Contents     
Click on a blue link to go directly to that section.
Use your back arrow to return to these contents.

• Instructions and Suggestions for viewing

December 12, 2023. 4th draft. Version 14a.2

1. 1. The People’s Summary
   2. Inspiration from other communities
      Examples of streetscapes and buildings from other places.
   3. Community Benefits and Development Standards – Policy Chapter 2
      Includes building heights
   4. Design and Architectural Standards – Policy Chapter 9
   5. Housing – Policy Chapter 3
   6. The complete draft Version 14a.2

July 11, 2023:   3rd draft

1. 1. Community Development Director David Loya inserted material into the 3rd draft before it was decided on by the Planning Commission. “We’ve inserted what we expect you’re going to say, as a Commission — that you concur with staff on this issue, for example.”
   2. Community Benefits – Chapter 2
   3. Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9
   4. Housing Chapter – Chapter 3
   5. The complete 3rd draft

October 1, 2022:   2nd draft

1. 1. Community Benefits – Chapter 2
   2. Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9
   3. Housing Chapter – Chapter 3
   4. The complete 2nd draft

December 1, 2021:   1st draft

Additional Gateway and City official documents

.

Instructions and Suggestions for viewing

• Cell Phone viewing: You may want to slide the screen slightly to the left. If needed, use – + buttons or enter 40% or 50% for a smaller view.
• Use the – + buttons on the PDF viewer to reduce or enlarge what you see, especially for the diagrams. Sorry, pinching to expand doesn’t work.
• You can go directly to a Page by typing that number in the page number box and pressing Enter.
• The ↑ ↓ arrows will go up/down one page at a time. (Arrows may not be on cell-phone screens.) 
• You can copy-and-paste from this PDF viewer.
• Search:  Want to search for something?  Use the Search button. Or Control-F or Cmd-F on your browser.
• Print a single page or range of pages.  Or Download the document.

.

The draft Gateway Area Plan
December 12, 2023   
Version 14a.2

Yes, this 4th draft again keeps the same underexposed dark photo of the front of the Creamery building on the cover, and retains the same debated juvenile image on the last page. Shown at the right, and larger-size below.

The People’s Summary

.

Inspiration from other communities

.

Community Benefits and Development Standards

.

Design and Architectural Standards

.

Housing

.

The complete draft Version 14a.2

Below is the article originally titled “The Draft Gateway Area Plan – July 2023 – Version 3.” It has not been altered since October 2023.

‘

Here are the drafts of the Gateway Area Plan. Certain chapters are separated out, to make finding that chapter a little easier.

Here’s what was added onto the cover of the 2nd draft — 6 days after it first was released. The claim of the 2nd draft was that it included all the input from the Committees and the public that had occurred up to that time. It clearly did not. Enough people complained about this misstatement, which led to this disclaimer being inserted on the front cover:

In order to be honest and in compliance, the 3rd Draft needs a disclaimer on the front cover, very similar to the disclaimer on the 2nd Draft. For the next (4th )draft, that disclaimer can (in theory) be removed.

This 3rd draft retains the debated juvenile image on the last page. Shown at the right, and larger-size below.

You can also view dozens of articles here on Arcata1.com for additional information on the Gateway Area Plan. Especially valuable is the City’s official video presentation.  This is presented on Arcata1.com — with  a complete transcription of what was said, along with commentary and opinion — in two forms. (Click on the links to go there.)  With the audio, if you want to read the transcription and listen to the audio of the presentation. Or with the video and the transcription, so you can watch and read at the same time. 

Contents      Click on a blue link to go directly to that section

July 11, 2023:   3rd draft

1. 1. Community Benefits – Chapter 2
   2. Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9
   3. Housing Chapter – Chapter 3
   4. The complete 3rd draft

October 1, 2022:   2nd draft

1. 1. Community Benefits – Chapter 2
   2. Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9
   3. Housing Chapter – Chapter 3
   4. The complete 2nd draft

December 1, 2021:   1st draft

Additional Gateway and City official documents

.

July 11, 2023:  3rd draft of the Gateway Area Plan

3rd draft:  “Gateway At-A-Glance Summary”

.

3rd draft: Community Benefits and Development Standards – Chapter 2

.

3rd draft: Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9

.

3rd draft: Housing Chapter – Chapter 3

There is just 1 & 1/2 pages on “Housing.” The words here regarding the creation homes that people can purchase — home ownership opportunities — are “Encourage a mix of both owner-occupied and rental housing.” That’s it. Just “encourage.” 

From the Plan:

GA-3a. New Units. Plan for an approximate maximum of 3, approximately 500 new residential units in the Gateway Area in the next 20 years, recognizing the full buildout potential in the Area is close to 3,500 units, as shown in Table 5.

GA-3f. Multiple Strategies to Promote Affordability.  Employ multiple strategies to promote the creation of affordable housing, including rent‐restricted units affordable to middle and lower‐income households, smaller units that are affordable‐by‐design studios, alternative ownership models including limited equity housing cooperatives, student housing,
deed‐restricted owner‐occupied affordable housing affordable to middle and lower‐income households, single room occupancies, and housing for low‐income families.

GA‐3g. Mixed‐Tenure. Encourage a mix of both owner‐occupied and rental housing.

GA‐3h. Provide for mixed-income neighborhoods with housing options available for all
income groups. Housing in a mixed-income neighborhood should include deed-restricted units affordable to very low-income households, small affordable-by-design units, student housing, moderate income owner-occupied condominiums and townhouses, market-rate rental units, median-priced family-sized dwellings, and penthouse units for high-income households.”

GA‐3i. Owner‐Occupied Affordable Housing as a Community Amenity. Encourage new home ownership opportunities affordable to households of all income levels. Include deed‐restricted affordable opportunities for low‐ and moderate‐income households. Encourage a range of ownership opportunities including condominiums, townhouses, and other alternative ownership models. for lower‐income households including through condominium projects (e.g., deed restricted owner‐occupied condominium units and for‐sale micro units)
Provide strong incentives through community benefits program for owner occupancy. [That sentence from the Economic Development Committee.]

The Plan contains “aspirations” (that is the word that is used) toward these goals, but gives no clue how low-income and workforce affordable housing will actually be created. The encouragement via the Community Benefits program is of insufficient value to have a developer create low-income and workforce affordable housing.

.

July 11, 2023: 3rd draft
Complete Draft Gateway Area Plan document

123 pages.

.

This 3rd draft retains the debated juvenile image on the last page.

.

October 2022:  2nd draft of the Gateway Area Plan

The draft contains only what “comports”

What is shown here is from the “10/1/22” second draft, which came out on October 5, 2022. After numerous complaints from members of the public, a second iteration of this this document came out six days later, on October 11, 2022. This iteration contained the following message on the cover:

“This Revised Draft incorporates Committee and public input received as of 9/30/22 that comports with the draft plan. Recommendations for changes to the Plan that are either in conflict with the draft or that have competing recommendations are included in a table that will be published separately.”

The phrase “comports with” means to be in agreement with, in harmony with, or to agree with. Thus, this 2nd draft plan did not contain material from Arcata’s Committees or from the public that was not in agreement with what the Community Development Department was presenting.

The “table that will be published separately” did not come out until five months later. It contains a mangled version of what the Arcata’s Committees and the public had suggested for changes and improvements to the draft Gateway Area Plan, along with dismissals from the Community Development Director on why those suggestions would not be either accepted or, in many cases, even discussed.

The October 2022 second draft of the Gateway Area Plan

“Gateway At-A-Glance Summary”

.

Community Benefits and Development Standards – Chapter 2

Pages 50-53

.

Design and Architectural Standards – Chapter 9

Pages 104-109

.

Housing Chapter – Chapter 3

Pages 54-56. 

There is just 1 & 1/2 pages on “Housing.” The words here regarding the creation homes that people can purchase — home ownership opportunities — are “Encourage a mix of both owner-occupied and rental housing.” That’s it. Just “encourage.” 

From the Plan:

“Multiple Strategies to Promote Affordability. Employ multiple strategies to promote the creation of affordable housing, including affordable-by-design studios, student housing, deed-restricted affordable housing, single room occupancies, and housing for low-income families.”

“Provide for mixed-income neighborhoods with housing options available for all
income groups. Housing in a mixed-income neighborhood should include deed-restricted units affordable to very low-income households, small affordable-by-design units, student housing, moderate income owner-occupied condominiums and townhouses, market-rate rental units, median-priced family-sized dwellings, and penthouse units for high-income households.”

The “plan” aspires to these goals, but gives no clue how low-income and workforce affordable housing will actually be created.

.

Complete October 2022 second draft of the
Draft Gateway Area Plan document

125 pages.

.

Complete December 2021
First draft of the
Draft Gateway Area Plan document

110 pages.