Capitola skaters, bikers, dog-owners and pups have something to celebrate tonight as the Capitola City Council voted to move forward with plans to make a four-acre plot of land on the eastern edge of town into a recreational use area for Capitola residents. Initial plans for the plot of land promise Capitola’s first skate park and bike pump track as well as a dog park, a sacred space in a town where leash rules leave practically nowhere for dogs to run freely.
This piece of land, also known as McGregor Drive property, has sat empty since 2003 other than intermittent use for construction staging. Fronting Highway 1 near the Park Avenue exit, its distance from the center of the city has raised serious questions about pedestrian access, policing and maintenance. However, after years of fruitless efforts to develop a hotel at the spot, the council voted in favor of moving plans in a recreational direction: essentially, any direction.
“This is our best option,” Council Member Ed Bottorf said. “I think it comes down to the ‘if you build it, they will come’ thing … let’s just make it happen.”
