Harper Street Project
Reports
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MONTEREY BAY WELCOMES YOU TO RODEO CREEK
COURT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT TO BE LOCATED ON HARPER
STREET IN THE LIVE OAK NEIGHBORHOOD
In April, 2017 the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors selected Habitat
for Humanity Monterey Bay as the preferred developer of the County’s affordable
housing property located at 2340 Harper Street. The project includes eleven homes. In
preparing the plans for the project Habitat and project architect, William Kempf, have
followed closely the Guiding Principles adopted by the Board of Supervisors for the
project. Here’s a quick overview of the proposed project:
1. The project will provide for 100% homeownership housing affordable for low-
income households earning between 50% and 80% of the Area Median Income. Owner-
occupancy will be required and deed restrictions will ensure permanent affordability.
2. Nearly ½ acre in the rear of the 1 ½ acre site will be set aside as a riparian and
riparian buffer area that will not be developed and will be maintained as a natural habitat
area. The current plans include a proposal to complete habitat restoration work in the
riparian. Please see the attached biotic reports for more details about this proposed
restoration work.
3. Every effort has been made to minimize roadways and driveways on the property
and to maximize the unpaved common areas on the site. This has been accomplished
by clustering the parking in one location rather than running driveways to each home.
The residents will trade off the convenience of driving up to their unit with the benefit of
having a housing community that has many car-free areas specially designed for
children and community activities.
4. Because this project is 100% affordable it is covered under the state and local
Bonus Density Law which requires 2 parking spaces for each 2 or 3-bedroom unit.
There is no guest parking requirement under the Bonus Density Law but this project will
voluntarily provide 8 guest parking spaces which exceeds the County’s regular guest
parking requirement. There will be a total of 30 parking spaces provided on site.
5. In keeping with Habitat’s Design Guidelines, the homes will be built using advanced
framing technologies, and will include solar and energy star appliances. The homes will
be modest in size (1,200 square feet for the 3-bedroom units and 1,000 square feet for
the 2-bedroom units). Storage areas will be provided for each home.
6. The revised project site plan now includes nine, 3-bedroom homes and two, 2-
bedroom homes. The homes are incorporated into five duplex buildings and one single-
family home. This design helps reduce construction costs while also increasing the
outdoor open space available for the families to enjoy. Each home will have its own
fenced rear yard area. One of the 3-bedroom homes and one of the 2-bedroom homes
will be designed to be fully wheelchair accessible.
7. In addition to the riparian area and riparian buffer area, open space between the
units allows for the inclusion of a children’s play area, a small natural gas BBQ area,
and a community gardening area.