The Santa Cruz Sentinel says it is leaving Santa Cruz after 150 years and moving to this office park in Scotts Valley in order to cut costs. Rumors about the move began circulating after the paper shut down its presses in Santa Cruz on April 30 and shifted the printing to the San Jose Mercury News. Both papers are owned by MediaNews Group.

The Sentinel’s Church Street building, home to the daily newspaper since 1967, was put on the market with a $6 million asking price earlier this year and is in escrow, the article said. The purchase price was not disclosed. The Sentinel was the oldest business in Santa Cruz.

Editor Tom Honig, who has worked in downtown Santa Cruz, said:

““It’s going to be tougher in some ways … Being downtown means when you go to the deli at lunch you run into somebody and you get some information. We’re going to lose that. No question, we’re going to have to make a much greater effort to be out there.”

By the numbers:

54,000 — the size in square feet of the Sentinel’s Church Street location

18,000 — the square footage of the space the Sentinel will lease at 1800 Green Hills Road in Scotts Valley

150 — the number of years the Sentinel has been in downtown Santa Cruz

84 — the current number of Sentinel employees. It’s not known how many will move to the new location. Disribution will be done elsewhere.

(Photo credit: Dan Coyro, Sentinel)