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Work Begins on Aptos Village

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Barry Swenson Builder Trailer in Aptos Village
Barry Swenson Builder Trailer in Aptos Village

Work begins on Aptos Village today! Barry Swenson Builder has moved a trailer on to the Aptos Village job site, and today they announced via their web site (theaptosvillage.com) that crews are now preparing the area where the Hihn Apple Barn will be moved to later this year. Much of the work is weather-dependent and only happening in select areas to prevent erosion. County officials are involved in overseeing the work. BSB construction manager Keith Henderson explained that “we try to disturb as little as possible and only work where we need to.”

The Apple Barn will be rotated and moved about 300 feet west of its current location. The plan calls for it to be renovated and reopened as a New Leaf market. In preparation for this move, Barry Swenson Builder has indicated their staff are working with historians and historical architects to take photos of the barn to document key details.

The barn’s porch, which is not part of the original structure, will be removed before the structure is moved. Wood saved from the porch will be reused in historical displays and elsewhere as the barn is reconstructed in its new location.

A little-known fact about the barn is that it is actually comprised of two structures, one added onto the other. Aptos Village Project construction manager Keith Henderson explained the barn will be severed along the addition, with temporary walls being built to provide stability during the move.

In addition to moving the Apple Barn, the work crew will also be removing a dilapidated metal shed and debris from the site (the corrugated metal siding will be salvaged or recycled), and beginning work on the retaining wall along Granite Way.

New Aptos Village Groundbreaking Moves Ahead

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Aptos Village Site Map Phase 1, Courtesy Barry Swenson Builder
Aptos Village Site Map Phase 1, Courtesy Barry Swenson Builder

The Santa Cruz county Board of Supervisors held a meeting late yesterday afternoon to vote on approval of the final Aptos Village map.  Yesterday’s meeting was reportedly well attended by vocal and spirited opponents of the plan, but nevertheless, the board of supervisors did unanimously vote approval of the final map, as had been widely anticipated.  The Aptos Village Redevelopment project is moving forward.

A meeting was held on Wednesday morning at Cantine Wine Pub in the Aptos Village Square shopping center, to update local merchants on the plans for construction. Presenters included Mary Gourlay from Barry Swenson Builder, Jack Sohriakoff (a senior traffic engineer with Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works), and Patrick Mulhearn, aide to Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend. An audio copy of the conversation is embedded here for those who would like to hear about some of the construction details that were shared at today’s meeting.

Audio Recording of the Merchant’s Meeting


Download audio file…

Barry Swenson Builder now plans to actually break ground on the project within the next several weeks – before the end of the year. Phase 1 will include erecting security fencing, building the pads where the historic Hihn Apple Barn will be moved, and cutting the interior roads for Aptos Village. While there will be several phases of construction, both by Barry Swenson Builder and the Santa Cruz county department of Public Works, it is expected that the new Aptos Village will begin to receive its first occupants within the next two years.

Aptos Village Design Changes Unanimously Approved

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Aptos Village Approved
Aptos Village Design Changes Approved

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors today unanimously approved the changes to the Aptos Village design requested by the developer, Barry Swenson Builder. The project initially won approval in 2012 after a decade in the planning process, but that approval granted the builder some flexibility in the final design. The approval today from the Board of Supervisors should allow the project to move forward with the requested modifications.

The meeting was well attended, despite starting at 9 AM on a weekday. Dozens of members of the community got up to speak, with proponents and opponents roughly evenly divided. Most of those opposed appeared to be the members of our community which will be most adversely affected by the construction and increased congestion in the village – that is, those living up Cathedral Drive, Trout Gulch Road, and Valencia Road.

Audio Recording of the Supervisor’s Meeting


Download audio file…

The portion of the meeting which dealt with Aptos Village lasted over an hour and a half, and ended with little debate among the supervisors before they unanimously approved the changes. It seemed as though their support was a foregone conclusion, and there was substantial but muted commentary from those in attendance that their voices had not been heard, or at least not given due consideration.

At the end of the discussion and before the vote, Supervisors Zach Friend, John Leopold and Bruce McPherson did make some remarks. Supervisor Friend spoke to both the process by which the project was approved, and the need for a project like this. Many in attendance today who opposed to the project expressed a sentiment that the project was being pushed on the community with little input. Supervisor Friend addressed this head on, and seemed genuinely to feel as though the local government had in fact sought substantial community involvement and feedback.

Supervisor Leopold remarked that the government should be committed to a good public process, and that a “ten year project” with over 20 meetings meets that requirement. He went on to say he understands the community’s concerns about the density of the project. He mentioned specifically the Sustainable Santa Cruz County plan, which calls for greater density within the urban services line (the area served by public water and sewer) along the Soquel Drive corridor. By concentrating development within this area (in which Aptos Village is located), we can keep more parts of our county rural. Perhaps counter-intuitively, this kind of denser development is in fact more sustainable than the kind of sprawl found in so many suburban communities in many parts of the state and country. According to Leopold, from an environmental point of view, the Aptos Village is in many ways a model for future development within the county.

Supervisor McPherson mentioned that one of the main concerns from Santa Cruz county residents is the lack of affordable housing in the community, and that more housing must be built. He went on to say that the Aptos Village project will provide additional, much-needed housing, and that the new Aptos Village is a very environmentally sound project.

Aptos Village Meeting on April 22

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Community Meeting at the Rio Sands
The Rio Sands Hotel played host to the meeting

The Aptos Village Meeting on April 22 was held at the Rio Sands Hotel by the Rio del Mar Beach.  It was standing room only, with the room full to its limit, an estimated 150 people. The meeting was headed by 2nd District Supervisor Zach Friend and Mary Gourlay with Barry Swenson Builder. Extensive information was provided by Ron Duncan and Bruce Jaffe from the Soquel Creek Water District, and also Jack Sohriakoff, a senior traffic engineer with the county Public Works department.

At the beginning of the meeting, attendees were asked to write their questions down on cards, so they could be asked in an orderly and efficient fashion. Nevertheless, remarks by Friend, Gourlay and the other speakers would be peppered with spicy questions from the crowd throughout the evening.

Audio Recording of the Aptos Village Meeting on April 22


Download audio file…

The meeting opened with remarks from Supervisor Friend, who was quick to point out that the purpose of the meeting was not to discuss approval of the Aptos Village project, as it’s an “entitled project.” It has already gone through the entire approval process and was approved in 2012.

This meeting was intended as a way to receive public input on some modifications to the initially approved design, which the builder has submitted to the county for approval. Also, the meeting was designed to be a way to publicly discuss what will happen during construction, what will those impacts be, and how the county can communicate to make people’s lives in the area “less miserable” during construction. Also open for discussion were the water, traffic, and public safety impacts of the project.

Video from Aptos Village Meeting

Supervisor Friend explained that when the county initially approved the project, it allowed the builder some room to change a few things around within approved parameters. The county supervisors will be meeting to consider approval of the builder’s proposed “design modifications” at its meeting on May 5th, 2015, and members of the public are certainly welcome to attend.

After opening remarks from Supervisor Friend, Mary Gourlay went over a project map and explained what each building is. Considerable time was spent discussing the “design modifications” made to the project since it was initially approved.

Slides from the Presentation – Barry Swenson Builder

Slides from Barry Swenson Builder
Barry Swenson Builder has made a copy of the slides from their presentation available in a PDF document. You can download the developer’s slides from their web site here.

After the opening remarks by Friend and Gourlay, Supervisor Friend read through the questions that had been collected from the crowd. Many of the questions reflected the community’s concerns around the drought and the project’s water usage, as well as the impacts on traffic – both during construction and forever more. Other questions involved parking, affordable housing, site drainage and runoff, and more.

Supervisor Friend brought the meeting to an end a few minutes before 8:00 PM, but he and the other speakers remained after the meeting to answer questions from those who stayed late. More meetings are expected to be held in the future as the project progresses.

See also:

Photo Gallery of Aptos Village Meeting

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Community Meeting at the Rio Sands
The Rio Sands Hotel played host to the meeting
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Community Meeting
Aptos Village Community Meeting on April 22, 2015
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Aptos Village Update for Merchants

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The New Aptos Village
The New Aptos Village

There was a meeting today at the Cantine Wine Pub, with the purpose of giving an Aptos Village update for merchants in the Aptos Village area. The meeting was well attended; about fifty people showed up to learn how the project may affect their businesses. The meeting was organized by Del Crawford of Mulberry Gallery, and updates on the project were given by Supervisor Zach Friend, Mary Gourlay from Barry Swenson Builder, John Prestly, the Director of Public Works for Santa Cruz County, and Jack Sohriakoff, a senior traffic engineer also with the county Public Works department.

Audio Recording of the Aptos Village Merchants Meeting


Download audio file…

Supervisor Friend was careful to note that the Aptos Village redevelopment project has already been approved by the County Board of Supervisors, and that this project is moving forward. Indeed, Barry Swenson Builder indicated that they intend to break ground on the project “this fall,” beginning with moving the historic Hihn Apple Barn to the center of the new village and construction of a concrete pad for it and grading along Granite Way.

Some time was spent discussing the fact that there have been a few small changes made to the plan, which were allowed under the scope of the approval previously granted by the Board of Supervisors. However, this small change has triggered an appeal by some concerned citizens. Supervisor Friend indicated he did not foresee this in any way stopping the project, but may cause some delay. For this reason, it is not known precisely when the project will officially break ground.

Barry Swenson Builder has launched a new web site, TheAptosVillage.com, which will serve to update the Aptos community and the greater public about the project’s developments.

Another meeting has been scheduled for April 22nd, from 6 PM to 8 PM, at the Rio Sands hotel. This meeting is intended for the public at large, and all are invited to attend. The public will be updated on the Aptos Village project and community feedback and input will be welcome.

At least for the initial phase of the project, the work done by Barry Swenson Builder is not expected to have much impact on traffic flow into, out of, or within Aptos Village, as their equipment and materials will be on site and not spill over into the public streets. However, Santa Cruz County will be doing some road work projects, slated to begin in January, and this will likely have considerable impact on traffic for several months while the work is in progress. These projects include adding of traffic lights, sidwealks, and roadway improvements.

It was noted that there will be no sidewalk between Soquel Drive and the railroad tracks. This was apparently part of the initial plan, as the vision of Aptos Village is one of a very walkable community. The sidewalk had to be cut because of Federal rules regarding proximity of sidewalks to railroad tracks. This may have the unfortunate effect of splitting Aptos village instead of creating an integrated whole on both sides of Soquel Drive. This is another example of how the presence of an active rail line running through our community compromises the vision for a walkable, sustainable Aptos Village and indeed the whole of Santa Cruz county.

See also: Aptos Village Redevelopment Project

The New Aptos Village

Aptos Village Redevelopment Continues to Move Forward

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Aptos Village Plan
Aptos Village Plan

The Santa Cruz Sentinel is reporting that the Aptos Village Redevelopment continues to move forward.

The first concrete sign of progress came last week, when the famous Aptos Post Office Bike Jumps were flattened, marking an end to the area’s premiere mountain bike jumping grounds, a bittersweet day in the history of Aptos.

Here are some interesting tidbits from the Santa Cruz Sentinel story:

  • Barry Swenson Builder should submit their permit application to the Santa Cruz County planning department in April.
  • The first phase of construction should begin in late summer or fall, with the first phase of construction (some buildings, and all the infrastructure) should be completed in fall of 2016.
  • The total construction time should will require 30 months at least, and may be delayed if the economy sours.
  • 2nd District Supervisor Zach Friend’s office announced there will be community meetings with project updates

See also: Testorff Construction Aptos Village drawings

Aptos Post Office Jumps Rode into History

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Aptos Post Office Jumps Flattened
Aptos Post Office Jumps Flattened

Today, the Aptos Post Office Jumps rode into history, as bulldozers from Barry Swenson Builders arrived to flatten the 15 year old earthen bicycle jumps. The move had been anticipated for quite some time, as it had been announced this past November that the Aptos post office jumps would be closing this February.

Several members of the community have recently come together to fight the re-development of Aptos Village, and removal of the Post Office Jumps is the very first step in the process. A group of local area residents gathered on Tuesday morning to protest Aptos Village re-development. Those protesting were a mixture of mountain bikers hoping to keep the jumps open, and the area residents forming to oppose the new Aptos village.

Many in the mountain biker community are reportedly at peace with the loss of the Aptos post office jumps, and are already working on finding a new home. They have built a web site dedicated to the effort, postofficejumps.org.

See also: KION News Report, KSBW Report, Additional KSBW Video, Barry Swenson Builders Press Release

Aptos Post Office Jumps Flattened

New Aptos Village secures water service

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The Santa Cruz Sentinel is reporting that Barry Swenson Builders has reached a deal with the Soquel Creek Water District to provide water service for the new Aptos Village. This is another critical milestone for the project, which is one of the largest developments in the district’s history. According to Barry Swenson Builders, residences in the new development will feature high-efficiency water fixtures and appliances, and landscaping will require little or no irrigation.

See also http://www.tpgonlinedaily.com/aptos-village-improvements/

Aptos Village Rendering
Aptos Village Rendering