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Capitola Council endorses hybrid Wharf master‑plan after broad public input
Summary
After a month of public outreach and a community meeting, consultants and city staff recommended a hybrid of two favored options — combining flexible marketplace elements with permanent structures — and the council approved moving the master plan forward to a final draft and CEQA review.
The Capitola City Council on June 26 approved a staff recommendation to advance a hybrid Capitola Wharf master plan — combining elements of Option 6 (flexible market/open space) and Option 7 (permanent structures similar to the Wharf’s earlier configuration) — and to return in the fall with a final plan and environmental review.
The recommendation followed a month of public outreach, a community meeting at New Brighton Middle School and a consultant survey of 1,067 respondents, 499 of whom were Capitola residents. Dan Townsend, a consultant with Fuse Architecture, said, “We recommend that council approve a hybrid of option 6 and 7.”
Why it matters: the Wharf is a high‑use public asset with fishing, lifeguard needs and year‑round visitors; the council and consultants said the hybrid approach seeks to balance historic and recreational uses with potential private investment and flexible vendor opportunities. The master plan will guide future permitting, conceptual massing, updated cost estimates and a request‑for‑proposals (RFP) process for possible public–private partnerships.
Most public input favored keeping fishing and the hoist, adding a second restroom and a lifeguard station, and maintaining public access and open views. The consultant reported significant support for permanent structures (Option 7 received roughly 42% of survey votes) while Option 6 attracted substantial backing for a flexible marketplace; mobile vendors drew mixed responses and calls for a controlled pilot rather than immediate large rollouts.
Councilmembers asked staff and Fuse to show on‑site visual markers of proposed building footprints and heights before the fall hearing so residents can better picture massing; staff said the next phase will include renderings and conceptual massing. Consultants and staff also flagged storm risk and climate vulnerability as concerns raised by the Planning Commission and the Commission on the Environment; the outreach summary calls for additional economic and climate analysis.
Dan Townsend and project team members summarized the outreach and recommended steps that include: a flexible site layout, program descriptions, conceptual massing and renderings, updated cost estimates, identification of required permits and CEQA review. Staff said the master plan would be used in a future RFP seeking private partners, and that typical RFP terms could include long lease terms and revenue‑sharing proposals. The council approved the recommendation unanimously.
The next steps are for staff to prepare the draft master plan materials for a fall return, refine cost and climate analyses requested by commissions, and include design tools that will let council and the public visualize building footprints and potential two‑story elements prior to formal adoption.
