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SANTA CRUZ — Build the park.

That was the general message of the approximately 130 soccer enthusiasts, neighbors and museum patrons who attended a public hearing on the proposed Depot Site park, located on a thin whip of land between downtown and the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

"Congratulations," said Rita Winnings, a neighbor of the proposed park, bordered by Center Street, Pacific Avenue, West Cliff Drive and Neary Lagoon. "You’ve done a very good job creating one whole out of a lot of different pieces of property. I hope you do build it speedily."

Right now, the Depot Site is 3.5-plus acres of land that previously served as a freight and passenger railway-station. Many community members imagine soccer fields, playgrounds and bike trails to replace the broken glass from beer bottles, rusted railway ties and rail planks.

Among other things, the proposed park may include:

Because much of that funding is dedicated to specific projects, like the multi-modal station or the soccer field and the museum, many of the projects are non-negotiable. The only question, Scurich said, is where they will go and whether non-funded projects will be squeezed out.

Residents who attended Thursday night’s public meeting supported the concept of the plan and few suggested any major changes to the proposal.

Tony Madrigal urged the task force to try to purchase a triangle of land next to the Depot Site that’s now a storage area and junkyard. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is negotiating to buy the right-of-way surrounding the station and that would include the storage yard.

Ralph Meyberg, a member of the Depot Site Task Force that held the public meeting Thursday, said earlier in the day he hopes the city will work with the transportation commission to remove the storage yard, too.

Every time soccer was mentioned, a group of about two dozen young soccer players cheered, and soccer player Anthony Ponce asked the committee to go forward with the plan as soon as possible because "right now we play on the street, and when we fall it hurts."

Others pointed out that there are no dedicated adult soccer fields in the city.

There was some dissent over the details of the proposed project, however.

Lighting of the fields and parking lots was debated, as was turning Washington Street into a cul-de-sac or connecting it to Center Street. And there was much discussion over whether the amount of parking proposed — less than 250 spaces — would be enough, especially during the summer.

Representatives of Roaring Camp Railroad, which uses the tracks, and a group called Sustainable Monterey Bay advocated for two parallel train tracks for passenger and freight rail, where only one is proposed now.

The Depot Site Task Force will meet again April 12. Before the park is built, the city will have to complete an environmental impact report and the project in its entirety will have to be approved by the council.

Contact Heather Boerner at hboerner@santa-cruz.com.

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