The first step in an urban riverfront project has taken place with the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, which runs along the San Lorenzo River levee. The riverwalk runs from the north at a pedestrian bridge at Highway 1, continues south through Downtown Santa Cruz and ends at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This pedestrian-friendly project coincides with RiverRow, a 175-unit housing development bordering the San Lorenzo Riverwalk.
Designed to offer retail, restaurant, and cafe shops on the ground floor of the housing development, creating a seamless intersection of commerce and walkways, the riverwalk brings the San Lorenzo River into the spotlight, creating synergy between urban experiences and plants and wildlife. The nearly 30-mile long originate in Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flow south by southeast through the San Lorenzo Valley before passing through Santa Cruz and emptying into Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The river offers a tremendous amount of biodiversity due to the unique habitats and ecosystems of the Santa Cruz Mountains, nourishing riparian growth along its banks.