The Gateway plan:  Getting Started

Here is a one-hour presentation on what a Form-Based Code is, some background of its development, some examples nationally, some Northern California examples, and the nature of the Ministerial Review permitting process. Click on any image to view that article or video.

If you are new to this website, you may want to read “How to Use this website” to see some good hints and suggestions and then return to this page.

A good place to start is with this 4-minute video, as a summary of what the Gateway area is, what the plan is, and some of the issues.  And, as you will see, there are varying opinions on just about everything.

Here’s an assortment of aerial views of the Gateway area.  The borders have been drawn on Google Earth views, looking to the North, East, and West, from different viewpoints and altitudes.

The letter from by Andrea Tuttle, PhD (environmental planning).  Originally written February 13th, 2022, it was submitted to the Planning Commissioners two months later.  Dr. Tuttle’s letter also appeared in the May 5, 2022 Eureka Times-Standard. Excerpts: “3500 units is a mathematically-derived number. It is NOT a “factual” number that reflects the carrying capacity of the city to support such growth. It has no relationship to the ability – or desire – of the town and infrastructure to accommodate that many people.” “Building height and scale: With apologies to the drafters, the very idea of 8-story housing blocks in Arcata is an insult. It is disingenuous to propose a plan that is dependent on unrealistic building types.”

We are all aware that Cal Poly Humboldt is seeking to expand the size of the student body. How many more students (and faculty and support staff) will be here, and how many dormitories are they planning to build? This article has the numbers.

In Arcata, 63% of the housing units are rentals, and 37% are owner-occupied.  Are you concerned?  What types of new development would be required so that we would have more opportunity to own our homes? This article looks at the possibilities.  Hint: It’s not going to be easy.

Here’s the link for the actual “DRAFT Gateway Area Plan 2022” that was released to the public on December 1, 2021.  You can read it here. 110 pages PDF.

This is the official video introducing the December 2021 “draft Gateway Area Plan.” 1 hour 4 minutes.  It goes through the draft Plan chapter by chapter. The entire video has been transcribed, and the article is set up so that you can read the transcription and watch the video at the same time. Mixed in with the transcription is commentary and opinion.

The same video, but this time it is better set up to LISTEN to the video and at the same time read the transcription and commentary. You can change the speed of the video so that it’s faster and more closely corresponds with your reading speed.  Instructions are on the article page.

Arcata’s Gateway Plan apparently includes humor and satire in its form-based code. Who would have guessed.
After all — what’s Life without a little levity?

More humor is found here.