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Bicycle Connection Through Arana Gulch Approved

Santa Cruz Arana Gulch Master Plan moves forward

Published Friday, December 9, 2011

At its Thursday, December 8 meeting, the California Coastal Commission voted 10-1 to approve the latest version of the Arana Gulch Master Plan on a motion by Santa Cruz County Supervisor and California Coastal Commissioner Mark Stone. The Master Plan includes the bicycle connection between Broadway and Brommer that People Power has supported for 20 years, ever since we participated in a coalition that stopped a road for cars through Arana Gulch. The final plan will have a much smaller impact on the Arana Greenspace than the original proposal, due to the reasoned criticism of those who opposed the path. The project is funded and should be built within the next few years.

Among the hundreds of folks that deserve our thanks for this victory some standouts are: Charles Dixon and Paul Shoellhamer, who led the People Power effort to win the Commission's approval over the last 4 years. The Santa Cruz City Staff, who stayed committed to some version of the path though numerous EIRs, applications, and a couple of law suits. Don Lane and Neal Coonerty and his staff, in particular, provided critical leadership in advocating for the plan at the Coastal Commission level.

While I am immensely proud of our successful efforts and am entirely clear that the plan is a real positive for our relationship with the planet, I also understand that the paving of even a small part of greenbelt property (albeit with porous concrete) is not something to be entirely happy about. If our streets weren't taken up by a frightening number of motorized vehicles, we wouldn't need a path through the Arana Gulch.