Santa Cruz Changes 145: 2025 retrospective

 As with every other recent year, 2025 has seen a lot of changes in Santa Cruz - despite the slowdown noted in Changes 135. First, some updates to stories from Changes 130, a mid-year report, and other progress:

* The senior housing project at 126 Eucalyptus Avenue is closed in, installing windows and roofing. 
* The new Santa Cruz downtown library construction is underway, and the downtown farmers market  seems to be doing fine at its new location (Changes 127).
* Work continues on the Murray Street bridge seismic retrofit. In November, the city considered but abandoned a proposal to build a temporary rail/trail bypass on the railroad trestle.
* The city ban on gas-powered leaf blowers (Changes 131) has noticeably reduced noise in my Westside neighborhood.
* The Capitola Avenue bridge rebuild over Hwy. 1 is not yet open, but close.
* Work on the  Mar Vista Drive walk/bike bridge over Hwy. 1 in Aptos is underway.
* Work on the mixed-use project at 831 Water Street (Changes 108) is underway, and a similar project in the 900 block received city approval.
* Work continues on the  UCSC "East Meadow" housing (Changes 95).
* The Cabrillo/UCSC student housing collaboration (Changes 139) was scheduled to break ground in September, but I haven't been out there to confirm that. 
* Two downtown mixed-use projects are nearing completion: Pacific Station North (which includes the Transit Center replacement), and "River Row" on Front Street.
* Repairs of 2023 storm damage to West Cliff Drive were completed, and the road entirely reopened.

New Changes in the second half of the year.

* A developer proposes to replace the building housing The Catalyst music venue with a new mixed-use structure similar to others in the area (Changes 142).
* A new proposal aims to replace the Neptune Apartments on lower Pacific Avenue with another tall mixed-use building.  
* The developer of the big mixed-use project at 908 Ocean Street has backed out.
* In November, the city considered but abandoned a proposal to build a temporary rail/trail bypass on the railroad trestle.
* New openings: the "Whale Bridge", a new New Leaf, a new La Bahia.

 

 

Santa Cruz Changes 144: Changes in Scotts Valley

Compared to Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley changes have come at a much slower pace in the last few years. For example, it wasn't until September of this year that the city's first "affordable" housing project broke ground, near City Hall on Scotts Valley Drive.

The other main road in the L-shaped city is Mt. Hermon Road. A major change there has been the redevelopment of the old Skypark airport, which closed in 1983. The land is now mostly a city park.

Nextdoor to Skypark on Mt. Hermon Road is the King's Village shopping center. The city's Town Center plan, which has been kicking around since 2008, is a modest re-imagining of the shopping center area that includes adding housing. A more-ambitious example of this kind of effort might be the transformation of Aptos Village that has been underway for many years.

The Scotts Valley website has a page devoted to the Town Center plan. 

Santa Cruz Changes 143: Rail Trail changes strategy

The Santa Cruz County Rail Trail inches toward completion in the city of Santa Cruz, while trying to cope with route problems and rising construction estimates for later segments.

Back in 2022, I noted the start of construction on the segment from California Street to Pacific Avenue. That segment opened this year, and you can now ride or walk next to the railroad tracks from the western city limits to the Boardwalk. Once you cross the San Lorenzo River, however, things get more complicated. 

Narrow rights-of-way, narrow/outdated bridges, and mobile home encroachments in Live Oak have ballooned cost estimates, causing the Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission (SCCTC) to rethink its previous commitment to the "ultimate" trail design used in the segments completed so far - which calls for a trail separate from and adjacent to untouched railroad tracks. 

At its most recent meeting, the SCCTC narrowly voted to switch to the "interim" trail design favored by staff. The intention is to find a middle way between the expensive "ultimate" design and the "rail banking" alternative favored by supervisor Koenig. We'll see how this turns out - stay tuned!