West Cliff 5-year Roadmap

In January 2023, the City of Santa Cruz experienced a bomb cyclone storm event and subsequent severe weather events. As part of this, portions of the iconic West Cliff Drive multiuse path failed, leading to collapse into the ocean and the full loss of use of portions of the active transportation facility. This required a portion of the corridor to transition to one-way vehicular traffic to maintain access for people walking and biking and kickstarted a yearlong outreach and engagement effort to garner feedback on the future of West Cliff Drive. The City assembled an integrated, citywide team to holistically address the damage, and development of adjusted next steps as West Cliff is a cherished public amenity that should be accessible to all for a variety of uses. The extended team included consulting and engineering partners, regulatory agencies, funders, the community, and community groups, resulting in a 50-year Community Vision. The West Cliff 5-year Roadmap will require an alignment to the 50-year West Cliff Community Vision and other relevant City master plans, regulatory policies, and Council direction. The Roadmap needs to translate the above body of work to a prioritized implementation plan for West Cliff in the next 5 years. The Roadmap needs to result in the prioritization of near-term projects, reconciling various policies and the 50-year Community Vision, leveraging an adaptation pathways approach.