After a 10-year push by neighbors, the county has given residents a chance to turn a corner lot overlooking the ocean into Seacliff's first park — if they can raise the money.

After county supervisors on Dec. 5 zoned a portion of a 3-acre lot for recreational use, Seacliff residents are planning what they would like to see in a park at Searidge Road and McGregor Drive and looking for ways to raise the $1 million needed to pay for the playground features.

The vacant property, owned by South County Housing Corp., is across the street from a new 39-unit affordable housing complex developed by the Gilroy-based nonprofit. Jan Lindenthal of South County Housing said the plan is to convert 1.7 acres of the property into a residential development similar in design to the townhomes across the street, but unlike that project, these homes would be for-sale units.

Lindenthal expects the final approval process by the California Coastal Commission to last three to four months, and a groundbreaking is possible in late 2008.

The remaining 1.25 acres would be turned over to the county to build a park.

Though the county's decision requires a final OK by the Coastal Commission, members of Seacliff Needs A Park, a nonprofit organization that has eyed the property for the past 10 years, have claimed the corner. The catch is to raise $1 million for the cost of building a park.

That's a rough estimate based on the idea of what a 1.25-acre park could look like, resident and SNAP member Rick Stoker said.

While meetings are planned for spring to determine what features will be added to the park, Stoker said he likes the idea of a basketball court, a swing set and other playground features not available in the Seacliff area.

"There is the argument that the beach is there," resident and SNAP member Thomas Dobrovolny said of Seacliff State Beach, "but there is no play equipment."

In May 2005, Seacliff voters rejected a plan to tax themselves $98-per-parcel annually for 30 years to buy the entire 3-acre site for a park. The measure needed a two-thirds majority vote and fell short at 62 percent. That measure would have raised $1.8 million to fund the purchase of the property.

Barry Samuel, director of Santa Cruz County Department of Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services, said the county has gone as far as it can to establish a park in Seacliff.

"We're looking forward to having a new park in that area because they need one," Samuel said.

Contact Soraya Gutierrez at atsgutierrez@santacruzsentinel.com.