The Capital Improvement Program is the County of Santa Cruz's six-year plan for investing in the roads, bridges, parks, and public buildings that residents rely on every day.
Covering fiscal years 2025–26 through 2030–31, the plan includes — projects representing an estimated — in planned investment.
Infrastructure is the largest portfolio, with 43 projects and $230 million in planned investment. Much of this work responds directly to storm damage and deferred maintenance across the unincorporated county. The largest single investment is the $58 million Buena Vista Transfer Station, which will replace aging solid waste facilities, followed by $31 million for Phase 2 of the Soquel Multi-Modal Project. Twelve bridge projects account for $50 million, including the San Lorenzo Way and Larkspur Street bridge replacements. Another twelve projects totaling $46 million address damage from the 2023 storms across five supervisorial districts, and five pavement projects add $19 million in road rehabilitation.
Parks and Open Spaces includes 16 projects and $116 million in planned investment, concentrated in trail and coastal access work. Segments 10 and 11 of the Coastal Rail Trail represent $84 million of that total and will extend continuous non-motorized access along the coast. The Greyhound Rock Environmental Education Center adds $15 million in coastal facility improvements. Twelve smaller park projects totaling $28 million cover neighborhood upgrades countywide, including the Anna Jean Cummings waterline replacement, restoration work at Freedom Lake, and expanded aquatic facilities at the Simpkins Family Swim Center.
Government Facilities includes 18 projects and $47 million in planned investment focused on modernizing County buildings and expanding public safety and behavioral health capacity. The Juvenile Hall renovation is the largest project at $17.5 million, with an additional $5.1 million for a multi-use recreation and program facility on the same site. Behavioral Health Bridge Housing accounts for $5.4 million. The remainder funds HVAC and generator replacements at 1400 Emeline Avenue, ADA improvements at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building, and fleet electrification infrastructure.
The plan is weighted toward the middle years of the six-year window. Spending rises from $12 million in fiscal year 2025–26 to $58 million in 2026–27, peaks at $111 million and $136 million in 2027–28 and 2028–29, and tapers thereafter as current projects reach completion. Twelve projects are in construction today; 46 are in design, engineering, or environmental review — the phase where most of the program currently sits. Approximately $221 million of the plan is secured or committed. The balance depends on grants and other funding sources the County expects but has not yet received, and project timelines will shift as those decisions are made.
The Capital Improvement Program is a planning document, not a budget. It does not authorize spending; appropriations are made each year through the Board of Supervisors' adopted budget. Projects are assigned to one of four tiers based on funding certainty and readiness. Tiers 1 through 3 make up the formal plan described above. Tier 4 projects are longer-term concepts that are not yet developed enough to carry a cost estimate or programmed funding; they are listed separately in the appendix at the end of this page. Keeping Tier 4 concepts outside the plan totals keeps the program fiscally constrained and gives residents a credible picture of the work the County is actively delivering.