The Santa Cruz Rail Trail

Supporters of the rail trail rallied in front of the Santa Cruz County building on April 3 to advocate for approval of segments 10 and 11.

A recent split vote by Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors stalling approval of two rail trail segments is jeopardizing future state funding for the project.

Supervisor Zach Friend recuses, and Supervisors McPherson and Koenig voted against moving forward with segments 10 and 11 of the Coastal Rail Trail between 17th Avenue in Live Oak and State Park Drive in Aptos.

The over 2,000 page final environmental impact report for the Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10 and 11 is on the agenda for the March 26 County Supervisor meeting.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will kick off its first meeting of 2024 by delving into one of its most high-profile projects.

The council will receive a report on Rail Trail Segments 10 and 11 as well as an update on the years-long effort to form the Police Chief’s Advisory Committee.

The concept report will provide an early analysis that includes placement of stations, frequency of service and a closer look at especially challenging areas such as Beach Street in Santa Cruz and near Harkins Slough in Watsonville.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission was presented with a final EIR created by the city of Santa Cruz for segments 8 and 9 of the Coastal Rail Trail—a project seeking to establish a bicycle and pedestrian trail adjacent to the tracks along the 32-mile Branch Rail Corridor.

Initial assessments are still under way, but as of Jan. 23, clean-up and repair work on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line could be as high as $3 million.

A $115 million grant from the California Transportation Commission’s Active Transportation Program covers the funding gap for nearly 7 miles of the Coastal Rail Trail. Construction can begin as soon as 2025.

At its Oct. 6 meeting, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will analyze costs and funding strategies for continued construction and maintenance on 32-mile Coastal Rail Trail.

Through Nov. 4, the public can review and comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Report for two more segments of the Coastal Rail Trail. Segments 8 and 9 stretch from Beach Street/Pacific Avenue in the city of Santa Cruz to the eastern side of 17th Avenue in Live Oak.

Redevelopment of a Capitola home will move forward after the Capitola City Council approved the design permit and an appeal from the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission was withdrawn after the property owner modified the design with its concerns in mind.

The city of Santa Cruz will start construction on the second phase of Segment 7 of the multiuse Coast Rail Trail. According to transportation planner Claire Gallogly, the project will add “a great option for those of all ages and abilities to travel without a car.”

Leaders of both Yes Greenway and No Way Greenway provided Lookout Santa Cruz with detailed answers to a range of questions on core issues in the rail-trail debate.

Civic leader Mark Mesiti-Miller and Roaring Camp president Melani Clark are working to defeat Measure D. Who are they, and what led to their high-profile involvement?

The leader of the Measure D campaign is a philanthropist on big projects in housing, health care, science, education and the arts. As point man for a trail-only option on Santa Cruz County’s coastal rail corridor, he’s also a lightning rod in one of the most polarizing votes in memory.

Measure D—the rail-trail dispute—isn’t only the most contentious issue to come before Santa Cruz County voters in a while. It’s also become one of the most expensive—with almost $800,000 raised through May 21.

With the June 7 election around the corner, former California Gov. Jerry Brown has weighed in on the Measure D Greenway Initiative in Santa Cruz County.

Measure D is giving us all a headache. Part of the problem is perspective, 1st District Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig writes. Our views are shaped by where we live.

Peggy Dolgenos of Cruzio writes that her walk from downtown to the Westside recently improved. “I get to walk on the newly built rail trail! Lots of people use the trail, biking, walking, in wheelchairs, pushing strollers. And next to the trail, there’s room for a train. I hope to ride that train someday.”

Four Measure D proponents write in Lookout Santa Cruz’s Community Voices section: “Those against Measure D say they started the work to acquire the corridor and build a trail in 1987—35 years ago!”

What’s wrong with the rail trail debate is what’s wrong with American democracy in 2022, Wallace Baine writes. Why isn’t “Maybe,” or “It’s Complicated,” or “This Is Not My Field,” or “Whatever, Dude” one of the answers to a profound question of how we live our lives, recreate and commute in Santa Cruz County?

Elaborating on its opposition to Measure D, Ecology Action explains that public planning processes aim to include diverse voices in local decision-making, whereas voter referendums sidestep planning and minimize a complex issue into a simple “yes” or “no” vote.

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has supported the Rail Trail project since 2015. A piece on the group’s stance on Measure D explains, “Another long public planning and vetting process would be repeated with the passage of the 2022 Measure D, further delaying the trail’s completion.”

Writing for Lookout Santa Cruz’s Community Voices, 3rd District Supervisor Ryan Coonerty says the intensity of debate around Measure D is pointless given one stark political reality: No matter how the vote goes, without compromises, Santa Cruz County won’t build anything for decades.

Up and down Santa Cruz County and across the political spectrum, organizations and elected officials are taking a stand against the measure.

The Greenway plan to build a 32-mile trail, accessible to all, is fully funded and can be built now. The trail will preserve the natural landscape and showcase the beauty of our coastline.

Local train history blog SantaCruzTrains.com provides a fascinating and detailed history of commuter and excursion train service in the county, ending with their take on upcoming Measure D.

After a presentation from RTC staff and an extended period of public comment, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Committee voted to adopt an “alternative” programming resolution that stated no preference for either of the two possible Highway 1 and Coast Rail Trail project scenarios.

The editor of CalRail News, the publication of the California Train Riders Association, comes out swinging in opposition of Measure D.

Tensions between the two groups—one for a pedestrian greenway, with the other for rail and trail—heated up when YES Greenway accused its opponents of vandalism. No Way Greenway says there is no proof and it’s the group’s latest “dirty trick.”

Members of the public are invited to a Zoom presentation on Coastal Rail Trail Segments 8 and 9, which will extend along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line corridor, from Beach Street/Pacific Avenue to the east side of 17th Avenue.

Bill Buchanan, writing on SF Gate, speculates on whether leaving rail in place on the Santa Cruz Branch Line might allow for the return of the train that ran from San Francisco to Santa Cruz from the 1930s to the 1950s.

In this newsletter, Supervisor Koenig addresses community concerns around the issue of freight on the Santa Cruz Branch Line.

Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Director Guy Preston has recommended that the agency not pursue a partnership with a company that wants to provide electric passenger rail service from Capitola to Santa Cruz.

This weekend, members of Coast Futura are working with Roaring Camp Railroads to give people the chance to ride on a clean-energy, accessible streetcar—a demonstration of how travel between Watsonville and Davenport could be in the future.

Hearing calls from fellow commissioners to take a “timeout,” a push to reconsider the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s recent split vote on the passenger rail line business plan was shelved.

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission voted 9-3 for staff to explore a business plan for a train or light rail service along the 32 mile rail trail.