
11S
Range
1W
Section
17
Other Location Info
841 Capitola Rd
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
PRC Section 21080.66
Reasons for Exemption
The project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21080.66. This exemption applies to projects consistent with the applicable requirements of the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance. Pursuant to the HAA, the County is restricted from denying the project, reducing its density, or rendering it infeasible based on inconsistencies with the Zoning Ordinance or General Plan. Therefore, any existing zoning requirements and development standards that the project is not in compliance with are not “applicable” within the meaning of PRC Section 21080.66. The project is found to be consistent with the Zoning Ordinance and General Plan. Also, the approval of a density bonus, incentives or concessions, waivers, or reductions of development or parking standards shall not be grounds for determining that the project is inconsistent with the General Plan or Zoning Ordinance. The project
also meets all other criteria. The project is a builder’s remedy “housing development project”, occurs in an unincorporated “urban area” on a site that is no more than five acres in size; is located on a project site that has been previously developed; is substantially surrounded by urban uses; contains at least a minimum density of 10 units per acre, does not involve the demolition of a listed historic structure existing as of the date of submittal of the preliminary application (Historic Evaluation by PAST Consultants LLC, dated February 22, 2023 on file with the CDI Planning Division), is not located on farmland, wetlands, in a very high fire hazard severity zone, a hazardous waste site, earthquake fault zone, flood hazard area, regulatory floodway, in an adopted natural conservation plan/habitat conservation plan/natural resource protection plan, does not contain habitat for protected species identified as candidate, sensitive, or species of special status by state or federal agencies. The biotic report (Biological Assessment memo dated March 17, 2025 prepared by Thompson Wildland Management, and a Tree Inventory and Arborist Report dated April 18, 2022 prepared by Davey Resource Group, Inc. for APN 026-491-40) concludes that the
Study Area does not support habitat for federally and/or state protected plant or animal species. No special-status plant or animal species were identified in the study area. In addition, there are no locally unique biotic communities, wetlands, or riparian corridors on or immediately adjacent to the property.
A vehicle miles traveled (VMT) technical analysis (Linscott, Law & Greenspan, Engineers, dated May 21, 2025) was provided for the proposed project. As detailed in the analysis and based on the SB 743 Implementation Guidelines for the County of Santa Cruz and the County’s TREDLite tool, the VMT for the proposed project is 14.8, which exceeds the threshold of 13.6, thus the project would not screen out of the requirement to provide a VMT analysis, thus a VMT technical analysis
was provided for the project.
The County of Santa Cruz TREDLite tool was utilized to determine whether on-site transportation demand management (“TDM”) features may reduce the proposed project’s VMT to a less than significant impact. The TREDLite tool provides a 20 percent VMT reduction achieved by a project that is designed with a higher density compared to the average residential density in the U.S. The project is designed at a density of about 67 units per acre, exceeding the average residential density
in the U.S (9.1 units per acre). As such, the high density of the project reduces the project VMT from 14.8 to 11.8, which is below the threshold of 13.6, thus the project’s VMT would result in a less than significant impact.
A 60-day formal tribal notification period was initiated on August 1st, 2025 and terminated on September 30th, 2025. Two tribes provided responses but formal consultations were not requested by any tribes during the notification period. Standard conditions of approval for tribal monitoring during ground-disturbing activities would apply to the project.
In conformance with PRC Section 21080.66, a condition of approval for the development has been included as part of the project approval requiring the development proponent to complete a phase I environmental assessment, as defined in Section 78090 of the Health and Safety Code.
County Clerk
Santa Cruz
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.