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Santa Cruz council approves 100-unit educator housing project at 313 Swift Street
Summary
The City Council approved a 100-unit educator workforce housing project at 313 Swift Street, invoking the Teacher Housing Act and SB 330; the project includes conditions on transit passes, park access during construction and a check on washing-machine microfilters.
The Santa Cruz City Council voted to approve an educator workforce housing development at 313 Swift Street, a four-story, 100-unit apartment project intended for educators and support staff.
City staff said the project would provide 100 residential units, 119 parking spaces and 120,604 square feet of building area on a roughly 4-acre lot southwest of Delaware Avenue and Swift Street. Senior Planner Tim Mayer said the proposal invokes state laws intended to speed housing production and protect objective design review, including Senate Bill 330 and the Teacher Housing Act of 2016, and that a mitigated negative declaration under the California Environmental Quality Act had been prepared.
Council members and school-district leaders told the council the project is intended to help retain teachers in a high-cost market. Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Chris Monroe said high housing costs are among the district’s most persistent staffing challenges and credited local bond measures with making educator housing feasible. A statement read by Sam Rollins on behalf of the Greater Santa Cruz Federation of Teachers reported roughly 85% of members supported the idea when polled.
Councilmember Golder moved to adopt staff’s recommendation with three additions: direct staff to return, prior to occupancy, with a proposed modification to Municipal Code chapter 10.46 to allow an exemption from the city’s regular requirement to provide Metro passes for school district projects that sign a transportation demand management agreement with the city; require that temporary pedestrian access to Sergeant Derby Park remain open during construction when feasible and safe; and direct coordination at the building-permit stage to assess whether microplastic filters can be incorporated into washing-machine discharge design where practical. Vice Mayor Kalantari Johnson seconded the motion.
The motion passed by voice roll call. City staff noted the project requires multiple discretionary approvals — a planned development permit, coastal permit, design permit and a heritage-tree removal permit for up to six trees — and that the Planning Commission recommended approval with additional conditions on pedestrian and bicycle access and tree replacement. Staff said the project would provide affordability through alternative compliance with the city’s inclusionary housing standards and would exceed the affordability requirements of the Teacher Housing Act.
Councilmembers praised the collaboration between the school district and city staff and emphasized that construction and permit steps remain before units can be occupied. The council directed staff to return with the code modification for approval prior to occupancy and to coordinate permit-level details described in the motion.
Next steps: staff will finalize permit conditions, process building permits and return with the requested municipal-code modification prior to occupancy; the project remains subject to the conditions and limits described above.
