2020 N. Pacific Avenue

The project at 2020 North Pacific Avenue and 113–115 Knight Sleet in Santa Cruz involves the redevelopment of a 0.64-acre site in the Central Business District/Floodplain Overlay zone to construct an eight-story mixed-use building containing 178 residential units and approximately 2,727 square feet of commercial and residential amenities, along with 100 parking spaces. The development received entitlement approval from the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission on June 5, 2025, encompassing demolition authorization, administrative use and design permits, a boundary adjustment, a density bonus request, and heritage tree removal, all subject to specific conditions. The City Council upheld this approval on August 12, 2025, after denying two appeals and affirming the environmental determination, with revised conditions of approval in place. The project leverages California Government Code Sections 65915–65918 to secure a density bonus, which includes seven waivers and two incentives or concessions to facilitate the development of the housing units within the constrained urban site. The development is part of the broader Downtown Plan’s North Pacific subarea and is located in a zone with specific regulatory requirements due to its floodplain overlay designation. The City of Santa Cruz is the contracting agency, with primary point of contact Eric Marlatt, Assistant Director of Planning and Community Development, and Clay Toombs of Workbench Built serving as the design and entitlement lead. The project is publicly listed with a posted date of August 14, 2025, and can be referenced through the state’s CEQA network under project ID 2025060394.