(This rendering by Wald, Ruhnke & Dost Architects shows plans to add 150 housing units on 511 Ohlone Parkway.)
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Planning Commission unanimously recommended a project Tuesday that would add 150 housing units on a former junkyard.
The project is now headed to the Watsonville City Council for its approval at a future meeting.
California Sunshine Development is looking to build 23 single-family homes, 40 duplex-style townhouse units and 87 row-style townhouse units on a 13-acre site at 511 Ohlone Parkway.
The developer is currently constructing the 87-unit Sunshine Gardens project adjacent to the property.
The site formerly housed a junkyard, which had been operating there since the 1960s. According to Principal Planner Justin Meek, the area was cleared of vehicles and structures in early 2017.
Peter Silva, an architect with Wald, Ruhnke & Dost Architects of Monterey, said the development would be constructed in phases over a number of years.
Soil disposal is part of the first phase of construction, according to Meek, as the soil in areas of the property contains contaminants that exceed the safe levels established by the State Water Resources Control Board.
A small group of neighbors attended the meeting to voice their concerns about the project, namely the increase in traffic.
Santa Victoria Avenue resident Jessica Jensen said she came to the meeting knowing what the impacts the development would have on her neighborhood, but after listening to the presentations by Meek and Silva, found it to be “more serious than I thought.”
“I didn’t think I would have to sell my home,” Jensen said, adding that other neighbors share the same concern. “If we have that many new people in the homes, how is traffic going to be remedied by a stop sign? I would like to see more in and out streets and bridges.”
Commissioner Rick Danna said he liked the project, but thought the children’s play area proposed in the project should be “twice as big.” He commended California Sunshine Development for taking on a property that has “a lot of environmental damage.”
“This was a junkyard since I was a kid,” he said. “It was an awful junkyard.”
Commissioner Eduardo Montesino said the lack of housing in Watsonville is “driving families apart.”
“We need to provide options for this community, because there are none,” he said.
