Council Moves Forward with Next Step In Town Center Plan

The city’s long talked about Town Center is a step closer to fruition after the Scotts Valley City Council voted unanimously to approve a key step in paving the way for senior and affordable housing in the city center.

At its meeting Wednesday night, the council directed city staff to put out a Request for Qualifications to architects who might be interested in the senior/affordable housing project. The project would be approximately 40 units on two parcels adjacent to the Scotts Valley Library on Kings Village Road that were purchased by the city’s redevelopment agency with affordable housing funds.

According to the city, the Town Center plan has already seen various phases completed or in development. In June, the new library, a huge component of the plan, was completed and opened to the public. In addition to the senior/affordable housing option, the plan also allows for 100 multi-family, stand-alone homes and 200 multi-family, mixed-use units.

With its proximity to the library, transit center, shopping areas and the senior center, which is across the street, the council felt senior and affordable housing is an important element to add in to the Town Center plan.

“This would, one, fulfill our obligation toward the land purchase we have made to date toward the Town Center,” Mayor Dene Bustichi said. “Two, it would allow us to do our next phase of the Town Center, and three, it would allow us to create some connectivity with the library and the Town Center specific area.”

Doug Wiele of Foothill Partners and Russ and Kevin Pratt, the developers for the project, said that senior and affordable housing brings another great component to the Town Center.

“From the very beginning, we’ve been intrigued by the mix of uses that are already here,” Wiele said. “We really see this as being downtown Scott Valley. We think of this as the central business district. It’s not about building a big shopping center that happens to have a street down the middle, it’s about building a mix of uses.”

Councilman Randy Johnson said that although the project is moving slowly, it is gradually starting to take shape.

“I think that this is just one more indication that if we start putting those pieces together … once you reach the tipping point, all of a sudden it becomes more clear and inevitable that a downtown will become a reality.”

The city is also still weighing its options on whether or not to build the project internally or have an affordable housing developer take the reins.

Vice-Mayor Donna Lind and Councilwoman Stephany Aguilar agreed that it was best to look at both sides and not be locked into anything just yet.

Councilman Jim Reed agreed, adding, “I think we should investigate and go where the facts take you. At the same time, I’m guessing there would be a lot of benefit to keeping ourselves in control of the process.”