A July 2025 article appearing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel suggests that the relationship between the developer of a housing project in Soquel and the County of Santa Cruz has at times “soured” over missed deadlines and communication that county officials believe has been misleading. The Soquel project developer, Novin Development, is also the developer of a Santa Cruz City housing proposal that has been opposed as irresponsible by a large number of city residents.

The city project has been proposed for 831 Water Street in Santa Cruz.

Here is an excerpt of the Sentinel story:

In a letter sent to Novin on April 29 that was obtained by the Sentinel, the county’s Human Services Department Director Randy Morris expressed “serious concerns” regarding Novin’s performance on the project to date. Though the county and Novin had been holding weekly project meetings for years, Morris and his team appeared to be in the dark on issues ranging from when construction actually began to what Novin’s plans were to close [a multi-million-dollar] funding gap.

Some of the concerns described in the article seemed to echo those expressed by Santa Cruz City Council members when they grudgingly approved the developer’s proposed housing project at 831 Water Street.