The Capitola City Council on Aug. 28 accepted a conditional award from Caltrans for a Sustainable Transportation Planning grant that would fund development of the city’s first Active Transportation Plan (ATP). The award yields $450,000 to develop a citywide plan to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, equity, and climate resilience; Ecology Action will be a co-applicant and lead outreach.

Staff said the ATP will document existing conditions, recommend both infrastructure and programmatic interventions (education, outreach and bicycle training), and prioritize projects that improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities. The city lacks a modern citywide ATP: earlier bicycle plans are more than a decade old and the village’s mix of constrained right-of-way and high seasonal volumes creates safety concerns.

Council members asked about stakeholder representation and whether the grant applicant selection had been competitive. Staff said Ecology Action was chosen as a local partner with countywide experience; the technical consultant that will prepare engineering analyses will be procured via a competitive request-for-proposals process and return to council for contract approval. Staff also said the grant requires a focus on seasonal population variability and equity; the grant’s matching contribution is in-kind staff time estimated at approximately $60,000.

Supporters at the meeting urged council to press for strong enforcement and to expand outreach to seniors, businesses and public-transportation providers. Council voted 3–2 to accept the conditional award; some members asked staff to ensure the outreach plan names specific stakeholder groups (businesses, seniors, transit, schools) and to coordinate the ATP with other city planning efforts including 40 First Avenue and the Cliff Drive project.

Staff expects to return in January with a recommended consultant selection and to begin outreach and plan drafting in spring 2026. The ATP will be required for many state and federal infrastructure grant programs and is intended to improve Capitola’s competitiveness for those funds.