Planning System Revamp May Speed Development in Santa Cruz

Bureaucratic red tape has slowed the development process for years in Santa Cruz, California. Now proposed changes look to speed up the process, but critics say the changes could open the door to under-controlled development.

1 minute read

March 18, 2008, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"For the first time in decades, planners are looking to address complaints about the red tape that has long stood between property owners and their residential construction endeavors, like home additions and secondary units. But a handful of environmental leaders, buoyed by some elected officials, have greeted proposals to modify the residential code with concern that the changes won't just streamline the planning process but will abet new development."

"'The amendments could create thousands of new housing units in the county, in the hills,' said Aldo Giacchino, chair of the Santa Cruz County chapter of the Sierra Club. That, he fears, would put added pressure on local water supplies, roads and wildlife."

"The threat of legal action by the Sierra Club and concerns raised by local water agencies have put county planners on the defensive during six months of public and private discussions."

"'We're not necessarily retreating,' said Planning Director Tom Burns. 'Our job is to find common ground and move forward.'"

"Burns has maintained that many of the county's residential building ordinances are simply out of date, and contain redundancies and inconsistencies that need fixing."

Saturday, March 15, 2008 in Santa Cruz Sentinel

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive