Santa Cruz County Objective Design Standards

County staff and private developers now have a graphically rich, user-friendly document for all different types of development along major commercial corridors, transit thoroughfares and residential streets. The project uses a hybrid form-based approach to present standards and guidelines for single- and multi-family residential, retail, office, vertical and horizontal mixed-use, public facilities, parks and open spaces. These standards were then tested in catalytic opportunity sites across the County.

The Design Standards advance concepts described in previous general plans, neighborhood plans and multimodal corridor plans and are based on a full range of outreach and engagement, including design charrettes with County staff and community workshops in the Pleasure Point community to bring the community into the different development concepts and standards.