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Capitola outlines options for eroding Grand Avenue pathway on Depot Hill; council backs community steering group and staff cost estimates
Summary
City staff presented geotechnical findings on bluff retreat at the Grand Avenue Pathway (Depot Hill). Council directed staff to pursue further study, provide cost estimates and grant options, maintain the pathway closure and support a volunteer steering committee; council agreed not to pursue full bluff stabilization at this time.
City public-works staff told the Capitola City Council on April 10 that bluff erosion has progressively reduced the right of way for the Grand Avenue Pathway on Depot Hill and that several repair and mitigation options carry very different cost and longevity profiles.
Staff presentation and findings: Public Works staff reported that erosion between Saxon and Oakland avenues has consumed up to about 20 feet of bluff since 1999 at the most constrained spots and that the remaining right-of-way in places is as little as about 3 to 8 feet. Staff said the bluff has a softer marine terrace deposit above a bedrock layer; waves and stormwater undermining the bedrock can produce episodic failures. The city said the most recent winter storms undermined the pathway near an existing fence and that the path has been closed to pedestrians since February 2025.
Staff described four broad options and rough cost ranges: (1) remove private…
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