News

Zach Friend Interview: Transportation

March 27, 2016 by Seb Frey

In the fourth segment of our interview with Supervisor Zach Friend, Zach talks about the tremendous challenges we as a community face with our transportation. He talks about the need for Santa Cruz county to become a “self help” county when it comes to transportation. He says this is the only way that the county will be able to attract outside dollars (from the State of California and Federal government) for our much-needed transportation projects, such as widening Highway 1, Santa Cruz Metro, the Mar Vista Pedestrian Bride, and the Santa Cruz rail corridor.

Watch the Video Now

In the fifth segment of the interview, Supervisor Friend talks about establishing passenger rail service along the Santa Cruz Branch Line rail corridor, and the construction of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network.

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We Are Aptos Lawsuit Examined

March 25, 2016 by Seb Frey

Download the We Are Aptos Lawsuit Complaint

As has been widely reported elsewhere, the neighborhood group known as We Are Aptos has filed suit against the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors and the various developers of the new Aptos Village. The group’s web site provides some information on the lawsuit, in particular a letter sent to the Board of Supervisors by local land use attorney Bill Parkin of Wittwer Parkin.

One item absent from the group’s web site is an actual copy of the complaint, that is, the text of the lawsuit which has been filed. As this is public record, it has been obtained from the Superior Court of Santa Cruz County clerk and is being made available here for the public’s examination.

The crux of the lawsuit seems to be that the Final Map approved by the County Board of Supervisors in December 2015 differs “substantially” from the Tentative Map approved in 2012, and that this is a violation of the California Subdivision Map Act (and Santa Cruz County Code section 14.01.209(2) as well). The suit alleges that not only are the tentative map and final map substantially different, the final map leaves off entirely a new county park, which was to be donated by the developer and for which the developer apparently received a handsome reduction in fees.

Santa Cruz County has provided to Aptos Community News two lengthy PDF documents which the public may find interesting to read through. The first set of documents contains information relating to the tentative map approval; the second second of documents are for the final map approval. These document sets contain both the tentative map which was approved in 2012, and the final map which was approved in December 2015. These maps are presented here:

Tentative Aptos Village Map as Approved in 2012

Aptos Village Final Map – Phase 1, Approved December 2015

Looking at the maps, it is plain to see that indeed, the final map which was approved is substantially different from the tentative map. Notably, the final map shows several large remainder parcels. What’s a remainder parcel, you ask? A remainder parcel is:

a portion of a unit or units of improved or unimproved land which a subdivider has designated as not being divided for the purpose of sale, lease or financing.

The question naturally arises: why are there now several remainder parcels on the final map, instead of what was shown and approved on the tentative map?

Not surprisingly, it appears to come down to money. The final map which was approved is only for Phase 1 of the project. The rest of the map will be filled in subsequent phases. Developers use this approach to delay paying substantial development fees. Likewise, the “park” – a rugged piece of terrain which though considered a “Common Area” will likely exist primarily as open space or wildlife habitat – should show up on a subsequent map.

When contacted about the lawsuit, the public relations firm working for the lead developer of the project, provided only this response:

Barry Swenson Builder is committed to the community of Aptos and has been for over a decade on this project. We’re confident the Aptos Village project will be one the community will be proud of. The project is the product of a comprehensive public process, completed in collaboration with community leaders and local experts. The project provides needed housing inventory, creates a community hub for Aptos and benefits from the most advanced environmental and planning strategies used in the county.”
–Mary Gourlay, Barry Swenson Building Development Project Manager.

Jason Hoppin, Communications Manager for the County of Santa Cruz, provided some additional commentary:

We are disappointed this suit was filed. The Aptos Village Plan dates to the 1970s and is the result of years of community meetings. There is widespread community consensus on the need for new housing, including affordable housing, and this project begins to address those needs.

Aside from the phasing of the project, there are some differences between the tentative and final maps. For example, the tentative map shows “Valencia Street” leading straight out of the village to Trout Gulch Road, whereas the final Phase 1 map shows the street as a renamed “Aptos Village Way” curving before it reaches Trout Gulch. It’s an open question if a judge would consider these variances to be a “substantial” difference or not.

For the time being though, it looks like work is proceeding apace on the Aptos Village project, and both the developer and the Board of Supervisors seem confident this lawsuit will have little or no impact on the development plans and schedule.

Pioneer Middle School

March 14, 2016 by Seb Frey

There's a New Middle School in Aptos — Pioneer Middle School

There’s a new, private middle school in Aptos: Pioneer Middle School. The school serves children in grades 6 through 8, and is blazing a new trail in education in the mid-county area. The school seeks to provide a world-class educational experience for kids that focuses on more than just the 3 R’s.

Taking a page from Google’s playbook, students at Pioneer Middle School are allowed to spend one day per week (Fridays) working on a project that is their own passion, and the teachers work to guide the student as they work.

As the school’s web site says:

Pioneer Middle School provides young people with a challenging, creative, and caring academic environment that values social, emotional, intellectual, physical and artistic exploration.

Moreover, the school is designed to provide:

A balanced approach to education
Thoughtfully designed homework
Daily Fitness and Well Being class
Low student-to-teacher ratio
Children prepared for now!

The school is holding an open house on Saturday, March 19 from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, and they are actively enrolling students at this time.

The school a 501(c)3 non-profit and is presently it’s start-up phase. It is located on the grounds of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church, at 6401 Freedom Blvd in Aptos. Interested parents are encouraged to contact the school and inquire about financial aid if need be.

Zach Friend Interview: Second Term Goals

March 10, 2016 by Seb Frey

In the third segment of our interview with Supervisor Zach Friend, Zach talks about what his second term goals are. He cites a lot of unfinished business from his first term, especially on the infrastructure side. Roads, traffic, and transportation financing are problems he feels need to be addressed in a multitude of ways. In the interview, Friend notes there has been a significant cultural shift in the county in recent years with three new members of the board of supervisors. Zach says the county too often has been in the business of saying no, but now we need to find a way to say yes to ways to address a number of problems facing the county while still staying true to our values and the character of the county.

Watch the Video Now

In the fourth segment of the Interview, the Supervisor talks about what can be done to improve transportation in Santa Cruz county, which is a hot-button issue for virtually everyone. Zach has a lot of interesting things to say on the topic, so be sure to watch this space for that!

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Zach Friend Interview: First Term Accomplishments

March 7, 2016 by Seb Frey

In this second segment of our interview with Supervisor Zach Friend, we asked Zach to speak about his accomplishments during his first term as 2nd District County Supervisor. Zach touched on a number of achievements, including working to refund the public safety element of the county budget, re-establishing the Santa Cruz County Parks department as its own department, independent of Public Works, and infrastructure improvements such as Citizen Connect, the county’s new mobile app. When it comes to public safety, he points out that the Sheriff’s department is once again fully staffed for the first time since 2008. Not only is the Parks Department on its own again, we also opened the first new park in Aptos in a generation, and are set to break ground on new permanent restrooms and concession stand at the Polo Fields Park in a few months.

There’s lots more to this segment of the interview, watch it below.

Watch the Video Now

In the third segment of the Interview, the Supervisor talks about why he’s running for re-election, and his goals and priorities for a second term. We’ll have that ready for you in a few days – so stay tuned!

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TrailNow Presentation Video

March 5, 2016 by Seb Frey

Many in the community are aware of plans by the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to establish some form of passenger rail service alongside a trail which will form the backbone of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network. A lot of folks in the community feel that passenger rail service is neither feasible nor a desirable project, especially given the multi-hundred-million dollar cost to establish rail service when existing transportation systems are already badly under-funded.

TrailNow is a local grassroots political action committee whose goal is to establish a “world class” pedestrian and bicycle trail in the Santa Cruz Branch Line rail corridor in the next several years. Their goal is to have the tracks removed entirely to make way for a broad dual-mode (pedestrian, wheeled vehicles) path through the key 12-mile stretch of the corridor from the city of Santa Cruz to Manresa Beach. One of the founders of TrailNow, Brian Peoples, recently made a presentation detailing the organization’s objections to the RTC’s vision for rail service in Santa Cruz county.

Watch the TrailNow Presentation Video

There are of course fierce advocates for passenger rail service in Santa Cruz county, many of whom have disputed some of the information in the TrailNow presentation above and in fact have created a web site highlighting what they consider to be the inaccuracies. For a broader context, please see below for additional articles we’ve posted over time about the rail corridor, especially our interview with former supervisor Ellen Pirie.

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Zach Friend Interview: Introduction

March 1, 2016 by Seb Frey

I got to sit down with Santa Cruz County 2nd District Supervisor Zach Friend for an interview, to talk about a number of topics that concern his constituents here in Aptos – and all of the 2nd District, and Santa Cruz county as a whole, for that matter. Although Zach has been supervisor for nearly four years, a lot of folks in the community are not too familiar with him and his background. To kick off the interview, we asked Zach to introduce himself. Many folks know that Zach isn’t native to Santa Cruz – so I asked him how it is that he ended up living here in Aptos, and the answer he gave may surprise you.

Watch the Zach Friend Interview: Introduction

In a few days, we’ll post the next segment of the Interview – there are a total of 9 segments in all. In the next segment, we ask Zach to reflect on what he considers to be his biggest accomplishments during his first term as county Supervisor. We discussed a lot of hot-button topics for the community: housing, transportation, economic development, fiber optic Internet, Aptos Village, the Rancho del Mar Shopping Center, and many more issues our community is grappling with.

Stay tuned!

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Aptos Real Estate Update February 2016

February 17, 2016 by Seb Frey

To all home owners of Aptos, I bring you good tidings! Yes, we’re still in a stage 3 water emergency, but, but….the median home price in Aptos is up 10.5% compared to a year ago! The median price of a single family home in January 2016 hit $817,500 – and the median price for condos was not much further behind at $665,000 – an increase of nearly 67% compared to a year ago. Welcome to the Aptos Real Estate Update February 2016!

I know what you’re thinking: that’s insane. $665K for a condo? Well, to be fair, three of the five condos sold last month were in the Seascape Resort, with all those lovely ocean views. That’s fair. They’re not making more Ocean View condo units in Aptos – unless maybe a few in the new Aptos Village will have ocean views, in which case, never mind.

It could be you’re thinking, “$817,500 median price for homes in Aptos! That’s Insane!” Well, I won’t differ with you there, but you want to know what’s really insane? Check this out:

I hear it's winter someplace. #winter #aptos #beach #february

A photo posted by Sebastian Frey (@sebfrey) on Feb 15, 2016 at 3:05pm PST

That’s a picture I took on the beach on President’s Day. February 15. I think it was -2°F in New York that day. And the median home price in Manhattan is something like $1.87 million. So what’s the measure of sanity these days?

What’s YOUR Aptos House Value?

Aptos Home Prices — Find YOUR Home’s Value!

Interested to know what your Aptos house is worth in today’s real estate market? Then head over to SellForSure.com for an instant, on-line evaluation of your Aptos home’s value.

Aside from the drought, the traffic snarls, the lack of a movie theater, and myriad other flaws and imperfections, the reality of the situation is that there’s nowhere else on Earth that I’d rather live. Really. And it seems that many – too many! – other people feel the exact same way. And they’re voting with their money, driving up the cost of housing and creating a real challenge for us as a community. It seems unlikely there will ever be enough housing supply to meet demand in Aptos – and I dare say, if that day ever comes, it will be because Aptos will have truly become a place you’d want to move out of, rather than move to. Let’s hope we never see the day.

Aptos Single Family Home Sales February 2016

By the Numbers

Median Price: $817,500 (up 10.5% Y-o-Y, up 4.9% M-o-M)
# Homes Sold: 19 (up 5.5% Y-o-Y, down 17.4% M-o-M)
Average Days On Market for Sold Homes: 77 (vs. 72 DOM year ago)
Sales to List Price Ratio: 98.3% (vs. 99.4% last year, 96.5% last month)
Single Family Homes Listed on MLS: 48 (up 6.7% M-o-M)
Pending Sales on MLS: 15 (down 40% M-o-M)
Available Homes on MLS: 33 (up 32% M-o-M)

What Your Money Buys You – Houses

While the median price for homes in Aptos in January 2016 was $887,450, the least expensive home went for $565,000 and the most expensive went for an even $1,800,000. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

505 Gertrude Avenue, 2/2.5 1375sf sold $565K after 91 DOM

405 Lock Drive, 2/2 1124sf sold $817,500 after 2 DOM

998 Via Malibu, 3/2/ 2217sf sold $1,800,800 after 207 DOM

Want the Best Price for your Aptos Home?

Why gamble on getting the best price and terms possible when selling your house? Want something more like a sure bet? Then check out this 20 minute webinar on how to sell your home quickly, for the highest price, and with the least hassle, uncertainty, and risk. This is a No BS Webinar on how to Sell your Home – it’s short and to the point, and well worth a few minutes of your time.

Aptos Condo/Townhouse Sales February 2016

By the Numbers

Median Price: $665,000 (up 66.7% Y-o-Y, up 17.7% M-o-M)
# Units Sold: 5 (same as year-ago, down 37.5% M-o-M)
Average Days On Market for Sold Units: 173 (vs. 72 DOM year ago, 55 month ago)
Sales to List Price Ratio: 96.8% (vs. 99.4% last year, 97.7% last month)
Condos/Townhouses Listed on MLS: 33 (up 6.7% M-o-M)
Pending Sales on MLS: 12 (down 40% M-o-M)
Available Units on MLS: 21 (up 32% M-o-M)

What Your Money Buys You – Condos

While the median price for condos in Aptos in January was $665,000, the least expensive unit sold for $472,500 and the most expensive went for $875,000. Here’s what that kind of money buys you for an Aptos condo/townhouse today:

1958 Dolphin Drive, 2/1.5 1215sf 7 DOM $472,500

16 Seascape Resort Drive, 2/2.5, 1263sf, 197 DOM, $665K

81 Seascape Resort Drive, 2/2, 1234sf, 367 DOM, $875,000

What about the rest of Santa Cruz county?

Want to know what’s going on in all of Santa Cruz county? For a complete report on Santa Cruz county as a whole, check out the Santa Cruz County Real Estate Report for February 2016

How should you pronounce “Aptos”?

February 17, 2016 by Seb Frey

Aptos Prounciation — How do YOU say Tomato?

There’s something that a lot of folks are not too clear on about Aptos – that is, how is the name supposed to be pronounced? It seems there are several pronunciations – so how do you think the name should be pronounced? Take part in the AptosCommunityNews poll on the pronunciation of Aptos and weigh in on this important matter! Remember – the world is listening!

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Aptos Real Estate Update January 2016

January 19, 2016 by Seb Frey

Hey everyone, welcome to the brand new year, 2016! There’s been a lot of talk about El Niño this season, but so far the truly massive storms that have been predicted have for the most part failed to appear. There’s been rain, and plenty of it by recent standards, but I wouldn’t call it a deluge…although it has been enough to put something of a damper on the Aptos real estate market! How’s that, you ask? Find out in the Aptos Real Estate Update January 2016!

January 2016 Aptos Real Estate Update

The median price for single family homes in Aptos in December 2015 was $779,000 – which is up just 2.9% from a year ago (when the median price was $757,000). This is however down 12.2% from the month prior, when in November 2015 the median home price was a nose-bleeding $887,450.

There were 23 sales of single family homes in December 2015, and that’s a solid 27.8% increase from December a year ago, when only 18 homes were sold. These 23 homes sold in an average of 90 days on market – again, much longer than we’d seen for most of the year prior, and much longer than a year ago, when homes took an average of just 55 days to sell in November 2014.

Looking back at the whole year, we sold 334 single family homes in Aptos with a median price of $827,500. This was a healthy increase over 2014, when we sold just 295 single family homes (11.7% fewer) at a median price of $750,000 (9.4% lower).

Want the Best Price for your Aptos Home?

Last month, sellers received on average 96.5% of full asking price for their homes – considerably less than we’d seen for most of this year, when some months had average sales prices over 100% of asking. A year ago at this time, sellers received an average of 98.5% of full asking price.

At the time of this report, there were 45 single family homes for sale in all of Aptos, and of those, 20 were under contract to be sold. That works out to be a 56 day supply of inventory – that’s less than two months! There are only 25 single family homes currently available for purchase in all of Aptos – at any price! It’s very, very much a seller’s market as we begin a new year.

We turn now to the market for condos and townhomes. The median price for condos and townhomes was $580,000 in December 2015. That is a dip of 2.8% compared to a year ago, when the median condo price was $596,500. There were a total of 7 condo and townhouse sales in December, which is a drop of 22% in sales volume compared to a year ago, when 9 condos and townhouses closed in November 2014.

The condos which sold did so in an average of 57 days on market – about as long as it was taking them a year ago, when they sold in an average of 55 days.

At the time of this report, there were 24 condos and townhouses for sale in Aptos, but 10 of those are presently under contract to be sold, leaving just 14 units available for purchase. This works out to be just a 63 day supply of condos in Aptos – again, very much a seller’s market.

What’s YOUR Aptos House Value?

Interested to know what your Aptos house is worth in today’s real estate market? Then head over to SellForSure.com for an instant, on-line evaluation of your Aptos home’s value.

What Your Money Buys You – Houses

While the median price for homes in Aptos in December 2015 was $887,450, the least expensive home went for $420,000 and the most expensive went for an even $3,588,000. Here’s what that kind of money buys you in Aptos today:

551 Trout Gulch, 2/1, 775sf, sold $538,000 in 43 DOM

530 Vista del Mar Drive, 3/2, 1904sf, sold $779,000 in 24 DOM

1058 Via Tornasol, 3/2.5 3207 sf sold $2,650,000 in 90 DOM

What Your Money Buys You – Condos

While the median price for condos in Aptos in December 2015 was $580,000, the least expensive unit sold for $465,000 and the most expensive went for $740,000. Here’s what that kind of money buys you for an Aptos condo/townhouse today:

1424 Dolphin Drive, 95003, 2/1.5 1215 sf sold $465K 0 DOM (Off Market)

136 Seascape Ridge Drive, 2/2, 1556sf, sold $580K in 30 DOM

428 Seascape Resort, 2/2, 1300sf, spa unit, sold for $740K in 236 DOM

What about the rest of Santa Cruz county?

Want to know what’s going on in all of Santa Cruz county? For a complete report on Santa Cruz county as a whole, check out the Santa Cruz County Real Estate Report for January 2016