Protect Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge

PROTECT NEARY LAGOON & ITS WILDLIFE
SUPPORT LIVABLE, AFFORDABLE, NEIGHBORHOODS

We, the undersigned, oppose the 101 Felix Street Development, which will

• cut 22 large, heritage trees
• alter protection plans to rezone the area to higher density
• create unaffordable housing
• add hundreds of tenants,cars and pets to a small street
• displace current tenants
• have SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACTS on
• the surrounding environment
• the abundant wildlife
• the natural beauty
• the entire Lower Westside neighborhood residents and
• all those who love to visit the peaceful refuge of Neary Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary

Makes Protection Plans Meaningless
We oppose the weakening of the City's General Plan and Local Coastal Program, which guide sustainable development and protect our waters, in order to "spot-rezone" this property.
"Spot-rezoning" one property in a neighborhood to give a developer a special deal makes these plans meaningless by disregarding the years of democratic public process to create these protections.
We support housing when it follows the thoughtfully written City General Plan to preserve wildlife habitat, parks and to create livable, affordable city design.

Environmental Impacts
This development site is adjacent to the beautiful Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge and Laurel Creek Watershed and will add 160 to 300 or more residents, cars and up to 160 pets into five, 40-foot tall buildings to the Cypress Point Apartment complex.
Neary Lagoon wetland and riparian habitat is home to 228 species of birds and other endangered wildlife that are sensitive to human activity, light and noise.
This development will take 1.5 or more years to build. Construction debris and human activity will disturb the nesting and breeding of birds, bats and other sensitive wildlife.
Red-shoulder hawks and owls are widely known to frequent the 22 trees that would be cut down.

More Unaffordable Housing
The city requires 20% of new units to be "affordable" but 80% of the units will be incredibly unaffordable to the local working people and students who live on this property now.
Affordable is defined in the developer's plan as up to $1871 for a studio and up to $2125 per month for a one-bedroom.
$1900 to $2125 per month is not affordable for most local, working people
High rent forces tenants to overcrowd small apartments to be able to pay the rent.
Only 16 units would be deemed "affordable" but 304 units would be at market rate or $3000 or more per month.
The developer would earn over 1 million in rent each month for a poorly-maintained and unsatisfactorily managed, larger apartment complex.


Climate or Covid Emergencies
Amidst a Climate Emergency, it is unacceptable to cut 22 heritage trees (Redwoods and Monterey Cypress) next to a wildlife sanctuary!
These 22 mature trees absorb more than half a ton of climate-changing carbon from the air each year and provide 88 people with a daily supply of oxygen.
Especially during the Covid-19 economic crisis, when the city plans to build 1120 units in Santa Cruz, UCSC will not be returning and there are over 500 multi-room residences for rent, we do not need to build more expensive housing.
This plan would destroy our natural beauty to reward the owner of an overcrowded, poorly-managed and inferiorly-maintained apartment complex.

For more info. email: SaveNearyLagoon@gmail.com
Call or Text: 831-854-7247