Nearly every year, a portion of Paulsen Road in Watsonville floods during winter rains, forcing officials to put up temporary barriers to stop motorists from getting stranded in the deep water. And yet numerous people do just that, ignoring the signs and getting trapped when their vehicle stalls.
This not only requires a response from emergency personnel, but also further harms an already damaged road.
That could change after the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to add Paulsen Road to the county’s list of seasonally closed thoroughfares.
“I think we spent a little over $20,000 this year repairing Paulsen Road to reopen it in June,” said Assistant Director of Public Works Steven Wiesner.
Wiesner said that repairing the road would likely require raising the road 3–5 feet and adding drainage features, estimated to cost more than $3 million.
Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, whose district includes Watsonville’s unincorporated areas, said he wants Paulsen Road to get the same priority as Mountain Charley Road, which washed out during recent storms and got a temporary fix eight months later.
Hernandez also expressed frustration that the closure will affect traffic throughout Watsonville.
But Wiesner stressed that the closure not only prevents damage by vehicles, but also allows officials to reopen the road quicker when the floods abate.
The item will come back to the board on Dec. 17 for a second read and final adoption.
In other action, the supervisors approved a proposal to rezone 27 parcels and made amendments to the General Plan land use map for 24 parcels, which county officials say is a step toward meeting the County’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers, under which it must create 4,634 new housing units.
The rezoning efforts align with the County’s broader housing strategies by paving the way for residential development on parcels that were previously zoned for non-residential development.
The approved amendments are central to the County’s efforts to meet the growing demand for housing availability.
The supervisors also approved an ordinance that will allow property owners to build two-unit residences and have urban lot splits within single-family zones.
The new ordinance aligns the county with Senate Bill 9, a 3-year-old state law that eases the building process by overriding density limits in single-family zones.
Under the ordinance, property owners now have the option to add a second unit or build two residences on a parcel
It also authorizes lot splits of eligible single-family parcels.
The ordinance is expected to help the county meet its RHNA numbers.
For information, visit the Housing Element website at bit.ly/2023housingelement.
