Santa Cruz Rebuilds After Earthquake
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