A Light Rail Story

The County of Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission acquired the 32-mile Santa Cruz Branch Railroad and Right of Way from Union Pacific on October 12, 2012 for $14.2 Million, returning it to local public ownership to preserve it for future transportation uses. Plans for a Light Commuter Rail Line have been proposed alongside bicycle and pedestrian paths, and information for each of these can be viewed on the RTC’s site at sccrtc.org. 

As part of these plans, the RTC stated their intent to acquire the front portions of the parking lot of our listing at the Bayview Hotel, along with its adjacent neighbors along the track, for purposes of constructing the Aptos Village Station for the Light Rail, if its construction is approved at some point in the future. The indication is that this would result in the loss of the 10 parking spaces for the Bayview Property which adjoins the railroad right-of-way, and even more spaces for the adjacent property owners.

I was told the RTC originally attempted to claim rights to these areas under an old easement which they argued gave them the right to freely take them, but after litigation by the respective owners of the Bayview and adjacent properties, it was established with apparent success that taking these areas would need to be done under Eminent Domain, which would require the County to pay the affected property owners Fair Market Value for any areas displaced. 

With regard to the prospect of the Light Rail going in, that is debatable. There has been widespread public opposition to the idea ever since it was first announced, with opponents citing the high costs, while also questioning both the likelihood of people using the Light Rail and the need for connecting the North and South regions of the County.

That said, if the RTC were to eventually prevail and Aptos Village Station gets constructed, it has been suggested that it could be deemed a positive for a hotel and restaurant to be located right where large numbers of people arrive and depart from the area. Furthermore, if the eminent domain argument holds, the acquisition of land by the RTC could be a financial windfall for the property owners. 

As well, Title confirmed the validity of a 20-foot easement running from the front parking lot to the rear areas of the property, which are largely undeveloped and could likely accommodate more than 10 parking spaces, with two additional easements providing direct access to and from nearby Trout Gulch Road, so it appears that parking would not be an issue even if the station were to go in.

Ultimately, the impact of a Light Rail will vary from person to person and from property to property. As an immediate example, the neighboring owner would not be able to relocate displaced parking elsewhere on their parcel so the businesses at their center would feel the loss. But in the case of the Bayview, if anything Light Rail would by most measures be a boon.