The Capitola City Council on Thursday night delayed a decision on rail trail options along Park Avenue. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
CAPITOLA >> After more than 200 emails and about 25 residents’ rail trail opinions at a Capitola City Council meeting Thursday night, the council delayed a decision on two options for a paved path along Park Avenue.
Both design options would pave a path separate from traffic on Park Avenue, rather than adjacent to the tracks on the ocean side as previously proposed. This would essentially shift 0.7 miles of Segment 11 of the Coastal Rail Trail to Park Avenue.
Coastal Rail Trail Segment 11 runs through Capitola. (Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission)
Building adjacent to the tracks requires retaining walls, more tree removals and higher costs, staff of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission said.
Funded by the state, the Park Avenue options would save money and advance goals to create a safer route for cyclists and pedestrians, staff said. But for many residents and three city council members at Thursday’s meeting, the proposal appeared hasty and against many Capitola residents’ preference to keep the trail on the rail line.
A majority of Capitola voters also voted for that stance in Measure L in 2018. It essentially forbids the city from spending money on rail trail projects that reroute pedestrians and bicyclists off the rail corridor. The options presented Thursday would not have cost the city money, said Rob Tidmore, a Santa Cruz County project manager for Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10 and 11. A risk of delaying the Park Avenue project is that state funding could evaporate if construction doesn’t start in 2027.
“It’s a big issue for us in Capitola,” Capitola Mayor Joe Clarke said at the meeting. “Pause. Have a town hall. Hear from the folks that it’s going to highly impact.”
The city council voted 3-1 to postpone the decision and schedule a town hall meeting where city and county staff can explain all proposed rail trail impacts in Capitola. A meeting date has not been set but is anticipated in March or April, staff said. Councilmembers also asked for an explanation of potential litigation problems if they violate Measure L.
Clarke and Capitola Councilmembers Gerry Jensen and Margaux Morgan voted yes. Councilmember Melinda Orbach voted no, and Councilmember Alexander Pedersen recused himself because he said he lives close to Park Avenue.
Park Avenue looking east toward New Brighton State Beach preserves the inland bike lane in Option A. (RRM Design Group)
Park Avenue looking east toward New Brighton State Beach removes the inland bike lane in Option B. (RRM Design Group)
Capitola city staff said they preferred Option A in part because it kept the bike lane on Park for faster cyclists.
County staff preferred Option B in part because it reduced the number of tree removals and potential disruption to Monarch butterfly habitat.
Some improvements with crosswalks already have been made to Park Avenue, and city staff said both options would make biking and walking safer. New stairs to New Brighton State Beach are also in both proposals.
Preliminary designs and an environmental impact report are due at the end of year. Final designs are anticipated at the end of 2026 for construction to start in mid-2027.
Passenger rail service alongside the trail is being planned separately through the transportation commission’s Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail. Preliminary engineering and environmental analysis is expected through 2027. If approved, rail construction could begin in 2032.
The rail line runs parallel to Park Avenue near Coronado Street in Capitola. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)
Residents react
Some attendees at Thursday night’s meeting said they welcomed a new bike path on Park. More meeting participants said they wanted the path to stay on the rail corridor, and they urged the council to postpone the decision.
“This is the county and the RTC deceiving voters into believing that we were getting a trail along the coastal corridor,” said Capitola resident Chris Amsden. “Once this was approved and the costs soared past their projections as many of us warned, the county and RTC are now asking Capitola residents to route this rail trail” away from the tracks to save money, Amsden said. “Voters passed Measure L for exactly this,” he said.
Another person mentioned that cost overruns and delays have plagued Segment 7.2 of the rail trail from California to Beach streets in Santa Cruz. It is due to open this spring.
“Our attorneys sent you a letter on Wednesday,” said another man. “The City of Capitola is currently in violation of Measure L.” He added, “We the citizens of Capitola will hold you accountable if you continue to violate this section of the Capitola municipal code.”
Capitola Councilmember Margaux Morgan said she wanted more information.
“You’re putting us in a really tough position,” Morgan said to county staff at the meeting. “We owe it to our community to push further into exploring what you have to offer us.”
What do you think?
Read more:
Questions or comments? Email [email protected]. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Learn more about Santa Cruz Local and how we are funded.
Stephen Baxter is a co-founder and editor of Santa Cruz Local. He covers Santa Cruz County government.
