Santa Cruz Changes 64 - Electrifying!

Santa Cruz is probably in the "early adopter" category when it comes to reducing fossil fuel use, and the changes are visible all over town. The City of Santa Cruz parking lot has been generating electricity since 2002 with its solar carports (right).

Last year, the Trader Joe's parking lot got a row of electric vehicle charging stations (left), joining a number of other locations.

And this week saw a "ribbon cutting" on the return of an electric bikeshare program. The new white bikes don't stand out like the red ones did a few years ago, but the city promises that the new system will correct the problems that doomed the red bikes.

More changes: internal-combustion Metro buses are gradually being replaced with natural-gas and electric models. As electric vehicle technology continues to improve, I expect electric power to replace natural gas.

p.s. Cabrillo (or whatever its new name will be) College is just finishing up a huge parking-lot solar installation.

 

Santa Cruz Changes 63 - Parklets permanence?

There were many Santa Cruz adaptations to the recently-ended COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings. Probably the most visible of those were the "parklets" - outdoor dining areas added to restaurants during the time when indoor dining was prohibited. 

Located mostly in the downtown-core Pacific Avenue-Cedar Street area, most were simply extensions onto and across sidewalks directly in front, similar to already-existing outdoor seating areas like the one at Walnut Avenue Cafe. 

One of my favorites was behind El Palomar (seen in the 2021 photo above), which took advantage of the semi-hidden wide paved area of Frazier Lewis Lane to put up its parklet, accessible from the kitchen's rear service entrance.

As business operating conditions mostly revert to pre-pandemic indoor dining norms, some restaurants - including El Palomar - have shut down the outdoor areas. A number of others have not, however (like those shown in the PacAve StreetView image at left).

The city has been working on a plan to create standards and fees giving those eateries the option to keep their outdoor tables. Lookout Santa Cruz published an article outlining how that might work, and talking with a few restaurant owners about the challenges they face. Applications for the permanent permits are due by the end of June, so we'll soon know how many of the parklets will become a permanent part of the downtown scene.