Council weighs in on new housing development

UPDATE Dec. 16: After discussing the development for several hours at their Dec. 15 meeting, The Scotts Valley City Council did not make a decision and will continue the discussion at the January 19 council meeting.
SCOTTS VALLEY – Pending City Council approval, Scotts Valley Drive will likely become the home of dozens of new houses and several new shops .
This week, the Scotts Valley City Council heard the recommendations of the city’s planning commission regarding a proposed development on the former site of RVs of Merritt and the quarry on Scotts Valley Drive.
The development, dubbed the Woodside project, would comprise three commercial buildings and 51 single-family houses.
The planning commission approved the proposal by San Jose-based developer Jim Sullivan with a 4-1 vote Nov. 18. The council deliberated the project after press time Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The commercial space would consist of three separate buildings totaling 18,000 square feet along Scotts Valley Drive, with parking spaces between. Behind them, a looping road would allow access to homes.
The residential community behind the shops would consist of 51 two-story houses, each with a two-car garage and about 1,600 to 1,900 square feet of living space. Each house’s front door would look across a walkway, or “paseo,” toward the front door of the neighboring home.
The garages would be placed at the rear of each home, facing the access roads.
“I think they will appeal to people making a jump from a rental-type unit to home ownership, or to the empty-nester looking to downsize,” Jim Sullivan said.
Thirty-two houses would have three bedrooms, while the other 19 would have four bedrooms.
“Right now, it’s the largest unused property on Scotts Valley Drive,” senior city planner Michelle Fodge said.
The council on Wednesday weighed the developer’s requests to change land-use designations in the city’s General Plan, land division and zoning and allow several exceptions to the city’s municipal code so it can move forward and build on the 18.22-acre site .
Sullivan said early this week that if the council approved the project Dec. 15, he would aim to submit a final map within three months and begin construction in the spring, with some homes available by September or October.
“My intention is to get the first models up and running by late summer (or) early fall,” he said.
The resolutions, if approved, would allow for shaping and grading of the former quarry floor. A series of retaining walls would be built along the edge to help prevent shifting.
One potential problem raised by the planning commission concerned the small number of parking spaces available for both businesses and homes, something that could be somewhat alleviated by allowing the two to share parking areas, Fodge said.
Sullivan said the homes will likely sell in the high $500,000 to low $600,000 range. There will be five more moderately priced units
“I really think Scotts Valley is kind a gem,” Sullivan, who lives in the Campbell-Los Gatos area. “It has great schools, it’s not far from the heart of Silicon Valley and it’s not super hot during the summertime and not super cold during the winter time.”