Sign up for our Arcata1.com Newsletter

Arcata1.com on your desktop for a bigger view. Learn more about our city.

No menu items!
type here...
Search Arcata1.com


CATEGORY

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.

Robert Crumb: A Short History of America

The classic Robert Crumb 12-panel masterpiece of a history of America, as seen from a single street-corner. Video 1 minute 12 seconds.

“It’s Halftime in America” – Super Bowl commercial, 2012

The 2-minute Super Bowl commercial from 2012. ---- "It's halftime in America, too. People are out of work and they're hurting. And they're all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback. And we're all scared, because this isn't a game."

Eureka’s Vision Statement — How does it compare to Arcata’s?

Eureka is vastly different from Arcata, and their vision statements reflect this. Arcata's is by far more people-oriented. Much of Eureka's vision statement is about things, buildings, and infrastructure. Overall Arcata's is connected to human feelings and psychological needs. Eureka's seems to say:  If we build a great city, then people will come and enjoy their lives here. Arcata's seems to say: If people enjoy their lives here, then we will have a great city.

Vision Statements of award-winning cities from around the world

How will Arcata look 20 or 50 years from now? A vision statement presents the city council’s ambition for the future. The vision statement sets the bar high in terms of how the city wants to be perceived by the world in the future. This article explores the components of excellent vision statements from around the world. Reading time 8-10 minutes.

Arcata Ballpark – Entrance Alternatives and Survey

Arcata's Crabs ballpark is being updated. The City of Arcata has a survey so the public can weigh in on which of three façade and entrance designs they like.  The problem is:  The images in the survey are too small. See larger images and close-ups of the entry designs here.

President of local NAACP speaks to the City Council on no community input

Dr. Johnson is Director of the Multicultural & Equity Center at College of the Redwoods. He is the president of the local Eureka chapter of the NAACP. On December 12, 2023, Dr. Johnson spoke to the City Council on the lack of open public input in the process of selecting Arcata's new Chief of Police.

A clash over housing pits UC Berkeley against its neighbors

"Additional students will put more pressure on the local housing market and increase rents for everybody, hitting low-income students and low-income nonstudent families the hardest."  An interview with Phil Bokovoy, leader of the group "Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods."

Many Arcatans today worry that our city is losing its identity

Reading time: 3 to 6 minutes -- Many Arcatans today worry that our city is losing its identity. Yet the core of that identity is not based on who among us owns a home and which of us may never own a home, or our background or our ethnicity. It is the ideals we share, the good we hold in common. -- From an essay by Robert Reich.

Arcata’s Racial Equity outreach for the General Plan update is a sham

Reading time: 6 minutes -- Arcata's attempt at inclusion with the General Plan Update produced a report based on exactly 13 non-white people. This is shameful -- and doubly shameful that it is seen as acceptable. What in the world kind of "inclusion" is this? Couldn't there be additional outreach here?

What if Gateway apartments had rooftop gardens?

Photos and text: 4 minutes -- What would Gateway density be like if every building had a flat roof with outside patio space -- and an outdoor garden? What would that feel like for the tenants? What message would Arcata be sending to the world -- about who we are and what's important to us?

The September 25, 2023, Gateway Open House meeting – Synopsis and photos

Reading time: 6-8 minutes or longer -- Last night's Gateway Open House meeting was a minor success. Despite being held with just 2-1/2 weeks' notice and on a date that ignored a major religious holiday -- and on a weekday late-afternoon, meaning that it was largely inaccessible to community members with regular jobs and people with a child or children -- there was a good turnout. Over the 4 PM to 6 PM time of the two-hour drop-in meeting, an estimated 60 people attended.

To the Council/Commission: A high-density building, the State Density Bonus Housing Law, and reducing regulatory costs

Three new articles: A high-density building, the State Density Bonus Housing Law, and reducing regulatory costs. The State Density Bonus Housing Law and how it affects us here in Arcata is the single most important issue facing the Planning Commission with regard to the success of the Gateway Plan.

“Gateway Housing” Open House meeting: September 25th, 4 to 6 p.m.

The City of Arcata is holding an open house on “Gateway Housing” at the D Street Neighborhood Center, on the university side of 101 at 13th & D.  This will be on Monday afternoon, September 25th, from 4 to 6 p.m. If you are not able to attend that meeting , you can enter your comments here on Arcata1.com.

Dr. Wendy Ring: The Scotia Biomass power plant operation needs to be shut down

Presentation from Dr. Wendy Ring on the carbon emissions, pollution, and health hazards of the Scotia biomass-burning electrical power plant. 21 minute video plus 15-minutes reading material.

What We Owe Our Trees – The New Yorker magazine

"Even if you haven’t been to the woods lately, you probably know that the forest is disappearing. In the past ten thousand years, the Earth has lost about a third of its forest, which wouldn’t be so worrying if it weren’t for the fact that almost all that loss has happened in the past three hundred years or so. As much forest has been lost in the past hundred years as in the nine thousand before"

Cal Poly purchases Arcata Creekside 16 acres

Northcoast Journal article, September 1, 2022. Cal Poly purchases Arcata Creekside 16 acres; pays triple the appraised land value. The purchase eliminates this site from the housing and assisted living plans by the non-profit Life Plan Humboldt.

Dan Burden, Walkability Expert — Here in Humboldt, July 22-25, 2023

Walkability expert Dan Burden will be in Humboldt County on July 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Named by TIME as “one of the six most important civic innovators in the world.” Named by Planetizen as one of the “Top 100 urbanists of all time.” *** FREE EVENTS in Arcata, Eureka, Blue Lake, and McKinleyville that you can attend.

Community Meeting – Monday, July 10th, 2023

Community Meeting ★ The Gateway Area Plan ★ The L Street Pathway & Linear Park ★ Bring your questions ★ Everyone is welcome ★ Discussion – Strategies – Involvement ★★★ Monday  July 10th - 5:30 to 7:00 PM ★★★ Doors open at 5:20 – Come early! ★ Arcata Playhouse - The Creamery Building ★ 1251 9th Street.

“Deportee – Plane Wreck at Los Gatos” – the Woody Guthrie song

"Deportee - Plane Wreck at Los Gatos" is a song about the deaths of 28 migrant farm workers in a plane crash in 1948. The workers were part of the U.S.-Mexico "Bracero" program, whereby Mexican farmworkers could come to the U.S to work in the fields and then be returned to Mexico after the work contract was done.

The Gateway Community Benefits program — Details of the “points” proposal

The Gateway Community Benefits Program is simple in concept. In order to construct a building higher than three stories -- and have it go through the streamlined "ministerial review" process -- a developer has to provide something for the community.  But the existing State Density Bonus laws may entirely subvert our Community Benefits program and render it meaningless.

Vandalismo en Sanctuary Garden – Centro del Pueblo habla con el Ayuntamiento de Arcata

More than 60 members of our community came to City Hall on Wednesday, June 7th, for the Arcata City Council meeting. Many people, including Centro del Pueblo Executive Director Brenda Perez, spoke to the Council. Over the past three years, the Sanctuary Gardens has been vandalized one dozen times. The people of Arcata are asking the City Council  to do something.

Sanctuary Garden vandalism – Centro del Pueblo speaks to the Arcata City Council

More than 60 members of our community came to City Hall on Wednesday, June 7th, for the Arcata City Council meeting. Many people, including Centro del Pueblo Executive Director Brenda Perez, spoke to the Council. Over the past three years, the Sanctuary Gardens has been vandalized one dozen times. The people of Arcata are asking the City Council  to do something.

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.

Creamery District meeting – May 16, 2023 – What the People want – Updated May 21

IMAGES OF NOTES from the neighborhood Creamery District meeting on May 16, 2023. There were people present who thought that this would be an open discussion about how the Gateway Plan might affect the Creamery District. Specifically, people wanted to discuss the question of the L Street Corridor Linear Park. David Loya told the group that the Linear Park was not one of the topics on that evening's list of topics to be discussed. Over 1/3rd of the people present walked out.

What People Wrote – at the May 16th Creamery meeting

WITH TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE NOTES. ** Why was this "open discussion" meeting so controlled? In his introduction David Loya made clear what he was there to discuss. What the people there wanted to talk about apparently was not of large importance.

UPDATED Creamery District / Gateway Meetings — May 16th & May 23rd

COME - PARTICIPATE - LEARN - ASK QUESTIONS - SHARE YOUR VIEWS **** A meeting with businesses, owners, workers, and all residents in the Creamery District Combining Zone on Tuesday, May 16th, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will also be a meeting of the Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 23rd, starting at 5:30 p.m. to "discuss this topic." *** Includes maps and the letter sent out by the City.

The L Street Linear Park Petition – over 1,170 names so far

James Becker and Patricia Cambianica have been collecting signatures of people in favor of the L Street Linear Park. As of May 9, 2023, they have gathered over 715 people's names. At the March 14, 2023, meeting of the Arcata Planning Commission, Jim showed the commissioners just what these signatures look like. 

Your neighborhood is at risk of being rezoned for High Density housing

Do you want your neighborhood rezoned as Residential High Density? **** Come to the City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 5th, and tell our City Councilmembers what you want and do not want for Arcata. The citizens of Arcata have not been informed. **** If you care about your neighborhood, please come and speak. ****

Dan Duncan: “2022 Arcata: 18 Ways of looking at a City”

Daniel Duncan is a retired contractor and present-time architectural commentator who has lived here in Arcata for over 50 years. His articles on Arcata planning, housing, and design appeared first in the Mad River Union, and now the eighteen articles from 2022 have been collected in his new book. Dan's book is available now at Northtown Books in Arcata and Booklegger in Eureka. The price is $10.

City Council & Planning Commission: Portal / Links

A special page for City Council and Planning Commission members -- and a great place for all readers to learn more about the Gateway Plan. This page will be updated regularly. Come back for more!

OLLI Presentation on Sea Level Rise – Aldaron Laird – March 16, 2023

This is the link to the video for the March 16, 2023, OLLI presentation on Sea Level Rise & Humboldt Bay. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) of Cal Poly Humboldt has been offering a monthly special interest group Zoom meeting on Sea Level Rise & Humboldt Bay. The presentations are facilitated by environmental planning consultant Aldaron Laird and Humboldt County history (and general knowledge) specialist Jerry Rhode.

Arcata L Street Pathway and Linear Park: Portal / Links

A special page for the L Street Pathway and Linear Park -- and a great place for all readers to learn more about the Gateway Plan. This page will be updated regularly. Come back for more!

L-K Street Couplet? David Loya says we don’t have the property rights.

The draft Gateway Plan calls for making a new L Street for the southbound traffic from Alliance Road. But Arcata doesn't have property rights to build a road. Community Development Director acknowledges this.

Mad River Union and Northcoast Journal readers — This is your page

A special page for readers of the Mad River Union and the Northcoast Journal -- and a great place for all readers to learn more about the Gateway Plan. This page will be changed and updated regularly. Come back for more!

To build sustainable cities, involve those who live in them

Urban leadership needs to develop a shared vision that guides residents on their individual and collective contributions. Urban residents need to be involved in achieving set goals. Reprinted from "The Conversation"

The L Street Pathway Deception

The "couplet" created by making K Street and L Street be one-way, one-lane streets seems unlikely to happen. And if it were to take place, the joyful humanity of the current L Street Pathway would be destroyed. Why does it seem that the City is not being forthcoming on this? Why aren't we presented with alternatives?

Cal Poly: Craftsman Dorms

At the site of the Craftman's Mall, Cal Poly Humboldt plans to put in dorms for 1,050 students. Is that good? Well, 5,500 dorm beds are needed.

Quimby Act Dreams — How do we get parks in Gateway?

The "plan" for human-access parks in the Arcata Gateway area is woefully inadequate. To make the Gateway area livable for thousands of people, we need real parks.

Gateway Needs Parks!

Sure, there's open space.  But where are the parks? Gateway needs parks! How is Arcata going to supply adequate parks for 2,000 people? Parks = Community. Places to meet, talk, hang out. Children's playgrounds too. If we don't insist on this, it's not going to happen.

Mad River Union readers — This is your page

A special page for readers of the Mad River Union -- and a great place for all readers to learn more about the Gateway Plan. This page will be changed and updated regularly. Come back for more!

Community Newsletters

Click or press on any date to go directly to that newsletter. July 5, 2023 - for the July 10th meeting . July 5, 2023 - for...

Meetings: Dates, Notes, Information

Arcata Community-Led Meeting --  Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, at the Arcata Playhouse - 5:30 to 7:00 PM

Menu

Popular Categories

Top Stories