See also:
The Gateway Community Benefits program — Details of the “points” proposal
State Density Bonus Laws / Inclusionary Zoning / Community Benefits — David Loya presentation
The September 25, 2023, Gateway Open House meeting – Synopsis and photos
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. Just what those community benefits might be would be taken from a list that was developed by the Community Development Staff and the Planning Commissioners — with, in theory, input from the public.
Contents
Background
What community benefits are important to the public?
Changed, omitted, and questionable
The current list of Community Benefits
The Community Benefits Program as described in the General Plan
From the agenda packet for the December 12, 2023, Planning Commission meeting
Background
Background on the program can be seen at The Gateway Community Benefits program — Details of the “points” proposal from June 2023. At that time the points system was based on each benefit have from 1 to 9 points, with most actually being in the 2-6 spread. A developer would have to come up with 10 points for a four-story building, 15 points for five stories, 20 points for six stories, and for the tallest buildings in the Gateway area there’d be 30 points required for seven-story buildings.
The Community Benefits Program now has a point range of 1 to 3 points. Roughly, what was six points on the old plan would be two points with this plan. Under this system, 3 points would be required for a four-story building, 4 points for five stories, 5 points for six stories, and 6 points required for seven-story buildings. This is explained in the agenda packet for the December 12, 2023, Planning Commission meeting on page 7.
The pertinent quote from that staff report is:
“This is the easiest program to understand and implement. It does abandon the categories approach that was considered previously. And it eliminates the dollar value of the benefits from consideration. But it ensures a simple program that achieves projects that reflect the community values.”
What community benefits are important to the public?
Does the new list does accurately “reflect the community values”?
For this we can look to the September 25, 2023, City-sponsored community meeting, where community benefits were the prominent theme. For more on this meeting, see The September 25, 2023, Gateway Open House meeting – Synopsis and photos. To read the actual comments that people submitted as their views (62 pages), see on, see The September 25, 2023, Gateway Open House meeting – Comments from the public.
This is what people wanted for community benefits, as expressed in that meeting:
| Owner-Occupied Affordable Housing | 23 |
| 100% Affordable Projects | 20 |
| Owner-Occupied Market Rate Housing | 15 |
| Additional On-Site Affordable Units | 15 |
| Special Needs Housing (Includes “Student Housing” — see article for explanation of this) |
15 |
| Native Arts and Cultural Space | 14 |
| Solar Micro-Grid | 14 |
| Living Roof/Rooftop Open Space | 14 |
| Bike Land/Trail Enhancements | 13 |
| Creek Daylighting and Restoration | 12 |
| Acoustical sound buffering between apartments | 12 |
| Tribal Housing partnerships | 12 |
| Public Open Space | 11 |
| Historic Preservation | 11 |
| Public Art | 11 |
| Energy Efficient Buildings | 10 |
| Community Arts Trust | 10 |
| Enhanced “Step Back” locations | 10 |
| This was not on the Community Benefits Program list, but on a separate poster on display. | |
Changed, omitted, and questionable
Many community benefits that were in the June 2023 version have been removed from the December 2023 list.
Omitted, changed, or questionable community benefits include:
- The top vote-getter, Owner-Occupied Affordable Housing, gets only 1 point in the new system. The 2nd highest vote-getter, 100% Affordable Projects, also gets only 1 point. Solar Micro-Grid, high-ranking from the public, is not on the list of community benefits in the new system. Creek daylighting gets only 1 point.
- Community gardens. A public favorite, often mentioned. Omitted. No longer in the list of community benefits. Public-access roof-top patios and open space never made it to any list. Realistically, it is a bit hard to manage.
- Dedication of land for public open space. Set as a measly 1 point for public open space of above 10,000 square feet — about half of what it had been. Previously had 4 points for 5,000 – 10,000 sq.ft. (~1/8 acre to ~1/4 acre), 6 points for 10,000 – 20,000 sq.ft. (~1/4 acre to ~1/2 acre), and 8 points for more than 20,000 square feet.
To get an idea of the value of a small park, if you are not familiar with Bloomfield Park at 1835 Zehnder Avenue, you might want to check it out. It is a great neighborhood park. It is the size of two house lots, just a shade under 10,000 square feet. An aerial view and a map of the Bloomfield Park can be seen at Quimby Act Dreams — How do we get parks in Gateway? and Gateway Needs Parks!
Within the newly-urbanized setting of the Gateway area, a 5,000 square foot park of public open space would be very welcome.
- “Provides publicly accessible electric vehicle charging beyond minimum requirements.” In the old system, this was given 2 points — when a developer had to get 10 points to build a four-story building. In the new system, it is given 2 points — when all that a developer needs to build a four-story building is 3 points.
- “Shower and locker facilities for use by employees who bike/walk to work.” This would be for private showers and lockers located within a commercial or office space. This would not benefit the general public.
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The current list of Community Benefits
Here is the last published list of Community Benefits, from the December 12, 2023, Planning Commission agenda packet. The Planning Commission discussed this last at that meeting. The results of that discussion will have this list be updated.
| Category | Rank | Points | Value $ | Benefit |
| Mobility | 0 | high | Shower and locker facilities for use by employees who bike/walk to work. | |
| Mobility | 0 | low | Establish and maintain for a minimum of 30 years a project-based electric bike-share program | |
| Open Space | 0 | high | Enhanced native plant landscaping adjacent to wetlands or creeks. | |
| Arts | 1 | 3 | low | 1.5% of the construction cost towards installed public art or paid to in lieu fund |
| Economic Development | 1 | 3 | embedded | Minimum 1,500 sq. ft. of ground-floor street-facing space for a resident-serving commercial uses as identified in code (convenience store, restaurant, etc.) |
| Green Building | 1 | 3 | embedded | Remediation of toxic contamination above costs compensated by government programs |
| Housing | 1 | 3 | embedded | Rapid housing production – application submitted prior to July 1, 2027 |
| Housing | 1 | 3 | embedded | mix of unit sizes. Each units size at least 20% of total unit count. Add a threshold… |
| Housing | 1 | 2 | med | >40% of units include universal design, design for mobility or sensory impaird. |
| Economic Development | 2 | 2 | embedded | Minimum 1,500 sq. ft. of on-site space designed and intended for occupancy by a children’s day care or senior service center. |
| Mobility | 2 | 2 | med | Establish and maintain for a minimum of 30 years a project-based electric carshare program or pay into City transportation fund equal to 1.5% of total project construction costs. Fee collected must be used for electric care share program located within the Gateway area. |
| Arts | 2 | 2 | high | The rehabilitation and preservation of an historic or potentially historic building located within the Gateway Area as identified in Gateway Area Plan Table 9. At least 1.5% of construction cost for preservation |
| Arts | 2 | 2 | embedded | Space designed and intended for use as a publicly available native arts and cultural space developed in partnership with local tribally organized nonprofits and/or local tribal governments. May be indoor or outdoor. |
| Economic Development | 2 | 2 | embedded | Project provides >50 FTE Jobs |
| Green Building | 2 | 2 | high | The project exceeds the minimum building energy efficiency required by the California Energy Code or equivalent local requirement, whichever is more stringent, by 15%. |
| Housing | 2 | 2 | high | 10% above Inclusionary Zoning Requirements |
| Housing | 2 | 2 | embedded | >50% of units are for-sale owner occupied |
| Mobility | 2 | 2 | med | On-site enclosed and secure bike parking and storage for residents/employees and/or for the general public in excess of 50 percent of minimum required by the Gateway Code |
| Open Space | 2 | 2 | low | 1.5% of the construction cost towards permanent conservation easement or paid to in lieu fund |
| Mobility | 2 | 2 | low | Provides publicly accessible electric vehicle charging beyond minimum requirements. |
| Housing | 2 | 2 | low | Special Needs Housing 100% |
| Green Building | 2 | 2 | Unknown | Technology to limit wastewater discharges to City sewer (e.g., zero-discharge toilets, onsite greywater recycling). Must exceed minimum requirements by at least 15%. |
| Housing | 3 | 1 | high | 100% Affordable Units |
| Housing | 3 | 1 | high | Inclusionary Units are for-sale owner occupied |
| Housing | 3 | 1 | embedded | The project is proposed by or in partnership with the Wiyot Tribe. |
| Mobility | 3 | 1 | med | Regional annual Bus passes provided to residents and employees free of charge for a minimum of 20 years |
| Open Space | 3 | 1 | high | Daylight and restore segments of Jolly Giant Creek located on the subject property consistent with City standards. |
| Open Space | 3 | 1 | high | Dedicate >10,000 s.f. to City for public open space |
| Open Space | 3 | 1 | low | On-site public open space with an improvement cost equal to or exceeding 1.5% of total project construction costs. |
| Mobility | 2 or 1 | 1 | low | Pay into City transportation fund equal to 1.5% of total project construction costs. Fee collected must be used for bike lane and trail enhancements and associated public spaces located within the Gateway area. [1] |
The Community Benefits Program as described in the General Plan
Below is from the December 12, 2023, draft General Plan 2045 document. It is in the Design Element, starting on page 5-15. In the full document, it starts on PDF pate 220.