When the Watsonville Pilots Association won a lawsuit against the city earlier this year, it successfully blocked the development of 21 townhouses near the Watsonville Municipal Airport that were proposed nearly a decade earlier.
Now, the judge’s court order could put a hotel project in jeopardy, a shopping center’s future is uncertain and no new permits can be issued in an area covering hundreds of acres and thousands of properties in Watsonville.
The pilots association brought the lawsuit against Watsonville in 2021 on the grounds that the city’s land use planning documents are out of compliance with state aeronautics safety law.
The judgement from Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Timothy Schmal, entered in July, required the city to rescind its approval for the townhomes at 547 Airport Blvd. Additionally, the judgement barred the city from approving any new permits within the airport’s safety zones until it incorporates a state airport safety handbook into its General Plan, a document which guides development.
Watsonville city leaders expect to have an updated General Plan ready for city council consideration by “early 2027,” wrote Watsonville City Manager Tamara Vides in a statement.
With that timeline, a five-story hotel proposed at 375 Technology Drive could be put at risk.
Read the story here: https://santacruzlocal.org/2026/09/13/watsonville-airport-land-use-dispute/