The community effort Save West Cliff was established in early 2023, and since then, it has published a book, galvanized community support, and engaged with the city to get serious about preserving West Cliff Drive.
West Cliff Drive’s future
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Community workshop brings residents, officials together to examine West Cliff Drive’s future
For the first time outside of a Santa Cruz City Council meeting, city leaders and consultants met with community members Tuesday to discuss a 50-year vision for the future of West Cliff Drive. Attendees widely agreed that safeguarding coastal resources should be prioritized, and that the city should think twice about restoring the road to its original form.
Posted inLatest News
With El Niño looming, Santa Cruz city crews rush to tackle West Cliff repairs ahead of coming winter
The City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department is preparing for the winter by prioritizing West Cliff Drive repairs and performing maintenance on the San Lorenzo River levee to ensure its capacity is sufficient to handle increased water flow in the event of a rainy winter. That could come true, with an El Niño pattern looming in the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz City Council votes to restore two-way traffic on West Cliff Drive; work to begin next week
The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to restore two-way traffic on West Cliff Drive by the start of next year, ending a pilot project that has seen a stretch of the scenic road reduced to one-way traffic since January. While many residents told the city they want to see one-way traffic remain, some Westsiders say they are fed up with increased traffic in their neighborhoods and welcome a return to a two-way West Cliff.
Posted inLatest News
With some West Cliff-area repairs still a year out, Westside residents push for better traffic safety measures
More than 70 residents in the Santa Cruz neighborhoods adjacent to West Cliff Drive have signed a petition to remove the temporary cul-de-sacs on Alta Avenue and Oxford Way and introduce stronger traffic calming measures in the surrounding streets. Although the city’s public works department says it will continue to work with the resident group and install more road safety measures, the fully closed stretch of West Cliff Drive west of Woodrow Avenue will remain so for another year, meaning increased traffic on nearby streets is far from over.
Posted inLatest News
City set to restore two-way traffic to stretch of West Cliff Drive
Two-way traffic on West Cliff Drive could be back as soon as the beginning of 2024, with Santa Cruz’s public works department recommending that the city council vote next week to restore both lanes between Columbia Street and Woodrow Avenue. The section between Woodrow and Almar Avenue that’s been completely closed to traffic is still about a year away from repair.
Posted inLatest News
Traffic calming, new infill walls and flying cars on West Cliff: Residents air concerns at wide-ranging meeting
Santa Cruz residents tuned in Tuesday to a West Cliff Conversations virtual meeting, where they said they’d like to see traffic calming and West Cliff Drive access restoration prioritized. The city is holding a second, in-person public meeting about the future of West Cliff on Wednesday.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz City Council backs proposed 50-year plan for West Cliff Drive
The Santa Cruz City Council directed staff to move forward with developing a vision for West Cliff Drive as it faces coastal erosion accelerated by this winter’s storms. By the end of the year, city staff will aim to draft a roadmap for the next three years, as well as a 50-year plan.
Posted inLatest News
Move the lighthouse on West Cliff? With possible sea cave collapse, city council looking at alternatives
The Santa Cruz City Council will discuss preliminary plans for West Cliff Drive on Tuesday, with the impact of this winter’s battering storms on the iconic coastal roadway and what comes next an immediate focus. A draft plan also floats a future study of a sea cave underneath Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, which could determine how seriously the city will look at the feasibility of relocating the lighthouse; a leader of resident group Save West Cliff is pushing for action sooner.
Posted inLatest News
Cul-de-sacs and long-term erosion: Citizens, city staff take up gnarly issues of ‘saving West Cliff’
The City of Santa Cruz’s first in-person community meeting about the future of West Cliff Drive on Thursday showed some direction for the area. Most notably, the Oxford Way cul-de-sac is a go. And more community meetings driven by residents group Save West Cliff are slated for this summer as locals grapple with the options.
