Santa Cruz City Council to vote on La Bahia’s future Tuesday

The Santa Cruz City Council is expected to vote on the future of a historic hotel located by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Tuesday.

The future of La Bahia on Beach Street has hung in limbo for a number of years.

At Tuesday’s meeting, a public hearing will proceed a scheduled vote on a new plan that calls for demolishing the majority of the existing 44-unit residential complex, except for a portion of the southeast building containing the bell tower. The property’s owner, the Seaside Company, seeks to turn La Bahia into an upscale hotel. Their plans call for constructing a 165-room hotel with conference and banquet space, restaurant, retail space, spa facilities and a partially underground garage.

The last proposal for such a development at the site was rejected by the Coast Commission, mostly due to height and bulk issues.

Many in the community are divided over the issue. Some believe tearing down the building, currently in a state of disrepair, would be good for the city. They also believe an upscale hotel could be what the neighborhood near the Boardwalk needs. But others argue the current historic structure should remain and should be restored.

The historic preservation commission and the planning commission have already approved the existing plans.

To read the entire agenda item, click here.

The city council meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 809 Center St. in Santa Cruz.