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CATEGORY

Zoning

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."

Notice of Public Hearing — May 14 — Arcata General Plan Comprehensive Update and Gateway Code

A public hearing on a formal recommendation of the General Plan and the Gateway Area Plan will take place Tuesday, May 14, 2024. You are encouraged to attend and to send your comments and concerns to both the City of Arcata and to Arcata1.com.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Draft Gateway Form-Based Code yields very little Inclusionary Zoning homes

The long-awaited initial draft of the Form-Based Code finally arrived. As promised, it does contain requirements for Inclusionary Zoning in the Gateway Area. *** Unfortunately the Inclusionary Zoning requirements are ridiculously low. To even call this "inclusionary zoning" is a stretch. This would be laughable except that this is a such serious matter -- and so important for the people of Arcata and for the future of Arcata.

Rezoning Arcata: Alliance Road Industrial-Light property was improperly rezoned

The Community Development Department provided improper maps and information to the Planning Commission on the recommendation for rezoning these parcels along Alliance Road. The Planning Commission inadvertently created a "spot zoned" parcel -- actually a spot-zoned portion of a parcel. ********The question is now:  What is the Planning Commission going to do? Leave it as it is, and hope no one wants to ever redevelop the "blighted" buildings? That does not seem like a thoughtful path. Or will they figure out how to make this improper rezoning correct.

Rezoning Arcata: 17th & Q proposed as Residential High Density – More images tell the story

The City's maps for the proposed rezoning of 10.5 acres area near 17th & Q Streets to Residential High Density are missing important details.  There are 8 new images -- can take 5 minutes to look at the images and read the descriptions. Does an up-zoning of the 17th & Q area to Residential High or Medium Density do much to help create housing for Arcata? No, it does not.

Re-Zoning Arcata: The Big View and aerial images

Proposed rezoning areas -- Maps and aerial views. -- The Alliance & Spear proposed rezoning area, the Craftman's Mall proposed rezoning area, the 17th & Q proposed rezoning area, and the Gateway proposed rezoning area are all shown highlighted on this map.

Re-Zoning Arcata: South of Craftman’s Mall, on Eye Street — to Residential High Density

The proposed re-zoning of certain Arcata parcels, as part of the updating of the General Plan, includes sections of our town both south and north of the Craftman's Mall site. **** Please recognize that the southern portion of this area is very much different from the central (the dorms) and the northern portions of this area. De-couple the southern portion, and do not re-zone that neighborhood as Residential High Density.

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."

Rezoning Arcata: 17th & Q – from Ag Land and Industrial Light — to Residential High Density

A proposal to re-zone of 5.15 acres of "Agricultural Residential" and 5.4 acres of "Industrial Light" to Residential High Density. The parcels are across Alliance Road from Shay Park, and across Alliance from Arcata High -- between Alliance Road and Q Street, at the very edge of Arcata's city limits.

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