SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously declined to hear an appeal of the ongoing Aptos Village Project, ending the latest salvo by a group that has long opposed it.
Approved by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in 2012, the project will feature a New Leaf Community Market grocery store and deli housed in the historic Hihn Apple Barn, along with several new homes, a restaurant and retail space.
The group We Are Aptos, led by Aptos resident Becky Steinbruner, contends that the county Historic Resources Commission was acting under an expired development permit when it allowed the latest changes to the barn at a May meeting.
That included a skylight and a reduction in the number of doors from the original plan. The commission also approved a plan to keep a larger part of the original loading dock to be used as an outdoor patio.
The issue before the supervisors Tuesday was whether the developer violated permitting rules, thus giving the county jurisdiction to hear an appeal later this year.
The supervisors were not swayed by pleas from about a half-dozen people for them to allow a review of the project, who ignored admonitions from board chairman John Leopold that their decision was narrowly limited to issues with the three changes.
Issues with the project’s environmental review were therefore irrelevant to the discussion.
“There are many pieces of new information that need to be taken into consideration,” Steinbruner said. “I do still contend that the historic preservation plan has expired.”
Steinbruner also said that the county has not sufficiently considered potential impacts to groundwater overdraft and to traffic increases caused by the new development.
Instead, the supervisors took the advice of county counsel, which told them that the historic preservation plan has not expired, but in fact is valid indefinitely.
“These are minor changes to the structure that does not warrant further CEQA study,” said Bryan Winter, an attorney who was representing the county in the matter.
In other action, the supervisors unanimously approved a five-year, $1 million spending plan for Measure D, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 that is expected to raise $2.6 million annually for 30 years for road upgrades and repairs in Santa Cruz County.
The plan includes $122,700 for repairs to the Casserly Road Bridge. Other South County locations include Mesa Verde Drive, Green Valley Road and Arroyo Drive.
Also on Tuesday the supervisors unanimously approved a $717 million budget for 2017-18 that improves public services and fiscal reserves while assisting with county disaster recovery efforts.
“On behalf of the Board, I’m pleased we were able to approve a budget that demonstrates fiscal responsibility while increasing public safety, furthering our recovery from winter storm damage and reinvesting in our community,” Board Chair John Leopold said.
The budget includes reductions in spending and staff positions, but adds staff in the Parks Department, Probation Department and Sheriff’s Office, including four deputies.
The budget also increases county reserves to $43.8 million, up $15 million since 2011-12.
Residents may read the budget at www.santacruzcounty.us.
