SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL
A guide for home building in Santa Cruz
A cautionary step-by-step guide for Santa Cruz property owners wishing to build a home within Coastal Commission jurisdiction:
1 use licensed, highly regarded local geologists, engineers and architects;
2 submit plans for local Coastal approval by County Zoning Administrator;
3 Obtain approval recommendation from Planning Staff;
4a get plans on agenda for hearing by Zoning Administrator;
4b have plans mysteriously yanked off agenda three days before hearing;
5 give staff time to completely reverse previous approval;
6 hire attorneys and more experts;
7 obtain staff “reversal of its reversal” and resubmit original plans;
8 obtain local Coastal approval!;
9 wait for a neighbor to appeal your approval to Coastal at no cost to them;
10 wait for Coastal Commission to hear appeal and issue report not based on original appeal;
11 obtain opinion from Coastal Staff Geologist in San Francisco ignoring local geology and bluff retreat rates;
12 pray Coastal Commissioners don’t determine “Substantial Issue”;
13 go back to No. 6 above.
Kelley Trousdale, Aptos
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_16354361?source=most_viewed