Santa Cruz council approves San Lorenzo Park redesign, directs tribal consultation and restoration study

The Santa Cruz City Council on Wednesday accepted a final redesign report for San Lorenzo Park and adopted a finding that the report is categorically exempt from CEQA, then directed staff to pursue additional consultation and planning steps.

The council voted unanimously to accept the staff plan and to direct staff to evaluate a potential agreement that would recognize the Riverlands portion of San Lorenzo Park as a living cultural landscape in close consultation with local tribal partners. The motion, made by Councilmember Tragero and seconded by Councilmember O’Hara, also asked staff to compensate tribal consultants from available project funds and to return to council within six months with a recommended policy for ongoing compensation and alignment with the city’s equitable engagement work.

Noah Downing, the city’s senior park planner, outlined the report and said San Lorenzo Park is designated in the general plan “as a community park” intended to serve the entire city and to offer unique facilities near downtown. Downing described the plan’s two-part approach: an uplands area focused on recreation and events and a Riverlands area prioritized for natural restoration, habitat and flood management. “The riverlands concept prioritizes natural restoration,” he said during the staff presentation, adding that the plan balances restoration with limited, low-impact public access and visibility for educational uses.

The proposal responds to multiple community meetings, surveys and input from the Parks and Recreation Commission. Parks Superintendent Mike Gonsi thanked staff and the public for a multi-year process and emphasized the report is a planning guide: “additional funding, study, outreach and review are necessary,” he said.

Environmental and stewardship groups supported the emphasis on restoration. Laurie Egan, executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council, urged the council to accept the report and to retain low-impact access so residents and school groups can learn from the river. “We believe that low-impact access, pathways, benches and opportunities to engage with the river should remain incorporated into this project,” Egan said at the hearing.

The council’s action also incorporated a Parks and Recreation Commission request that limited public access be maintained to connect people to nature while protecting restoration goals. Members of the public advocated both for full restoration of the Riverlands — pointing to state statistics about lost wetland acreage — and for retaining or replacing recreational attractions such as the duck pond and a small event stage. Council members and staff said the final design is conceptual and that specific elements (for example, picke​lball courts, a kiosk, or a stage) will require separate funding, environmental review and detailed designs.

Councilmembers emphasized the importance of funding and phasing. Downing and Parks Director Tony Elliott said funding options include grant-seeking (NOAA grants were cited as likely candidates), parks development impact fees tied to new downtown development, and potential ballot measures. Staff said more detailed design work and environmental permitting would follow once funds are identified.

The council vote on the motion to accept the final report, adopt the categorical-exemption finding and direct staff on tribal consultation and compensation was recorded as unanimous: Tragero, Brunner, Newsom, Golder, O’Hara, Vice Mayor Kalantari Johnson and Mayor Keeley — all “aye.”

What’s next: staff will pursue grant work and continue tribal outreach, integrate tribal review into the NOAA-funded restoration work, and return to the council with a policy proposal on tribal compensation and recommended next steps within six months. The council also asked staff to maintain public notice and neighborhood outreach as design and permitting proceed.