Katessa Galvan, right, crosses at Bay Avenue and Hill Street in Capitola on Tuesday. Galvan said she crosses here daily and has nearly been hit by a car many times. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/Catchlight Local)

CAPITOLA >> Capitola leaders on Thursday could reverse a street redesign meant to make one of the city’s most dangerous intersections safer. The temporary lane reduction at Bay Avenue and Hill Street that began in August 2024 has worsened traffic, many residents have said.

The Capitola City Council is set to consider three options for the intersection: keeping the lane reduction, adding back the additional lanes, or adding back the lanes and constructing a raised crosswalk at the nearby intersection of Bay Avenue and Center Street.

City staff are also developing a plan for permanent changes to improve safety over a wide stretch of Bay Avenue from Highway 1 to Park Avenue. The renewed focus on safety along Bay Avenue came after the 2023 death of Debra Towne, who was hit and killed while crossing Bay Avenue at Crossroads Loop close to Hill Street.

Council members earlier this year voted to support construction of a traffic circle at the Bay Avenue and Hill Street intersection as part of the plan. But it may not be finalized for months, and would likely need state or federal grants to fund construction.

State grant up for discussion

The city council Thursday is also set to revive a discussion about a $450,000 state grant to create a long-term plan for bike and pedestrian improvements, including new bike lanes and sidewalks. 

In January, the city co-applied with local nonprofit Ecology Action to develop a plan focused on Capitola Village. Part of those improvements could have served as a temporary connector for the Coastal Rail Trail as transportation leaders decide the fate of the Capitola Trestle across Soquel Creek.

This summer, Capitola City Council directed staff to ensure none of their plans violate Measure L, a city law that forbids a detour for the Coastal Rail Trail onto city streets.

But amid concerns that the plan could violate that ordinance, the grant was reworked to focus on busier streets, including Bay and 41st avenues.

On Aug. 28, council members Susan Westman and Gerry Jensen voted against accepting the grant amid concerns that the co-application with Ecology Action, and plans to partner with them for community outreach, were unfair. They said the city should have gone through the city’s typical process for soliciting contracts from outside groups.

A man crosses at Bay Avenue and Hill Street in Capitola. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/Catchlight Local)

In an interview Monday, Public Works Director Jessica Khan said Ecology Action is the only local nonprofit that does transportation planning, and that its experience working with other local governments on similar projects strengthened the city’s grant application. This proposal would help the city gain future grants to carry out these plans, city staff said. 

The council in August voted 3-2 to accept the state grant. But Capitola Mayor Joe Clarke requested to add a discussion of the grant to this Thursday’s agenda, saying “certain things were brought to light” to him after the August vote. Clarke did not immediately respond to a question about whether he wanted to overturn the grant acceptance. 

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