Santa Cruz Nissan Project

• The owner of Santa Cruz Nissan, a car dealership located on Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz, is requesting approval from Santa Cruz County to move his dealership to a new site in  Soquel on 41st Avenue next to the Redwood Square shopping center, Best Buy and Ocean ​Honda. This new dealership site would be located on the corner of 3820 Soquel Drive and 2755 41st Avenue, and has an estimated construction cost of $10 million.  
• While the owner expects both staff and sales to increase at the new Soquel site, citing expected potential sales of over $20 million; this move is facing opposition from economic interests in Santa Cruz, as well as from Soquel residents who fear the increased traffic congestion that this move would bring.
• The City of Santa Cruz’s Economic Development Director has shown disappointment at this requested move, and has failed to convince Santa Cruz Nissan to stay, despite offering alternative locations within the Santa Cruz City limits.
• While Santa Cruz City may mourn this loss of economic revenue, Santa Cruz County’s Economic Development Manager Andy Constable hopes that this move to Soquel will boost job growth and tax revenue. Members who routinely commute through this area of 41st Avenue are not as hopeful, opposition from members of the Soquel Neighbors Alliance has been actively expressed, with members claiming that this move would result in an estimated 600 additional vehicle trips to this area of 41st/Soquel Drive that is already heavily congested with traffic.
• This application has recently been taken off the May Planning Commission Agenda, due to proposed modifications to the project that the owner of Santa Cruz Nissan has requested.
• In light of community concern and opposition, Supervisor John Leopold, the representative for the 1st District, has assured his residents in his newsletter, that he will keep his residents updated and included as this Nissan project develops.  
  

This post is based in Santa Cruz Sentinel publications on May 1st and May 9th. For details and more information please see the following links:

• http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20170501/NEWS/170509976
  
• http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20170509/NEWS/170509667