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City Planning

Suggestions for May 29, 2024: Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Code, General Plan, and EIR

To the City Council for the 1st public hearing at the Council on the General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Code, and Program Environmental Impact Report. --- "As you must be aware, the Council is in a difficult situation here. You are being asked to approve a set of documents that are incomplete." With 5 very important topics suggested for review, and 5 other lesser but still very significant topics.
Gateway Plan

General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Code: Latest versions

Keeping track of the latest General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Zoning Code is not a simple matter. There have been three different versions of the General Plan in one week -- twice. ------- The City Council is reviewing the General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Zoning Code (and also the Final Environmental Impact Report), with public hearings set for May 29 and June 4, 2024. These are the versions of these documents, as leading up to those dates.
David Loya

General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Code: How many versions are there?

Keeping track of the latest General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Zoning Code is not a simple matter. There have been three different versions of a General Plan document -- within one week. And this has happened twice. This article shows how these document-handling procedures are inadequate and poor, and differ from what is done by professionals in every field, all over the world. A solution is proposed.
Form-Based Code and Ministerial Review

An absolutely awful building design for L Street and the Gateway Area Plan

THIS COULD BE BUILT right next to the woonerf or linear park. A form-based code does not prevent bad design. Utilizing the current Gateway Code, here are images of what could be built along the L Street corridor linear park and woonerf. HELP! To create a jewel of a woonerf, we need to improve the Gateway Code.
April Fools' Day

Gateway Area Plan approved at 11th hour; PlanCom, Council, Loya jubilant

With an outpouring of jubilation and champagne, the City Council approved and adopted the Gateway Area Plan just prior to 10:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve, 2024. In a never-before-seen scene set at City Hall, reminiscent of an Arcata version of the warm-hearted ending of the film "It's a Wonderful Life," the entire town rallied behind the promise (or premise) of affordable housing for working people.
Arcata & Community

What’s in the Community Benefits Program for the Gateway Area Plan?

The Community Benefits Program for Arcata's Gateway Area Plan has gone through many twists and turns and iterations. The basic idea is that if a developer wants to build at four stories and above, there must be some "community benefits" included in the project. The community benefits evolved from a list that was developed by the Community Development Staff and the Planning Commissioners -- with, in theory, input from the public.
- Overview

The Draft Gateway Area Plan – December 2023 – Version 14a.2

The fourth draft of the "Draft Gateway Area Plan" from December 2023. In chapters for easy viewing. Also includes the July 11, 2023, 3rd draft, the 2nd draft from October 2022, and the 1st draft, from December 2021.
Economics

Senator Margaret Chase Smith: Honesty and Trust in the Gateway Area Plan

Margaret Chase Smith served in U.S. Congress for 33 years, from 1940 to 1973, both in the House and as a Senator. She was the first woman to run for the presidential nomination of a major political party. She was a strong supporter of the space program, increased educational funding, civil rights, and Medicare. Her words on TRUST may be useful while we are looking at the Gateway Area Plan and Arcata's General Plan.
City Planning

Exposing David Loya’s notions: Retain the Gateway Area Plan for Gateway only, or make its policies be City-wide?

Reading time 5 to 20 minutes. Where does David Loya get his ideas? What is the source of the notion of dissolving the Gateway Area Plan and make its policies be city-wide. This will be discussed at the November 15, 2023, Council meeting and hopefully will be rejected. Article includes videos, transcriptions, specific proposed policies and a "What's next?" section of what is still missing (after two years of talking) from the Gateway Area Plan.
Building Height

Extend the Gateway Area Plan policies to ALL of Arcata? Absolutely not!

Arcata’s Community Development Directory, David Loya, is asking the City Council whether the policies that are in process of being developed for the Gateway area should be put into the General Plan – so that the policies can be in place throughout all of Arcata. And, yes, he is asking for 4, 5, 6, and possibly 7-story buildings be allowed -- everywhere in Arcata.
Arcata

Enter your Comments on the Gateway Area Plan

Enter your Comments on the Gateway Area Plan -- Arcata is holding an open house on "Gateway Housing" on September 25th, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the D Street Neighborhood Center. There will be a comment box there for you to submit your views, suggestions, and ideas. OR ENTER YOUR COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, VIEWPOINTS, AND IDEAS HERE. Thank you !
Gateway Plan

California Coastal Commission hears about the Gateway Area Plan

Reading time: 4 minutes -- At some point in the approval process of the Gateway Area Plan, State law requires that the plan come to the California Coastal Commission for review. This is a short introduction of the Gateway Area Plan, as presented to the Coastal Commission on September 7, 2023.
April Fools' Day

The Gateway Area Plan: A modest proposal

Partial build-out of the Gateway Area Plan. The Plan was finally adopted in 2031, following nine years of discussion and community input. A minor typographical error in the final version resulted in a 70-story maximum height, rather than the previously agreed-upon 7 stories. As anticipated, many developers opted to build smaller buildings than the allowable maximum.

Lulu Mickelson — August 22, 2023 — Limiting building heights in the Gateway Area Plan is a form of exclusion

The current building heights in the plan – along with streamlined zoning – will allow nonprofit, community‐focused, and mission‐driven developers to invest in building AFFORDABLE housing in the district. Restrictive heights and zoning guidelines increase building costs and reduce affordability. Density is climate‐ friendly, it encourages equitable transportation and prevents sprawl.
Building Height

3D Modeling and Visualizations have been removed from the draft Gateway Area Plan

The 3D Modeling and Visualizations have been removed from the draft Gateway Area Plan. There was a placeholder page titled "Visualizations" (Page 42) and now that page is gone. On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, the Council & Commission are being asked -- once again -- to discuss building heights. And they do not have the basic tools that any planner would need in order to accomplish this.
David Loya

David Loya video: Gateway Area Plan Mobility, Trails, and Couplets — and L Street

28-1/2 minute video and a full transcription -- what it contains and what it omits. Discusses "Plan B" alternatives for a K-L Street couplet FOR THE FIRST TIME. Minimizes and omits the issues with putting a new road on L Street. Discusses the issues with the alternatives to L Street, and neglects to mention THOSE SAME ISSUES about L Street. Declines to discuss the most obvious alternate to a K-L Street couplet, which is: No new road there at all.
Draft Plan

The Draft Gateway Area Plan – July 11, 2023 – Version 3

The third version of the DRAFT Gateway Area Plan. Much has been added -- and lots of internal errors are not yet corrected.
- Overview

“Confused About Arcata’s Gateway Area Plan?” Lost Coast Outpost , January 29, 2022

This article appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on January 29, 2022. Written by Stephanie McGeary. At that time, the Gateway Plan was proposed to be sent to the City Council by April 2022 -- 1-1/2 years ago.

Colin Fiske – July 9, 2023 – Positions on the Gateway Area Plan

"I won't rehash all of our past comments here, but I want to reiterate our strong support for the Gateway plan & code generally, and for most of the General Plan updates as well."
Affordable Housing

The Gateway Area Plan at 18 months: The Promises Still Seem Unlikely

Now at eighteen months from the introduction of the Draft Gateway Area Plan, the wonderful world that was promised by the plan seems ever more unlikely. I refer to that wonderful world of “thousands of housing units that are environmentally sustainable and affordable to people in all income ranges” and “a broad range of housing densities and types, including rental and owner‐occupied options” that is promised on the opening page of the Draft Plan and continued in that theme throughout the document. *** Let’s look at what’s been ignored over these past eighteen months.
Letters & Public Input

Alex Stillman – September 1, 2022 – Mad River Union article: The five biggest myths of the Gateway Area Plan, and solutions

On September 1, 2022, Alex Stillman forwarded the Mad River Union article "The five biggest myths of the Gateway Area Plan, and finding solutions" to the Community Development Department, the City Manager, and the Mayor.
Letters & Public Input

Alex Stillman – September 1, 2022 – the Mad River Union article “The five biggest myths of the Gateway Area Plan, and finding solutions”

Alex Stillman forwarded the Mad River Union article "The five biggest myths of the Gateway Area Plan, and finding solutions" from August 31, 2022 to the Community Development Department, the City Manager, and the Mayor.
Form-Based Code and Ministerial Review

Gateway Ministerial Review and what it means for you

Key to the success of Arcata’s Gateway Area Plan is the quick and certain approval of all projects that meet the standards of the Gateway Code. The current draft has new Gateway buildings up to 37 feet tall – that’s three-stories, generally – being seen only by the Zoning Administrator. This one person would have complete authority to approve new projects. There would be no public hearings for these approvals.
Building Height

Arcata Fire District letter to the City Council, May 28, 2024: Don’t approve Gateway

From the Arcata Fire District May 28, 2024 letter: "We are writing to request that approval of these elements be denied at this time and put on hold until the AP Triton Standard of Coverage (SOC) for the AFPD is completed and the Arcata City Council and AFPD Board of Directors achieve consensus on a plan for the likely expansion of the District's capacity."
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