Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing

Nearby Transit Routes

Route(s): 19, 19B, 18, 18B

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 19

Route 19 Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekdays: Will operate on separate Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday schedules (like Route 16) to account for different class schedules/passing periods. The 7:00am departure from River Front Transit Center will be adjusted to 7:04am.

Route(s): 18, 18B, 19, 19B, 20

2026 Santa Cruz Mile Race

Due to The Santa Cruz Mile road race event running through downtown Santa Cruz from approximately 8:00 AM–11:00 AM on March 15, riders should expect bus delays and temporary route detours near Pacific Avenue and nearby streets. Please allow extra travel time. Download the Transit App for real-time information.

Route(s): 3B, 3A

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 3B

Weekdays/Weekends: The timepoint for 7th Ave & Capitola Rd will be adjusted three minutes earlier for all outbound trips from River Front Transit Center.

Route(s): 34

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 34

Route 34 Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekdays: The 2:40pm departure from Scotts Valley Transit Center will depart five minutes later at 2:45pm.

Route(s): 35X, 35

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 35X

Route 35X Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekdays: The 3:16pm and 4:16pm departures from Scotts Valley Transit Center to Boulder Creek will depart three minutes later at 3:19pm and 4:19pm to allow riders coming from Scotts Valley Dr on Route 34 to transfer to Route 35X.

Route(s): 3A

Murray Bridge St Closure, eff. March 2025

Due to the ongoing Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project, Route 3A is operating on adjusted routing in both directions. This routing is now reflected in METRO's standard schedules. Visit https://scmetro.org/seabrightshuttle for more information about the Seabright Shuttle. Service on Seabright Avenue will return when construction allows. Riders are encouraged to check current routing and stop locations on the Routes & Schedules page, use the Transit App for trip planning and real-time information and alerts, or visit rt.scmetro.org.

Route(s): 17

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 17

Route 17 Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekdays: The 3:00pm, 4:15pm, and 5:35pm northbound departures from River Front Transit Center in Santa Cruz have been adjusted between 5 and 15 minutes earlier to improve connections to a new Amtrak Capitol Corridor schedule.

Route(s): 18, 18B, 19, 19B

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 18

Route 18 Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekdays: Will operate on separate Monday/Wednesday/Friday & Tuesday/Thursday schedules (like Route 16) to account for different class schedules/passing periods.

Route(s): 35, 35X

FY26 Spring Service Change, Route 35B

Route 35B Spring Service (eff. 3/12/26): Weekends: Service to Big Basin Redwoods State Park will return for the Spring through Fall schedules. Some departure times from both Scotts Valley Transit Center and Big Basin State Park have been adjusted by up to 15 minutes to accommodate connections to/from the Highway 17 Express.

TRANSIT CENTER REDEVELOPMENT

Our goal is to provide 175 new affordable housing units in Santa Cruz and Watsonville by 2033.

Pacific Station

The Pacific Station complex is METRO’s primary transit center, serving 15 routes with connections to UCSC, Scotts Valley, Watsonville and San Jose. Originally constructed in the early 1980s, the facility is in dire need of renovation and modernization.

The City of Santa Cruz and METRO have been conducting outreach and planning for the redevelopment of Pacific Station since 2002. The property’s prime downtown location makes it both an important transportation hub and an attractive site for developing affordable housing. In support of the most recent redevelopment efforts, the METRO Board of Directors approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June 2020 between the City of Santa Cruz and METRO in which the parties agreed to work together to apply for a state Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant to redevelop the site and adjacent City-owned properties into a new transit center and affordable, mixed-use development.

In January 2022, the project was awarded $29.6 million in AHSC funds from the California Strategic Growth Council to develop 126 units of affordable housing and a new METRO station and bus tarmac in a net-zero, seven story, mixed-use development. The project has also received a $20.9 million grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Infill Infrastructure Grant (IIG) program, $500,000 in California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) funds, and affordable housing tax credits. Together with METRO’s financial contribution of $4 million, the project was fully funded and broke ground in February 2024, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Watsonville Transit Center

In early 2024, METRO began the two-year architecture and engineering phase of a project to redevelop the Watsonville Transit Center into an affordable, transit-oriented development. When completed, the development will include more than 60+ units of net-zero affordable housing.

The ground floor of this infill development will serve as a METRO transit center and ticketing office with the affordable house units located on the upper floors. Bus operations will be relocated to on-street bus bays to maximize the potential of the one-acre site.

In addition, METRO plans to operate two bus routes with 15-minute frequencies between the Watsonville Transit Center and Santa Cruz. These routes will meet the state’s definition of high quality transit.

Located within downtown, the project is a key element of the City of Watsonville’s overall revitalization effort. It will directly increase fair housing in the area because 100% of the dwelling units will be affordable. The project will also indirectly support the construction of housing in Watsonville through the implementation of bus services that meet the state’s definition of high-quality transit. This designation allows the City and developers to streamline certain California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements and reduce parking, if they choose.

Funding for the project comes from the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments’ (AMBAG) Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2021 program (REAP 2.0) and the California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).