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City Planning

Portland: Mixed-use zoning results in apartments and one-story houses side-by-side

Another example of newer apartment buildings in what once was a single-family home neighborhood. Located in Portland, Oregon.

Ben Noble Form-Based Code presentation – June 29, 2022 – Part 3 Ministerial Review

This is a 14 minute section of the one-hour presentation by Ben Noble, from June 29, 2022. This section includes Ben's description of of the Ministerial Review permitting process.  A link to the full presentation is included.

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 and General Plan Updates – Newsletter – May 27, 2024

THIS NEWSLATTER WAS SENT OUT ON MONDAY, MAY 27, 2024. The two scheduled public hearings with the Arcata City Council take place on Wednesdays -- May 29 and June 5, 2024. If needed, the public hearing meetings will be continued. The City Council will consider, take public comment on, discuss, and perhaps vote to adopt the Gateway Area Plan, the Gateway Zoning Code, the Arcata General Plan 2045, and the Final Environmental Report.

Four-Story Buildings do not belong in the Bayview, Sunset, and Upper I & J Street Neighborhoods

The LU-9 Implementation Measure in the draft General Plan would allow 4 and 5-story buildings in the Bayview, Northtown, Upper I & J Street, and Sunset neighborhoods. A rezoning would allow "Local-serving commercial uses such as corner grocery stores and coffee shops" throughout those neighborhoods. **** LU-9 does not belong in Arcata's General Plan **** WITH IMAGES OF WHAT COULD BE BUILT.

Do we want 5-story apartments in a residential neighborhood?

What happens when a city's zoning allows 5-story buildings in an established residential neighborhood? "When new residential architecture enters into an established neighborhood, the results are often unpredictable. The towering next door apartments upset the smaller scale of the older houses."***** "It makes me wonder if developers will eventually gobble up the remaining houses for nothing but apartments."

A good building design for the L Street corridor woonerf

Could we have buildings with human-scale design elements here in Arcata? Yes we can. Unless we specify what we want for the buildings along the L Street corridor, then it's a free-for-all situation. This potential jewel of Arcata will look like whatever developers want. With a list of GOOD DESIGN ELEMENTS and images of a building project that would fit into the Gateway area.

Marin County Form-Based Code

The Marin County Form-Based code is a thing of beauty. In addition to being a great code for Marin, it is also a valuable teaching tool, for us to read and learn about what a good form-based code can be. Includes samples of the specifications for one neighborhood type, the Core Main Street, somewhat corresponding to Arcata's Gateway area.

Gateway Code: What is new — and wrong — in the “May 14, 2024, Version 5” version

This “May 14, 2024” version contains changes that the Planning Commission has never seen or discussed. It contains changes where the Commission said not to change. It contains inadequate changes for things that the Commission wanted changed. It's still missing many things that the Commission brought up and did not fully resolve. It has Inclusionary Zoning wrong. And still no planning for the L Street woonerf and linear park.

Gateway needs good architects !

Creating affordable housing without government subsidies is not easy. Creating affordable home-ownership is even more difficult. "Missing Middle" housing is what's been declared as sorely absent and hugely desired, all over the country. Kaplan Thompson Architects is in Portland, Maine. They've figure out how to make net-positive energy use affordable rentals, and, very importantly, buildings with home-ownership. Their designs for very-low income and transitional housing are energy-efficient and high-quality.

Arcata Fire District tells the Council: No building permits, no occupancy of 4-story and taller buildings, please

At the April 9, 2024, Arcata Fire District's Board of Directors meeting, the Board discussed and approved a letter to be sent to the Arcata Mayor and Arcata City Council. That letter is re-printed here ----This letter formalizes and re-states what the AFD has been telling the City Council over these past two years. At the current time, the AFD cannot ensure the safety of people living in a building that is over 40 feet tall, which would be a three-story building.

UC Berkeley lawsuit decisions may affect Arcata too

Did UC Berkeley bring in more students than they'd promised? How much should the University contribute to infrastructure costs? And -- is any of this applicable to Cal Poly Humboldt and Arcata ?

Four-story hotel approved by David Loya and not approved by the Planning Commission? It’s possible.

According the procedures of the draft Gateway Code, a four-story hotel project with 85 rooms could be approved by a single person -- the Zoning Administrator. As such, the project would never be seen by the Planning Commission. A hotel of this size could, by code, have a parking lot with 3/4 acre of asphalt.

How Student Housing Got Expensive – from The Wall Street Journal

At Cal Poly Humboldt and in much of America, universities are supplying dorm beds for about 1/3 of their students. The universities expect private developers to build off-campus housing -- in town -- for the rest of the housing that students need. When universities expand, they aren't making enough dorms. and the shortage gets worse.

71-year-old Californian explains why she won’t sell her home and downsize

Will Arcata Seniors move out of their homes? How this relates to the Gateway Plan in Arcata. Baby Boomer-age Arcatans may want to downsize -- but they'd want to buy a condominium, not move to a rental. And they'd want storage space, a spare bedroom, and private outdoor space. -- Reading time: 5 minutes.

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.

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.

The Iceberg of the Gateway Plan — and the cockroaches, mosquitoes, termites, rats, and rot.

Everyone knows the Iceberg Theory. What you see is only 10% of the iceberg. The rest of it is hidden underwater. That would be 90% that's unknown. The same is true of the Gateway Area Plan. How can anyone make a decision if 90% of what's necessary to make that decision is unknown? The answer is: You can't.

“Infill Opportunity Zones” — What are they, and where are they?

Reading time: 5 minutes -- There are many references to the City's four "Infill Opportunity Zones" as identified in the 2019 Housing Element. "These infill zones were areas designated for high-density redevelopment to help meet the housing objectives the City has." The actual map is not so easy to find. Here is the map, with detailed views and some commentary.

Lessons from a Modern Master of Low-Rise Housing

Good design is the make-or-break element on whether dense housing is livable and uplifting or whether it feels packed and depressing. Affordable housing should not be burdened with poor design. And just because we are in need of housing here in Arcata does not mean that we should accept poor designs and general unawareness of the human needs for enjoyable living spaces. Reading time: 9 minutes.

Larger issues for the Council and Commission to consider – November 28, 2023

The letter below was sent on November 28, 2023 to the members of the City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Community Development Director. It outlines some (not all) of the larger issues regarding the expansion of housing that have not been adequately brought up for discussion or resolution. Estimate reading time 6 minutes.

Colleges must pay for increased traffic, firefighting and other costs caused by campus expansions

Are California universities required to contribute funds for increased traffic, firefighting, wastewater capacity, and other costs caused by campus expansions? The answer is Yes, they are.

The California Inclusionary Housing Programs searchable database

Do you want to look up what the Inclusionary Housing requirements are in, say, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, West Hollywood, or Goleta? Here's where you can find that data, for both renting and owning. The results can be viewed on-line or printed out. The California Inclusionary Housing Programs searchable database.

500 or 3,500 apartments in Gateway? Please clarify.

The Gateway Area Plan calls for a build-out of 3,500 apartments. If each building were the size of the block-long Sorrel Place, this would amount to 70 or 80 Sorrel-Place-sized buildings. It also calls for a build-out of 277,000 square feet of commercial space. This is equivalent to about 21 buildings that are the size of the Arcata Co-op, or the equivalent of about 150 or 200 standard retail, office, or restaurant spaces. **** There is not physical room for 70 or 80 block-long buildings. There's not room for half that many.

Arcata’s Housing Element calls for 20% affordable housing for the Gateway Plan. What happened?

Arcata's Housing Element specifies that 20% of the new apartments in the Gateway area be affordable at 80% mean income level. The current draft plan is satisfied with just 6%. Have we given up on seeing affordable housing in the Gateway area? Is the City of Arcata abandoning the requirements of the Housing Element? Reading time 4 minutes.

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.

Could Gateway’s Barrel District be 100% free of cars?

How about taking a big section of the Gateway area that could have housing for a thousand people -- and making it entire car-free from the start -- by designing it that way. Includes articles about the Culdesac car-free housing development in Tempe, Arizona. Reading and viewing time 7-15 minutes.

Mass Timber Technology in 4- to 6-story buildings

Photos and text, viewing time 3 minutes -- The start of a series of mid-height 4-5-6-story buildings utilizing Mass Timber construction techniques.

New Commissioner Matt Simmons proposes huge changes to established neighborhoods

Planning Commissioner Matt Simmons proposed a change in the zoning of established Arcata neighborhoods, from Residential Low Density to Residential High Density. What is behind his rationale? Would such zoning change help people find housing?

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?

Garden Village in Berkeley: Pre-Fab modular housing that could be used for Arcata

Reading time: 10 minutes, or skim through the photos for an overview. -- Modular housing could be an answer to affordable housing in Arcata. Modules can be assembled into apartment buildings 40% more quickly and 20% cheaper than traditional construction. This article centers on the Garden Village Apartments in Berkeley CA.

Santa Cruz takes building height and inclusionary housing to the VOTERS

Reading time: 8 minutes -- Citizens in Santa Cruz have a ballot measure to provide 25% affordable housing in new construction, and required a vote of the people for buildings over 8 stories.

Rentals Percentage in Arcata: “Do the math”

Original article May 2022, updated October 2023. Arcata's Gateway plan could add 3,500 apartments to our town, as Cal Poly Humboldt expands. Unless more than 60% of all new apartments are owner-occupied condos, Arcatans will have a small chance of owning their homes.

Louis Sauer, architect: Low-rise dense housing in an urban setting

Reading time: 5 minutes -- The architect Louis Sauer specialized in high-quality, high-density, low rise housing. His urban designs were typically just three stories tall, with configurations of intertwined townhomes, set in patterns so that each home had a separate and private yard. 

“Mio” apartments in Seattle — Density of 205 units per acre

Reading time: 5 minutes -- The "Mio" apartments in Seattle are 41 units with a density of 205 units per acre. I present it here not as something we can copy for Arcata, but as an example of what can be done. I do not like all of the design choices, nor believe that this design in its entirety would be suitable for us. Yet I feel we can learn and profit by looking at its design.

US Congress Research reports: Housing Trends & Policy Considerations

Reading time: 5 minutes to an hour -- At their September 12, 2023, Planning Commission Yodowitz introduced a Congressional Research Report on housing. This article contains that 16-page report , excerpts, and commentary. Plus 3 shorter reports (3, 4, 5 pages) and links to the full 50-page report to Congress.

US Congress Research reports: Housing Issues report – July 14, 2023

Read time: Charts 2 minutes. Full report 60 minutes -- The report to Congress from June 2023 on housing. Includes 4 easy-to-view charts:  Median rent prices, Median sale prices, Mortgage rates, Consumer price index for Shelter expenses.

Inclusionary Zoning, objective design standards approved in Santa Cruz

Read time: 7 minutes. Skim: 2 minutes. -- We can look at how Santa Cruz has dealt with some of the same issues we face here in Arcata. Santa Cruz already had an existing 20% inclusionary requirement. New proposal: Projects with a 25% inclusionary requirement get a 30% density bonus. Projects with a 30% inclusionary requirement get a 50% density bonus. Other issues: Public hearings for new larger construction.

The Myth of “Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible” Open Spaces

Reading time: 14 minutes -- The "Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible" Open Space program is another ill-conceived aspect of the Gateway Plan. Again, noble in concept -- and unlikely to give desired results in its execution. A look at the design of the Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible Open Space program, to see how it can be improved. With maps, commentary, and SOLUTIONS.

Arcata Fire District Director: Eric Loudenslager – August 4, 2022

Eric Loudenslager, Board of Directors member of the Arcata Fire Protection District, weighs in on some of the challenges of the Gateway Plan, and some requests for information and involvement.

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.

Dave Ryan says: Abandon the L-K Street Couplet & Embrace the Pathway

At the August 2, 2022, Transportation Safety Committee meeting Chair Dave Ryan spoke for 9 minutes on just why the plan's L-K Street Couplet should be abandoned -- and replaced with an L Street Linear Park and walking pathway -- and why this is the heart of a successful Gateway plan for Arcata.

Arcata General Plan 2045 Environmental Impact Report – Notice of Preparation

The "Notice of Preparation" for the EIR for the Arcata General Plan 2045, including includes analysis of the Draft Gateway Area Plan as a new  element of the General Plan. Dated:  February 2, 2022.

A vision of sustainable housing for all of humanity – Vishaan Chakrabarti

Vishaan Chakrabarti in a 10-minute TED talk. I believe that the answer is hiding in plain sight, that there is what I call a “Goldilocks” scale that sits between the scale of housing and towers: two- to three-story housing that should actually look very familiar to most of you, because we built the most beloved parts of our cities with it.

State Density Bonus Laws / Inclusionary Zoning / Community Benefits — David Loya presentation

“And our design standards and Community Benefits programs are unlikely to be implemented due to waivers and concessions.” --- Arcata's Director of Community Development David Loya has provided this video presentation of the various affordable housing programs. 15-1/2 minutes, July 28, 2023. VIDEO and full TRANSCRIPTION.

Linear Park and Woonerf examples for us to look at

What concepts for a full-width Linear Park in the L Street Corridor would work for Arcata? Here are some images from other cities to show what's worked for them.

Former Commissioner John Barstow: Building Height, the Form-Based Code

John Barstow served Arcata on the Planning Commission and the earlier Design Review Committee for 30 years. He retired in October, 2022. He favored a four-story building height and was not optimistic about the Community Benefits program. He also recognized that "The development of the Form-Based Code is really the hard part of this process."

Podium Construction: New apartment buildings all look the same

The buildings are five to seven stories tall and have a boxy shape. The ground floor is a parking garage, sometimes combined with shops. Four or five stories of apartments or condos sit on top of this concrete “podium,” so they’re often called podium buildings. They cover a large area compared to older apartment buildings, often taking up a considerable portion of a block face. These buildings are prevalent because they maximize developers’ profits by balancing leasable floor area (more is better) with construction cost (less is better). Simply put, podium buildings represent a proven formula for creating marketable housing at a reasonable cost.

Why do so many new apartment buildings seemingly look the same?

SHORT ARTICLE *** If you think every new apartment looks the same these days, you aren’t alone. Boxy mid-rise structures have cropped up in cities across the country, drawing the ire of neighbors and some architecture critics who find the buildings bland or downright ugly. ***** Why do so many of these “podium” apartments – built in cities from Nashville to Los Angeles and which typically include retail stores or parking on the first floor – look the same? And does that even matter during a housing crisis when more units are needed? 

America’s New Apartment Buildings Look the Same

LONG ARTICLE *** These buildings are in almost every U.S. city. They range from three to seven stories tall and can stretch for blocks. They’re usually full of rental apartments, but they can also house college dorms, condominiums, hotels, or assisted-living facilities. Close to city centers, they tend toward a blocky, often colorful modernism; out in the suburbs, their architecture is more likely to feature peaked roofs and historical motifs. Their outer walls are covered with fiber cement, metal, stucco, or bricks.

No Parking in the Gateway area? Banks may be unwilling to provide financing

The Gateway Area Plan has a maximum number of parking spaces allowed -- either one parking space for every 4 apartment units or one space for every 2 apartment units. The financial lenders and the developers themselves may be unwilling to accept this.

Gateway Density and Feasibility Study – Introduction

This is the introduction to the lengthy article on the Urban Field Studio "Code Site Test. PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE ALSO. It will take about 30-45 minutes to read. The full article has both critique and support by an expert of the Gateway Plan, and a good Q&A from Arcata's Planning Commissioners.

Density and Feasibility Study – from Ryan Call of Urban Field Studio – July 11, 2023

IMPORTANT presentation to the Planning Commission, July 11, 2023. Can high-density tall buildings be constructed in the Gateway Area? This report presents findings on four specific sites. The answer: In theory, yes. On a practical, economically-feasible, realistic basis -- the answer is NO.

3D Modeling: We’re still waiting

Original article: June 16, 2022 --We've been promised the 3D modeling for at least four or five months now. *** ONE AND A HALF YEARS NOW **** Why is 3D Modeling so important? Look at the pictures here and decide for yourself.

Redwood City Downtown Precise Plan – Form-Based Code

Redwood City's Downtown Precise Plan includes Form-Based code and Planning Commission review. It all took 4 years to develop. The Form-Based Code can serve as a model for Arcata.

Complete Nonsense: David Loya’s May 23 Staff Report on Ownership Opportunities

Providing housing for people is the key purpose of the Gateway Area Plan. "Home ownership opportunities” is defined as owner-occupied housing that’s affordable to people of all income ranges, including middle-income and even lower-income households. *** David Loya told the Planning Commission how these home ownership opportunities could happen. In my view, what he describes as being feasible is nonsense.

Condensed version of Complete Nonsense: David Loya’s May 23 Staff Report on Ownership Opportunities

Providing housing for people is the key purpose of the Gateway Area Plan. "Home ownership opportunities” is defined as owner-occupied housing that’s affordable to people of all income ranges, including middle-income and even lower-income households. *** David Loya told the Planning Commission how these home ownership opportunities could happen. In my view, what he describes as being feasible is nonsense.

MIG City Planning and Design: Communities can plan their own futures

MIG is a design and planning firm with over 200 employees in 14 locations, founded in 1982. "We believe that the environment around us has a profound impact on our lives. We plan, design and sustain environments that support human development." "We are a community of designers, planners, engineers, scientists and storytellers engaging, involving and acting with people in creative problem solving."

MIG Design: Streets Reconsidered — Streets Are for People

Let’s go the next step beyond travel lanes and bike lanes, sidewalks and crosswalks. Let’s design streets for living, not just driving. *** We used to grow up on the street. We’d play, we’d walk to the neighbors with a casserole for the block potluck, we’d ride bikes, play games, hang out, socialize. So would our pets. Drivers knew enough to watch out for us. We all survived and thrived. We want that again. ***

Utah Senator Mitt Romney calls bike lanes “the height of stupidity”

This just goes to show that almost anything can become controversial. Last year, Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton warned Fox News viewers that Democrats "want to make you live in downtown areas, and high-rise buildings, and walk to work, or take the subway, or ride an electric scooter" and "make us all poor."

Gary Patton: Let’s not wait around for someone else to tell us

Gary Patton: Let's not wait around for someone else to tell us what has happened to us, and about the history that has been made in our names. Let's talk to our neighbors, and friends, and get to work. We have challenges and opportunities to confront, and it's not "the government" that is supposed to do things. WE are supposed to do things.

Prime Agricultural Land Threatened — Come to the Planning Commission meeting

DO NOT REZONE Agricultural Land for development. **** DO NOT eliminate the protective language in the General Plan. Arcata's staff is recommending to remove the protections that we've had for 20 years. **** PROTECT our Prime Agricultural Land to the West and North of Arcata's city limits by taking these parcels out of the City's "Sphere of Influence."

​“Anxiety on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”

At their March 1 and April 5, 2023, meetings, the Arcata City Council formally directed the Planning Commission to do as much as it can -- as fast as it can -- to create complete and workable drafts of Arcata's new General Plan update, the new Gateway Area Plan, and the brand-new first-time-ever Form-Based Code for the Gateway area. The Council has requested complete working drafts of these three documents by the end of June, 2023 -- now (at the time of this writing) under 3 months away. ---- As the former Community Development Department long-time employee often said: "ANXIETY ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART."

Uniontown Revisioning: Put housing over CVS and Safeway

In May, 2020, six HSU students created a proposal to build apartments in the space above Uniontown Shopping Center, at 7th and F Streets.  With a height limit of 35 feet (3 stories) the plan included 66 apartments of sizes from 350 square feet to 1800 square feet. The report also includes a discussion of Form-Based Codes and required design elements and considerations.

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.

The $300,000 starter home is going extinct

The figure of $300,000 is shown as a house that is "attainable" for a couple or small family, based on earnings and ability to pay the mortgage and expenses. And a house at $300,000 or below just is not available anymore. --- The answer? Smaller units. Higher densities -- apartment buildings, that is. And if there cannot be condominiums (see: The Housing Market Needs More Condos. Why Are So Few Being Built?), then this equates to renting and not owning. Ownership opportunities have become a part of the past.

Density Bonus Laws explained — David Loya to the Planning Commission

Community Development Director David Loya provided a concise explanation of California's myriad Density Bonus housing laws in the March 2023 Planning Commission staff reports. It is included it here so it can be referred to at any time.

Windowless bedrooms? Sunlight is considered a luxury benefit

In recent years, windowless bedrooms have become somewhat normalized on college campuses. Students at the University of Texas, Austin and the University of Michigan are currently renting dorm bedrooms without windows. Sunlight in your bedroom could become a luxury as cities debate allowing landlords to rent windowless rooms in former office buildings to alleviate the housing crisis.

Sea Level Panel Discussion – March 28, 2023 – The Meeting Outline and Objectives

From the Agenda Packet for the March 28, 2023, Joint Study Session on Sea Level Rise. Includes "balancing future climate risk with current and future social and community needs" and discussion to "develop a better understanding about sea level rise risk and the factors to consider when balancing policy options for future growth and development." -- More information is good, and making appropriate decisions is even better. But why is the City still allowing -- even promoting -- development on South G Street?

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.

Gateway: No Cars Allowed

In the Gateway Plan, if a developer does not want to supply any parking whatsoever for the residents of newly-constructed apartments, that's an option. But if the developer wants to include enough parking spaces to make those apartments be competitive with other apartments in Arcata? Can't do that. The number of parking spaces that can be provided AT A MAXIMUM amounts to one parking space for every 4 to 8 residents.

The Housing Market Needs More Condos. Why Are So Few Being Built?

The Gateway Area Plan's stated intent is to have "home- ownership opportunities" -- that is, condominiums -- in the Gateway Area. The share of condo units built for sale in 2021 was less than 5.4 percent, nationally. The rest were rental units. The shortage of condos adds to the lack of affordability in the homebuying market.

Getting rid of parking in Arcata: A social engineering experiment

The Gateway code includes a MAXIMUM number of parking spaces at 1 per every 4 units -- which works out to one per every 4 to 8 tenants. A restaurant with a staff of six and hosting 35 or 40 diners would have a MAXIMUM of ONE space. How will this work out for Arcata?