The significant changes to the lowest-numbered stretch of Pacific Avenue are older than others mentioned so far in the "Changes", but significant. One of those changed the street itself - the two traffic circles. Long popular in Europe, and known in British parlance as "roundabouts", traffic circles have been slow to catch on in the U.S.
The plan for two traffic circles on Pacific Avenue was approved in 2006, and the first one was installed in 2010, where Pacific meets Center Street in front of Depot Park (before Depot Park, Washington Street also ended at the same junction). Also at that location, W. Cliff Drive begins as a one-way street, climbing the hill parallel to Pacific. The well-intentioned-but-impossible-to-read-while-driving sign shown in the photo attempts to be helpful.
After an appropriate cooling-off period for drivers to get over their freak-out, The second circle was installed in 2014-15, at the end of Pacific Avenue, in front of the Municipal Wharf entrance. Both circles are busy, and both seem to be working well.
Even the inclusion of a complicated dedicated bike path works - but watch out for tourists turning from the circle onto the Wharf!
Another notable older change is the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, at 35 Pacific, just across the railroad tracks from the circle.
Establishment of the Sanctuary was a major victory for local advocacy groups like Save Our Shores, and the breaking-wave-shaped Exploration Center benefits from its prominent location next to the rail-trail corridor (more on rail-trail soon!).
Santa Cruz Changes locations can be found on this Google Map.