Letter: Build a hotel for the grandkids, not CEOs

Hopefully, our county supervisor, Mark Stone, will not approve the construction of the new La Bahia hotel in Santa Cruz. At least, not as it is presently planned, with its projected height to be four stories and blocking the ocean views of the residents on Beach Hill. The hotel could have been built by now, but the developers will not budge from their insistence that the height be well over zoning regulations. They say that they must have that fourth story for two large and, we must assume, very expensive penthouses. The new La Bahia will not be just a hotel. It will be a four-star hotel. Meaning that it’s not going to be a place where the grandkids can stay and be close to the Boardwalk.
When I was a young single Bay Area mother, taking my three kids to the Boardwalk was the highlight of our summers. We’d stay at the Bluebird Motel on East Cliff Drive because it had kitchenettes, so necessary for those of us who couldn’t afford to eat every meal out. We need a family-friendly hotel with kitchenettes down by the Boardwalk, certainly not a four-star hotel with condos and conference facilities.
Santa Cruz has no airport. We had one in Scotts Valley. Perhaps newer residents aren’t aware that “Skypark” was an airport for many years. Without a place for corporate jets or helicopters to land, our city by the bay can never be a destination for business conferences. We aren’t Monterey or Carmel. We’re the place where low- and middle-income people can take their family and friends and have an affordable good time. Instead of striving for an upgrade, we should be proud of who we are. And the Seaside Co. should continue to provide good clean fun for us ordinary folks.
Catherine O’Kelly, Scotts Valley