The rail line runs parallel to Park Avenue near Coronado Street in Capitola. (Stephen Baxter — Santa Cruz Local file)

On Feb. 13, the city council put off a decision on whether to allow the transportation commission to build a bike and pedestrian trail on part of Park Avenue, rather than in the rail corridor. In the coming weeks, the city council is expected to reconsider the proposal.

Transportation commission and county have said that any delay puts future delay at risk. But some council members and residents have said more time is needed to give the public information and fully consider the potential future of the rail trail in Capitola. 

Jump to a section:

• Why is there a proposal to build part of the rail trail next to Park Avenue?
• What happens if the city council doesn’t allow the trail next to the road?
• What is Measure L?
• What are the plans for the Capitola Trestle?
• What’s the status of plans for rail?

One proposal for a trail along Park Avenue preserves an inland bike lane. (RRM Design Group)

Why is there a proposal to build part of the rail trail next to Park Avenue?

The transportation commission owns the rail corridor and has partnered with the county to build Segments 10 and 11.

Plans for the rail trail near Park Avenue originally included a trail on the coastal side of the rail line, supported by multiple retaining walls. But since the project was awarded funding in 2022, estimated construction costs have soared. Now, county and transportation commission staff are trying to cut costs.

At the Feb. 13 meeting, county staff proposed to move 0.7 miles of the rail trail from the corridor to Park Avenue, from Monterey Avenue to Coronado Street.

Constructing a trail on Park Avenue would not cost Capitola any money, but would require coordination with city staff. City staff have been planning a city-funded improved bike lane on Park Avenue. 

County staff presented two design options for a trail on Park Avenue. But many attendees wanted neither. A trail on city streets “is not a rail trail at all,” said Capitola resident Chris Amsden. 

What happens if the city council doesn’t allow the trail next to the road?

County and transportation commission staff said they don’t know what will happen if Capitola doesn’t allow the trail along Park Avenue — but that it’s possible the city may get no trail at all.

Capitola can legally deny a trail on Park Avenue, but can’t control what the county or the transportation commission does with the corridor. 

Any delay in a decision could push the project up against the deadline set by the California Transportation Commission, the project’s main funder, county staff said.

What is Measure L?

Measure L was approved by Capitola voters in 2018 with 52% of the vote. It:

• Directs city staff to “take all steps necessary to preserve and maintain” the Capitola portion of the rail trail, including the trestle, for bikes, pedestrians, and other “human powered transportation.” 
• Forbids “expenditures to route bicyclists, pedestrians and other human powered transportation from the rail corridor to Capitola streets and sidewalks.”

City staff have said that the Park Avenue plans don’t violate Measure L because the altered path is not a detour, and the city won’t pay for the trail. But others have argued that the time city staff spend coordinating with the county on the project is an indirect cost to the city.

The city has received a letter from an attorney threatening to file a lawsuit over alleged violations of Measure L, said City Manager Jamie Goldstein. 

Capitola City Attorney Samantha Zutler declined to comment on whether the Park Avenue trail would violate Measure L, and said her legal advice to the city council is confidential.

In 2018, then-City Attorney Tony Condotti wrote in an impartial analysis of Measure L that it “raises a number of legal concerns” and “may be vulnerable to a legal challenge as to its validity.”

The city unsuccessfully sued to keep the measure off the November 2018 ballot. The judge did not rule on the legality of Measure L, but said the city’s concerns were not sufficient to remove it from the election.

Many Capitola residents have pushed back against plans to tear down and replace the Capitola Trestle with a rail and trail bridge across Soquel Creek. (Stephen Baxter – Santa Cruz Local file)

What are the plans for the Capitola Trestle? 

The decision about the trail on Park Avenue is separate from any plans for the Capitola Trestle. But it has reignited fears about the future of the historic structure.

RTC staff have said that the trestle is unable to accommodate both a trail and a train. An anticipated conceptual plan for passenger rail will include a proposal to dismantle and replace the trestle with a bridge that can fit rail and a trail, said transportation commission Executive Director Sarah Christensen. 

When the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved an environmental report for the rail trail in April 2024, they approved a plan that bypasses the trestle. The route includes a gap in the trail between Opal Street and Monterey Avenue, with the intention of routing bikers and pedestrians through city streets with beefed-up sidewalks and bike lanes. Supervisors rejected an alternative plan for a trail on the trestle.

Building a trail on the trestle would require a process known as railbanking, which removes the legal obligation to keep the existing freight rails in place. Railbanking is a lengthy process that requires approval from federal authorities. 

The decision whether to pursue railbanking rests with the commissioners, who in 2022 did not vote to do so. There likely isn’t enough time to complete railbanking by the construction deadlines set by state grantors, Christensen said.

What’s the status of plans for rail? 

Planning for rail-trail Segments 10 and 11 are separate from plans for zero-emission passenger rail. 

A conceptual report with details on potential rail service and cost estimates was set to be published in March. This week, Christensen said that report was likely to be delayed to fall, and that the Trump administration’s funding cuts could slow development of passenger rail.

After the report is published, the commissioners could vote to move forward with environmental review for rail service, but there is currently no money to do so, she said. 

Read more:

• Santa Cruz Local’s Rail Trail map and updates page.

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