The Community Before

In 15 short seconds during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake the downtown area of Santa Cruz was transformed from the City’s commercial core to a series of destroyed and severely damaged buildings.

Nearly half a million square feet of residential and commercial buildings including over 200 businesses and 260 housing units were damaged or completely demolished. It was a public – private partnership orchestrated by the Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency that brought downtown back from disaster.

The Community Now

Today, Downtown Santa Cruz offers something for everyone – shopping, arts and entertainment, dining and community events. It is a 24-hour city center, which is visited by millions each year. The redevelopment agency played the lead role in planning, coordinating and financially assisting many of the post-earthquake public and private rebuilding efforts.

The results include:

• Nearly one million sq. ft. of new residential or commercial buildings
• 331 new or rehabilitated housing units including 263 affordable units
• 3 new or rehabilitated movie theaters
• 55 new storefront facades
• New tree-lined streetscape and levee path
• New Art and History Museum and public art and mural projects