05/30/2026
A 5-story, 57-unit apartment complex was just approved at 841 Capitola Road in Live Oak, and almost nobody on the board actually wanted it.
The supervisors approved it 4-1, but read the room: Supervisor Manu Koenig, whose district includes the site, said he would have sided with the neighbors if it did not mean gambling with close to $3 million of county money. The developer used a state rule called the builder's remedy, which kicks in when a county's housing plan is briefly out of compliance and strips away most local control.
So this was not "the county wants more density here." It was the county deciding a lawsuit it would likely lose was the bigger risk. Supervisor Justin Cummings cast the lone no vote.
Why it matters if you own near Capitola Road or Grey Seal: access, parking, and traffic are the real local impacts, and Grey Seal Road is the designated access point, not Capitola. Projects like this also hint at where state law is steering future growth in Live Oak.
I live here and I track these decisions because they shape real choices, like whether to sell now or hold, and how a buyer should weigh a home a couple streets over.
Where do you land? More housing in Live Oak, or protect the existing character?Curious what my neighbors think.
