Reading time: 10 minutes -- Question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the issue of sea level rise in this area? Answer: I would say it’s a 10. The significance of the change that we’re going to see over the next 40 years is going to be mind boggling.

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.

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?

The long-anticipated panel presentation on Sea Level Rise took place on March 28, 2023, as a joint City Council / Planning Commission Study Session. This article contains a list of pertinent questions, a listing of the contents of the video, and the full 2-1/2 hour video.

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.

Based on what we've seen, our Community Development Department has an aversion to providing Executive Summaries and actually presenting fact-based conclusions for Arcata's decision-makers. Staff also seems to have an aversion to completing or finalizing ANYTHING. Both the "Strategic Infill Redevelopment Program:  Community Engagement Report (Draft)" -- submitted to the public on June 17, 2022 -- and the "City of Arcata Sea Level Rise Risk Assessment" report from April, 2018, are MISSING entirely their Executive Summaries -- even though those summaries are promoted as being part of the documents.

Will the wastewater treatment facility have to be moved to a new location? -- The California Coastal Commission gave their approval to Arcata's plan to update and maintain our wastewater treatment facility. The permit allows operation of our sewage plant through 2052 -- with specific conditions. And the conditions for continued operation are very clear.

More than half of US coastal communities are underestimating the rise in sea levels that global warming might cause in their regions.

Three local experts are telling us that tall buildings can not feasibly be built in the Gateway Plan: the Arcata Fire District, Danco president Chris Dart, and renown sea level rise specialist Aldaron Laird. Has the time finally arrived that we might want to listen to people with knowledge and experience?

A 67-page report prepared in 2022 for Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. "Low-lying inland areas could flood from below by emergent groundwater long before coastal floodwaters overtop the shoreline.... Rising groundwater can destabilize foundations... Contaminated Sites:  The interaction of rising groundwater and contaminated sites could pose challenges for public health and the environment. ... The areas most at risk of liquefaction are generally located ... in former floodplains, wetlands, mudflats ... that were filled for development.

Aldaron Laird is a recognized expert on Sea Level Rise and its affects on coastal California and, particularly, on Humboldt/Arcata Bay. Here is a synopsis of a small part of his knowledge, as presented by Fred Weis at the January 10, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.

Arcata resident, retired professional engineer, and former Greenway Partners partner Steve Salzman asked some basic questions in March, 2022.  What happened to the public input element of Planwest's Scope of Work? Why are we working on an Area Plan before updating the General Plan? How much additional wastewater treatment capacity will be required, how much will it cost and how will it be paid for? Sea Level Rise:  Update the Local Coastal Plan based on the most recent and relevant scientific studies and planning efforts.

Sea Level Rise could affect plans for the Gateway area. See maps here of what Sea Level Rise looks like.