Opponents of the new library are fighting a parking garage to save a ground-level parking lot. As a member of Bike Santa Cruz County and a daily bike commuter of over 10 years, a parking garage is far from the type of project I would normally support. However, as someone with a Masters Degree in Urban Design and as someone who has had the fortune to visit many well designed and forward-thinking cities I believe that Santa Cruz is missing a huge opportunity by maintaining a negative urban space over investing in a mixed-use infill that accomplishes multiple community goals. It ignores the opportunity to create a permanent home for the Farmers’ Market nearby. It squanders the generational opportunity to create a 21st-century library. And worst of all, it fails to deliver desperately-needed affordable housing. The library-mixed use project is the path that holds real promise for our community.

— Sloan Campi, Santa Cruz

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