Housing, transit projects get millions from state
SANTA CRUZ >> California transportation and housing authorities took a trip to downtown Santa Cruz Monday to announce $42 million in state funding that will boost several projects in development across the county.
California State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin announced to a crowd of more than 50 local transit leaders and community members that the largest chunk of awards will go to Santa Cruz Metro, which received more than $38.5 million in funding for its ZeroEmission Intercity Transit Service Expansion Project.
The funding will help the agency add 24 new zero-emission buses to its 94-bus fleet and expand service frequency while also redeveloping its Watsonville Transit Center and downtown Pacific Station projects to include more than 180 mixeduse affordable housing units.
“I love to see projects that combine zero-emission bus service with affordable housing,” said Omishakin. “We talk about a win-win? That's a win-win.”
Santa Cruz Metro CEO Michael Tree told the Sentinel he was “stunned” by the announcement, saying Metro received “every penny we asked for” when it applied for grants.
“That hardly ever happens,” he said. “It meets all the goals and direction of the state. They want zero-emission, they want affordable housing and they want improved service and frequency. This project had it all for them.”
Santa Cruz Metro is aiming to double its annual ridership to 7 million within five years and, according to a Metro release, the service improvements and expansion made possible by the state funding are expected to increase ridership by 20%.
According to Omishakin, the grants were part of a more than $690 million package from the state going to 28 public transportation projects as part of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program announced Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Omishakin said when it came time to choose locations for announcing the program's rollout, Santa Cruz was first on his list.
“When I saw in there (transit-oriented development), and I saw the word `affordable' and … `zero-emission buses,' of all the 28 projects that are being announced I said `We got to go there first!'”
California's Deputy Secretary of Housing and Consumer Relations Sasha Kergan also spoke at the celebratory event and reiterated that the projects in the county represent ideal target investments for state authorities.
“It's really best when we can stick the landing by getting housing located close by transportation investments as well,” said Kergan. “We're not only thinking about decreasing the time (people are) in single-occupancy vehicles, but decreasing the time they are away from home and spending more time in their communities.”
But Metro wasn't alone in its moment of rejoicing.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission — a frequent Metro collaborator and partner — received $3.4 million in program funding to continue exploring a major project of its own.
The grant fully funds two years of planning and preliminary engineering reports needed for a detailed concept report exploring an electric passenger rail project, according to the commission's Executive Director Guy Preston.
The commission previously set aside $3.8 million of its own funds for the first year of studies, but the additional $3.4 from the state will help it reach the roughly $7.7 million needed for two years of work, which includes soliciting public input and establishing a sturdy project definition that will help the agency make decisions about future passenger rail tasks.
The 22-mile project would be within the commission-owned Branch Rail Line corridor and stretches from Pajaro to Santa Cruz.
Preston told the Sentinel that the grant does stop short of providing the funding needed to move the effort through the environmental impact report and clearance phases — a cumulative total he estimated to cost roughly $20 million — but “the (California State Transportation Agency) has talked to us about their commitment to helping us find the additional funding that will be necessary.”
A third Central Coast agency receiving a nod of support from the state is the Transportation Agency of Monterey County, which received about $2.2 million in awards. The funding will help continue development of a multimodal transportation station in the town of Pajaro that could, among other things, serve as the southernmost station for the commission's passenger rail project.
Asked why Santa Cruz County and the Central Coast appeared to be such a favorable location for significant state investments, Preston credited productive interagency relationships.
“All of our agencies work together really well,” he said. “We're looking at things in terms of connectivity to housing and ways to really provide people with better opportunities to get around.”