Downtown Commission

Santa Cruz METRO is designing a $27 million "Rapid Corridors" project to speed up and improve bus Routes 1 and 2 along the Soquel Avenue and Water Street/Capitola corridors. Inside the City of Santa Cruz, the work would include seven transit boarding islands, one flashing pedestrian crossing beacon (a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon), transit signal priority at signalized intersections, and street changes on Front Street, River Street, and Soquel Avenue near downtown. The Downtown Commission is not approving the project; it is being asked to give input on how the project is carried out and how the public is notified.

Public Works staff are giving the Downtown Commission a status report on city parking operations and the Parking Fund, the separate pot of money fed by meter, garage and lot fees. Staff report that the fund's yearly revenue has recently approached $7.5M while spending for the coming fiscal year is projected at $7.8M, and that the fund is not forecast to bring in more than it spends until Fiscal Year 2028. Remaining projects include elevator modernization, roof repairs at the Locust St. Garage, and a paused upgrade of on-street meters. A yes vote does not spend any money; it forwards the commission's feedback and priorities to staff, which could be folded into the Fiscal Year 2028 Financial Plan.