Affordable Housing

Building rendering with people walking on the street

Affordable Housing

Nearby Transit Routes

Route(s): 18, 19

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Routes 18 & 19 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays: Will return to separate Monday/Wednesday/Friday and Tuesday/Thursday schedules and 15-minute peak frequency. Weekends: Will operate at 20-minute frequency; Routes 18B/19B discontinued.

Route(s): 2, 2N

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 2/2N Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Departure times from Santa Cruz and Watsonville will be adjusted slightly so Routes 1 and 2 arrive at Cabrillo to facilitate transfers. These stops will no longer be timepoints but will remain as regular stops: Main & S Green Valley Rd and Capitola Rd & 7th Ave.

Route(s): 2

Stop 1899 Temporary Relocation

Effective April 14, 2026, Stop 1899 at Water & N Branciforte (inbound to Santa Cruz) has been temporarily relocated due to nearby construction. The temporary stop is located further up the hill, before the intersection, at approximately 1007 Water Street. Thank you for your patience.

Route(s): All

2026 Santa Cruz County Fair

Service to the County Fair will operate September 16-20, 2026. The route will begin at the South County Government Center on Westridge Dr, where parking is available to park and ride, then proceed to Watsonville Transit Center Lane 2, and then continue to the County Fairgrounds with stops along the way. Return service will also serve both the Transit Center and the Government Center. Receive discount admission when taking the bus!

Route(s): 11, 20

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

UCSC Routes 11, 16, 18B/19B, & 20 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route. Route 16 returns for school year. Routes 18B/19B discontinued.

Route(s): 1

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 1 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Departure times from Santa Cruz and Watsonville will be adjusted slightly so Routes 1 and 2 arrive at Cabrillo to facilitate transfers. These stops will no longer be timepoints but will remain as regular stops: Airport Blvd (Freedom Centre) and Soquel Dr (Dominican Hospital). Service from the Boardwalk is discontinued until 2027.

Route(s): 35, 35X

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 35/35X Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route. These stops will no longer be timepoints but will remain as regular stops: Scotts Valley Dr & Granite Creek Rd and Hwy 17 & Pasatiempo Dr . Weekdays: The 9:00pm outbound trip from Santa Cruz will serve both Mountain Store and Country Club, following the pattern of the 10:00 and 11:00 trips.

Route(s): 73

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 73 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route. Main & Ohlone Pkwy will no longer be a timepoint but will remain as a regular stop. Weekdays: All trips will now serve Capitola Mall. The route will operate at a 40-minute frequency between the start of service and approximately 5:00pm.

Route(s): 41

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 41 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route.

Route(s): 72, 72W, 75

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 72/72W & 75 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays: Main & S Green Valley Rd (Stop ID 1144) will no longer be a timepoint but will remain as a regular stop. Route 75, Weekdays: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route.

Route(s): 55

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 55 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Stockton Ave & Esplanade (Stop ID 1862) will no longer be a timepoint but will remain as a regular stop.

Route(s): 78, 79

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 78 & 79 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route.

Route(s): 17

Fall Service Change eff. 9/10!

Route 17 Fall Service (eff. 9/10/26): Weekdays/Weekends: Trip departure and arrival times have been adjusted along the route. Weekdays: Trips that served only Scotts Valley but not Santa Cruz have been discontinued; all trips will serve Santa Cruz.

TRANSIT CENTER REDEVELOPMENT

In 2022, METRO set a goal to support the development of 175 new affordable housing units in Santa Cruz and Watsonville by 2033. With the two redevelopment projects highlighted below, METRO is now on track to exceed that goal by 30 units, bringing the total to 205 new affordable housing units.

Rotkin Transit Center (formerly Pacific Station)

The Rotkin Transit Center (formerly 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 Measure D funds , 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 79 units of net-zero affordable housing, ranging from one- to three-bedroom homes.

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. The redevelopment will also include upgraded transit facilities, a new bike hub, additional bike lanes, a ground-floor commercial space, and an open-air forecourt.

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). In addition, the City of Watsonville—working in partnership with Santa Cruz METRO and MidPen Housing—was awarded a $39 million Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant to redevelop the Watsonville Transit Center into a mixed-use housing and transit hub.