Santa Cruz City Council adopts Wharf Master Plan

SANTA eRUZ » The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is on track to receive its first major makeover in 40 years after the Santa Cruz City Council voted to adopt the Wharf Master Plan in a 5-2 vote Tuesday night.

Councilwomen Katherine Beiers and Sandy Brown dissented.

The vote was brought back to the City Council’s agenda after the council decided to continue the Wharf Master Plan on Nov. 10. The decision came after a late legal challenge from Susan Brandt-Hawley on behalf of Don’t Morph the Wharf!

A legal battle could be looming. The council is aware of the possibility and discussed it during deliberation. Brandt-Hawley was not available for comment before press time.

“Given that there is some gray area here about interpretation of CEQ A in particular to the Landmark Building and aesthetic impact, we are going to see a lawsuit,” Brown said. “We will if we don’t remove that Landmark Building.”

Brandt-Hawley specializes in what she calls “public interest environmental cases” across California. Her focus is on aesthetics, cultural landscapes and historical resources, according to the Brandt-Hawley Law Group website.

Don’t Morph the Wharf! had several grievances with the Wharf Master Plan, most of which had to do with projects that would affect the aesthetic and recreational integrity of the wharf. The biggest issue posed concerns the proposed Landmark Building as well as its possibility of being 40 feet tall as opposed to the current 30-foot-tall buildings on the wharf.

A height of 40 feet is in line with current zoning regulations, said Economic Development Director Bonnie Lipscomb. The council can lower the height of the building if it pleases, but city staff recommended otherwise.

“I think the critical thing is that we are able to move forward with the master plan,” Lipscomb said. “That it does include a building of some sort.”

Brandt-Hawley and Don’t Morph the Wharf! claim the height of the new building would negatively affect the views from the surrounding area, as well as the iconic skyline of the wharf. Additionally, they claim the popular sea lion viewing holes will be eliminated if the building is approved.

The Wharf Master Plan contradicts this claim. City staff included in the plan that new development will attempt to preserve the viewing holes or relocate them to a place that is more convenient for the public and the local sea lion population.

Brown motioned to adopt an amended version that excludes the Landmark Building, but the motion failed in a 4-3 vote. Beiers, Brown and Mayor Justin Cummings supported the proposed alteration.

“At this time, I think it’s premature to start limiting buildings,” Vice Mayor Donna Meyers said. “As we get proposals and those come forward, we’ll be able to shape those buildings and we’ll be able to understand what their impact will look like.”

The Landmark Building doesn’t have a set designation, yet. However, it could serve as a future spot for a wharf history museum or an extension of the surfing museum on West Cliff Drive, according to the Wharf Master Plan.

“I think the main goal of this is we need to get it to the Coastal Commission and actually be ready to invest in the infrastructure, which is really the most important thing, as well as the economic revitalization of the Wharf,” Meyers said. “It’s been suffering from the COVID hit.”