A New Mixed Use Development on the Westside from The Pioneers of Santa Cruz’s Herbal Industry
831 Almar Avenue on the Westside in Santa Cruz is the site of one of many new proposed developments that are happening in the city of Santa Cruz as part of the new “Expansion Plan” (See my video here to find out more about that) initiative to provide more housing to the city of Santa Cruz.
The proposed development is located in an industrial area on the lower Westside, a key site that has significantly contributed to establishing Santa Cruz as a hub for herbal and Eastern medicine in the United States. There is some interesting history to this site as well. Louise Veninga, the owner and Ben Zaricor, her late husband, were among the first to establish trade with China almost 50 years ago in the herbal industry and helped introduce Ginseng and Tiger Balm to the American market.
The story behind that is Ben Zaricor and Louise Veninga, a husband and wife team, started as a company selling ten speed bicycles in the midwest after college. After a shipment failed to turn up one day, they took a trip to California. During that trip they discovered San Francisco’s China Town. After experiencing Chinese ginseng and Tiger Balm, they decided those products deserved a wider audience.
That led to established business contacts throughout America and China. During the 1970's, the herbal community throughout the western states, especially California, saw considerable growth and Ben Zaricor and his wise Louise were riding that wave.
The case went all the way to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The previous ruling in favor of the FDA's strict policy on imports was struck down. Basically the case allowed the importation of foreign sourced herbs and other supplements into the United States based on safety ascertained by a history of their use worldwide, not just their use in America.
The company, Fmali, found a headquarters at 831 Almar Avenue and went on to supply herbs for well known tea companies like Lipton, Celestial Seasonings, and many others. Fmail also founded their own company, Good Earth Teas in 1972. Ben Zaricor and his wife Louise have been foundational in helping to make Santa Cruz a center of the herbal health industry.
In 2002 high labor costs in California resulted in Lipton shutting down its facility in SantaCruz. As the years passed, vacancy and underutilization have plagued the Fmali facility located at 831 Almar. Now surviving spouse, Louise Veninga, has partnered with the local development firm, Workbench, to reenvision the space as a mixed use facility. They describe the new space as:
“A student-focused housing plus commercial and industrial, within walking distance of two supermarkets and many amenities including public transit and Santa Cruz’s Rail/Trail. This location, steeped in industrial history, seeks to support more innovators in R&D, food services, tech and retail as well as the next generation of Santa Cruz workers in a vibrant residential community that supports environmental principles of smart growth and livable streets.”
This development will consist of 120 units between 1-3 bedrooms, residential amenities, and industrial and commercial spaces. The property will have a large, 6 level, 223,692 square foot residential building, split lengthwise with a pedestrian space in between and a parking garage on the first few levels. One side of the split will be 6 stories, the other side will be 4. The first two levels will also have commercial and industrial space as well. In front is also a smaller wedge shaped, 2 story building with a terrace on top that will also contain commercial and industrial spaces.
This project is still in its pre-application phase and we do not know when/if construction is scheduled to begin.
What I like about this project:
-There is ample parking provided with the 2 level parking deck and it will not strain the current parking resources available to the neighbors.
-The space is currently vacant and underutilized and this is a smart way to revitalize the property while providing much needed housing.
-The goal is to provide more jobs then the current site ever did. This is a lofty goal and if reached I think it is great for our town.
-There will be 9 very low income units and 9 moderate income units included.
What I don’t like about this project:
They have not indicated wether these will be apartments or condos salable to the public. While we need housing of any kind, condos give our residents a much needed foothold into permanent housing in our community by giving them ownership in real property. We need to give people the opportunity to build equity. That gives people the stability and confidence to invest long term in the community. A community built of apartment housing only enriches the owners of the developments and contributes to a more transient, and inherently more unstable community.
