Capitola City Council to review Jade Street playground design

CAPITOLA — The process of redesigning one of Capitola's most popular playgrounds continues to skip ahead and city leaders will receive a progress update this week with an opportunity to share feedback before final plans are submitted.

The Capitola City Council will consider a conceptual design for the Jade Street Park Universally Accessible Playground Project at its meeting Thursday with a report from city staff detailing the months-long effort.

The council green-lit the project in November of last year, citing aging infrastructure and a desire to remake the play center in a way that appeals to individuals of all abilities, including those with cognitive, developmental, sight or hearing impairments.

According to the staff report, the playground at 4400 Jade St. was installed in 1999 and updated in 2007, though inspections have revealed increasing deterioration in equipment conditions in the years that have followed.

After releasing a request for proposals, the City Council authorized an agreement with Verde Design, which has carried out the conceptual design phase of the project that included community outreach and an alternative analysis. Feedback from the City Council this week will help guide the formation of the final concept plan, which is scheduled for consideration by the council at its July 27 meeting.

Staff initially estimated that the improvements would cost about $1.5 million, with $275,000 in spending dedicated for the project in this year's fiscal budget and an additional $200,000 next year. To help fill the funding gap of more than $1 million, the council will also consider at its Thursday meeting entering into a partnership with Friends of County Parks, a local nonprofit focused on optimizing access to parks and green spaces.

The public outreach process occurred mostly in March and April through a combination of online surveys, on-site pop-up events and two community meetings, according to the staff report.

Community members identified "Marine and Shoreline" as the preferred theme for the park with desired amenities that include swings and an inclusive whirl structure, a see-saw and roller table, rock wall, rope course, pirate ship and playhouse. A percussion play area was also included in the draft design.

• The council will also receive a presentation from its staff sharing the latest on the effort to update the city's housing element – a process that occurs every eight years. The drafted update, which has been available to the public since May 10, outlines the state requirement to plan for development of 1,336 units from 2024-2031. The plan must be adopted and sent to state authorities by Dec. 31 to avoid penalties.

• A proposed increase to Capitola's parking meter rates for the first time since 2009 will also receive further review from the City Council, which will consider introducing the ordinance by title only while waiving any further reading of the text. The council instructed its staff to prepare the necessary documentation for the update at a meeting in March and the California Coastal Commission, which must certify the ordinance before implementation, has had a chance to review it and provide feedback.

What: Capitola City Council meeting

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

How: How: 420 Capitola Ave. or on Zoom. Zoom link available at cityofcapitola.org/meetings.

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