Low-Income Housing Approved For Live Oak

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a mixed-use development near 17th Avenue and Capitola Road that will include 57 units of affordable rental homes, medical and dental clinics and a public plaza.

Located on property owned by the county’s former redevelopment agency, the 3.7-acre site was the subject of numerous community meetings. The development is being led by MidPen Housing, which developed, owns and manages 13 affordable housing communities throughout Santa Cruz County.

“This represents an unprecedented opportunity to provide community services and address the needs of the Live Oak community,” Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold said. “I would like to thank the hundreds of community members who came together to help shape this future community. It is great that there will be a special preference for people who live and work in Santa Cruz County and Live Oak. I look forward to the day when we turn this shared vision into reality.”

The 57 affordable rental apartments will be developed, owned and operated by MidPen Housing, and include a community room with a kitchen and computers, a manager’s apartment, space for an academically-based After School Program for children, a laundry room, a property management office, a garden and a secure bicycle storage room, according to the county.

The board of supervisors also directed the development be energy self-sufficient by
generating, storing and transmitting renewable energy on-site.

“I am beyond excited to reach this stage,” said Betsy Wilson, director of special projects for MidPen Housing. “We understand the dire need for quality, affordable housing throughout Santa Cruz County, and we are thrilled to once again be part of the solution.”

The 11,000-square-foot dental clinic will be operated by Dientes Community Dental, which has provided oral health care to low-income children, adults and seniors for more than 25 years. The 18,000-square-foot medical clinic will be operated by Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, which has operated in Santa Cruz County for 45 years.

“Locating services where they are most needed is important to our community,” said Leslie Conner, CEO of Santa Cruz Community Health Centers. “By providing integrated medical, behavioral, and social support services, we can improve the lives of Live Oak residents.”

The proposed public plaza includes a sunken green space, seating, sculptures and an interpretive historical installation honoring Robert Merriman and the history of the site. Merriman, who once lived on the site, fought fascism in Spain as commander of the Lincoln Battalion, and was thought to be the inspiration for the fictional character Robert Jordan in Ernest Hemmingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”