Chris Richards & Jane Woodward – August 23, 2022

August 23, 2022

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Note: What is shown below is a copy of the original letter, made for this website. It is included here only so that the contents of the original letter can be searchable. (The PDF received from the City is in the form of an image, and so is not a searchable document.)

What is below is not the letter sent by the letter-writer. It will contain typographical errors and other departures from the original. The PDF displayed above is accurate. The text below is not accurate. It is printed here for indexing purposes, so that each word can be indexed and included in the search.

We’re looking forward to our meeting this afternoon at 4, and in preparation for that, we’re sending you:
1) Sample Unresolved Technical Questions/Issues for the Proposed Task Force to Address
2) An Analysis of the City’s Public Meetings and Engagement
3) A Compilation of the Feedback (Post-its on the Posters) from the 2-Day Town Hall that staff has not had time to prepare
4) The Results of the Survey conducted by RGA in March Here is a link to the PDF file with the survey results. https://img1.wsimg.com/…/2-23- 22%20Arcata%20Poll…
These are examples of what a dedicated group of citizens can do if so inspired. The poster review
indicates considerable deviation from the polling data from Ben Noble’s last presentation.
Sorry we couldn’t get this all to you earlier, but work was still in progress on some of it. We hope it all
downloads effectively.
We look forward to our meeting this afternoon at 4 p.m. in the City Chambers

Jane (and Chris)

Draft Gateway Area Plan Open House, January, 2022
Review of community engagement posters
Completed by Responsible Growth Arcata, June through August, 2022
Members of Responsible Growth Arcata took photos of the posters near the beginning of the
event, when little feedback had been placed on the posters, in order to see poster content
later.
At the end of the event, we asked if responses given by the community would be aggregated
and reported on, and when the results might be ready. Conflicting answers were given by City
Staff members. This prompted us to take photos of the posters at the end of the event to
document community feedback. Some of us also volunteered to come to City Hall to assist in
compiling that feedback. Our offer still stands.
About 360 photos of the completed posters were taken, including an overview and details of
most of the posters. The following reports were prepared by zooming in on each poster and
detail photos. We used the City’s final photos for the posters that we were not able to photo.
The City’s Gateway Area Plan Draft Engagement Report currently includes a general overview
of feedback given. As we do not know if the City will revise this part of their Draft, we decided
to review the feedback ourselves.
At the event, dots and sticky notes were placed on the posters to give feedback. Verbal
instructions were given that all colors of dots were to indicate favor; when the green dots ran
out, other colors were used. The reports were prepared by counting dots placed to indicate
favor and noting the few dots that indicated disfavor. We also transcribed all visible messages
on sticky notes and written on the posters.
The feedback is organized by the order in which it was given on the posters, generally left to
right, top to bottom. Everything visible was documented. Some of the handwritten responses
were illegible but may be readable in person on the posters. Some feedback was obscured by
sticky notes placed on top of others.
Maximum building height
The issue of building height is one of the most important to the community, and the most easily
quantified based on feedback given. Participants were often specific in expressing their opinion
regarding building height. The attached spreadsheet documents the number of specific
responses regarding preferred maximum building height, expressed in floors. Non-specific
feedback, i.e. “eight stories is too tall,” or “most think 4 stories are even too tall!” was not
included in this table. The overwhelming response from the community is that a maximum
of four stories is preferred.

Minimum height requirement
There were not enough requests for a specific minimum height requirement; the one specific
comment on this topic appears in a narrative report.
We understand that the Open House feedback does not constitute an unbiased, scientific poll
of the community; however, it appears to be the single largest engagement event of the Draft
Gateway Area Plan engagement process. Many community members put care and thought
into their responses, and we believe that their voices should be documented and preserved.

City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Minimum height requirement – summary of feedback
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos of posters taken at
the end of the event)
“Minimum 3 stories for housing + walkability”
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Arcata is Growing…Planning for Growth Helps Manage It
poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
Too much growth could lead to…
On the left side of the poster:
Some sticky notes were covered by others and/or the handwriting was too small
“Why are we not challenging State of CA mandates?” (Seconded with one dot)
“Growth may be inevitable but how much and what’s 1st? We need people to have major
behavior change” (Seconded with one dot)
“What about the empty buildings (lots of houses) in Arcata”
“Too tall buildings (over 4 stories) will ruin Arcata’s small town _____ -Traffic problems will erode
quality of life -Reasonable density only” (Seconded with seven dots)
“What are you planning for the 358 acre _____ 2,000 units near Sun Valley? Don’t see reference
to it on your map”
“Seems like great opportunity for Danco to build another city _____ How did Housing Element
go from 610 to 3,500+?”
“Too many buildings should comply with existing ordnance of 4 stories Parking is not at all
adequate!” (Seconded with four dots)
“Sewage _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“How will wastewater be addressed in the plan”
“_____ economic developments’ None of these _____ in Arcata _____”
“Buildings that look like everywhere else”
“_____ “ blue sticky
“Arcata should spread out development throughout the City”
“Housing _____ rental rates rising _____”
“Its not about too much – its about how we grow – Consider all _____ community small _____
Home Ownership” (Seconded with two dots)
“Growth isn’t really _____ We can _____” yellow sticky
“_____ infrastructure _____” blue sticky
“How will wetland be addressed in the plan”
“Water Waste Sea level _____”
“How much time has been dedicated to mitigating climate change – ocean rising -sloughs
filling up -bridges needed -poop from Marsh overflowing -Think about _____ our current
population”
“Quality of life problems – Traffic” (Seconded with one dot)
“Infrastructure failure Overpopulation for small _____ space” (Seconded with one dot)
“Our current public transportation is woefully insufficient _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“Housing and rental market getting way too expensive”
“Traffic Parking Sewage Need more parks for those people”
“_____ more housing in Valley West? It will _____ services there”
Not enough growth could lead to…
“Stagnant & _____ economy growth”
“Why put so many dwellings in one neighborhood especially when it is low lying?” (Seconded
with four dots, “No!”)
“8 story buildings become ghettos over time – create Parking issues Noise increase”
(Seconded with five dots)
“Arcata’s small town ‘charm’ is already being ruined by lack affordable housing & healthcare –
HSU _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“A _____ balance between _____”
“Building into the forest or Ag land will not be allowed FYI”
“How can we put the cart before the horse. We need to first build our infrastructure medical
services fire and police _____ services for the population _____” (Seconded with two dots)
“Local housing prices inflating from the sudden increase in demand lack of housing for locals”
(Seconded with two dots)
“Infringement on Bottoms” (Seconded with four dots)
“We home owners can’t park in front of our own houses during farmers mkt + events! No
parking!” (Seconded with one dot)
“Building in our forests, green spaces, agri-land”
“Longtime _____” pink sticky
“Keeping Arcata a special unique place + home for _____ who live and work here now”
(Seconded with one dot)
“_____ earn more money _____ workers _____ locally”
“Not enough _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“Humboldt County is huge we don’t need to put everyone in Arcata” (Seconded with two dots)
“YES! Urban infill _____ building UP is the best practice”
“Arcata has been growing by 10% _____ in the past. Why the huge jump. We need more
housing but why SO much”
“Lets be creative why are we trying to be like everyone else _____ buildings to (sp) tall?”
“The gateway is the only place for growth? This is horrible! A bunch of people living too close
together? When you put too many rats together the get aggressive. Not healthy for people or
rats!” (Seconded with two dots)
“People are not RATS – Check yourself – WE ALL DESERVE A PLACE TO LIVE”
“_____” blue sticky
“Arcata isn’t the only community in HumCo Is there a County-wide effort? (Seconded with one
dot)
“We don’t have to provide housing to everyone who wants to live in Arcata. This is not feasible
_____”
“But HSU enrollment was 7,206 in 1976 so going to 11,000 not really a big _____”
“McKinleyville considered? (Seconded with one dot)
“_____” Three yellow stickies with small print (Seconded with one dot)
“I’ve been here long enough to hear about HSU’s growth projections before. It is currently a
couple thousand less students than when I was a student 20 years ago. Eureka’s population
decreased in the Census 2020. _____”
“I think _____ will be hard for _____ people like me to work”
“PLEASE get more locals input, not enough folks know. 4 stories maximum _____”
“More trees more _____ more public art more _____”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
“Arcata’s future multi-family housing developments should
look…More like this” poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event*)
Sticky notes:
“3 to 4 story max – save the look and feel of our town”
“Photos of reference of places w/ greater populations do not apply to us – too large for our
city”
“Unsafe – decreased visibility, more alley ways for crime.” 2 stories seems high enough for
down-town. Multi story building (sp) belong outside city _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“It should be 3 to 4 storie (sp) or less”
“These all have underground utilities. It will look much different with our awful above ground
utilities”
“Something that includes ample parking”
“I’m against all building (sp) on 3 stories. I like what Kramer(?) ___________ 2 story
apartments”
“5 stories too much”
“Where do cars park? Really!”
“No boxes please!”
“4 stories maximum”
“Better-looking 4-storey (sp) buildings with open space”
“3-4 stories ok. Design review over 8,000 sf”
“4 floors max, por favor!”
“Duplexes, triplexes, 4-plexes with yards AND common open space will still provide desirable
density. Larger apartments would be more likely for short term residents and students”
“4 story max. Intersperse with small gardens + parks, benches.”
“Need to encourage home ownership not tenement buildings owned by 2-3 rich developers”
“We are not Orange County! :-)”
“2-4 storys (sp) taller (4) near Plaza, smaller (2) as you get further away”
“I have to admit the renderings of higher-rise buildings are not very attractive and are hard to
imagine as part of Arcata. Greenspace is essential. Air space is essential.”
“The max should be 3-4 stories”
“EACH should have its own unique style! 4 floors is optional max. Many options are possible.”
“Limit ______ building based on shadow criteria for small communities. Example present tall
building block sunlight _____ produce dark areas in a city _____ should be _____ larger effect”
(Seconded with one dot)
Photos, left to right/top to bottom, with dots and/or written notes:
Dots indicate favor unless otherwise noted.
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted with a
blank line: __________.
16 dots
36 dots and two notes:
“This looks nice but could be taller and have front porches”
“Also hot tub”
32 dots
14 dots “Yes,” 1 dot “No!”
2 dots “Yes” and 3 dots “No!”
13 dots “Yes” and 3 dots “No!”
10 dots
9 dots
4 dots “Yes,” 2 “No!”
40 dots and 1 note:
“Like the shared garden space”
9 dots, one with a note:
“Like the house!”
6 dots “Yes,” 5 dots “No!”
17 dots; 1 with initials? and 1 with note:
“Good compromise”
6 dots “Yes,” 2 dots “No!” and one note:
“I don’t want to live in Orange County!”
10 dots “No!” and three notes:
“Ugly!”
“No thank you!”
“Ewww”
8 dots “Yes,” 6 dots “No!”.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Arts, Culture, and Sense of Place poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
Summary statement on poster: Vibrant, authentic, and diverse public art and
performing arts spaces… Artist and entrepreneurs prosper.” Response: “Definitely all over the
community” Response: “Become more like Eureka! They are kicking ass in this department.”
General Feedback:
“Art is what makes life worth living! It needs to be an important part of the planning process”
“Please more murals, artwork bought from locals…paint a bound, metal/stone sculpture!
employ + improve.”
“Make tie-dye our official color”
“Please more public art, murals”
Guiding Principles:
Statements on poster:
“Build upon…planning efforts to create the Creamery Arts & Culture District …” Nine dots
placed
“Incentivize the integration of all forms of art into new development…” Two dots placed
“…housing integrated with or nearby workspaces for artists.” Seven dots placed
“…integrate arts and cultural amenities into streetscape…open space plans.” Four dots placed
Gateway Plan Strategy:
Statements on poster:
“…arts and artist housing as community amenities through the community benefit program.”
Two dots placed and comment “Yes!!”
“…outdoor spaces for informal artistic and cultural activities…” Four dots placed
“…temporary artistic and cultural events.” Three dots placed
“Encourage new development to incorporate public art…” Two dots placed
“…public art that uplifts and supports BIPOC artists and narratives.” Four dots placed
General Feedback:
“Yes!” with heart
…Use art/forms of expression to maintain an excellent quality of life…
“Love it when new development comes with a % of space for public art – keeps the area
interesting, fun, and vibrant!” Response: “THIS! Yes the new developers will always give back
for _____ + parks if asked. It lifts us up, and creates interest in new areas.”
“Would love development of more accessible, affordable studio/creative maker spaces for
artists & creators to develop their businesses – au diverse pool of un & coming micro
entrepreneurs i a thriving, rural economic ecosystem! Have access to tools & biz development
tools = equity & more _____”
“_____ parks and open space with corridors to _____ sense of place _____”
“Linear Park & community garden on L Street bike corridor”
“Diversify locations to create. Make a public creative space for classes”
“Twice a year sculpture showcase”
“Live/work”
“Promote happy & color”
“The sculptures, murals + color palate of new apts all add to our community”
“_____ base consistent with the arts”
“Diversity in the arts in Arcata!! Queer + BIPOC focused art space!”
“Living walls and roofs + murals!”
…Promote racial equity in access to public art and cultural activities…
“Center Art + Craft sell events on giving biopic the needed equity to even the playing field from
white established artist”
“Love ART!”
“Fund & _____ in creating Queer & BIPOC safe spaces for local artists” (Seconded with one dot
and note “Please” in heart)
“Professional artists can use apprentices and volunteers from BIPOC community”
“Creating _____ biopic art collectives + festivals with Black Humboldt, HC Black Music + Arts +
other biopic organizations”
“BIPOC staffed initiatives” (Seconded with one dot)
“Outreach to local unit + colleges for input; NAACP Latino groups, indigenous”
“ART Yes”
“In planning groups, meetings use language that is inclusive of everyone (all colors genders,
gender-identity)”
“Preserve L Street. Build on the linear park + dynamic place it is becoming”
“Queer bars shops safe places”
…Help strengthen the artistic identity of the Creamery District…”
“Fund the Playhouse + Creamery Shoshanna – Jackie bring community together through art, all
while paying artists a living wage also! win”
“Hire local artists to create art/sculptures…Also to landscape native”
“Hygien (sp) + cleanliness they city ignores this”
“Working with Arcata Playhouse/Playhouse Arts as Local Arts Agency along with dance
community at Redwood Oaks Collective & Kinetic Lab and all established arts & culture lovers
of Creamery District to help with funding of programs, development of spaces with access &
support of ART & CULTURE as prominent, _____ primary & celebrated _____ ARCATA’s artistic
_____ vibrantly _____ & beyond. (heart)”
“Bring back the Creamery District name + boundaries.”
“_____ for the ARTS into plan”
“Roving group of folks/volunteers to pick up trash, clean graffiti, connect w street people to
help them get services”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content

============

City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
“Arcata’s future public spaces should look…More like this”
poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event*)
Sticky notes:
“Where are the businesses with high paying wages?”
“Clean up what we have today! I literally walked downtown this morning dog poop, vomit,
urine, food waste spit people living in the street asking for money” (Seconded with two dots)
“I do not trust things will be different. Nothing is being done to keep downtown clean –
management is already lacking before Development” (Seconded with one dot)
“More natural areas like the forest, Shay Park, the Marsh – Maybe areas for vegetable gardens”
“Work on what we have today! It’s a mess if we don’t fix what we have Building something new
won’t make it better”
“Add a bunch of homeless and rocked in flower beds to get a most realistic view” (Seconded
with one dot)
“All of the above, continuing to build on what we’ve got going Move public seating? Trash/rec.
receptacles”
“A library + sculpture garden”
“Plant more native shade trees”
Photos, left to right/top to bottom, with dots and/or written notes:
Dots indicate favor unless otherwise noted.
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted with a
blank line: __________.
13 dots and one note:
“South facing courtyard with sun. Yes!”
6 dots and one note:
“Bigger center hangout area + more benches + fun children friendly sculptures”
7 dots, one with the note “RUG”
7 dots, one with “YES,” two with “NO!” (One dot was cropped, but can be seen in the
overview)
“Meet the housing unit targets – make buildings as tall as they need to be”
“We are not Amsterdam” Response: “But we could be more like it!” (Visible in overview)
27 dots, one with note “Public Art”
15 dots (one is cropped/off the edge of this photo but can be seen in the overview)
“Keep L St as a pedestrian/bike path + add linear park. Do not build out an unnecessary one
lane one way road.”
16 dots
“Love the current one!” (Visible in overview)
4 dots, one with note “RUG” and another with note “Public Art”
5 dots
16 dots
17 dots + 1 dot “NO!”
10 dots
3 dots
“Solar panel covered picnic tables – Yes! Generic CSU campus style buildings – No!”
3 dots
“But w/ Food and Biodiversity – no meaningless lawns”
“Please -Yes -Yes no grass! Natives”
15 dots, one with note “NO ROAD” and one with note “nice rural feel”
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Built Environment – the “Streetscape” poster – feedback
results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
General Feedback:
Top half of poster
“_____ local amazing artists, please employ them to keep Arcata, Arcata” (Seconded with one
dot)
“A common space should involve major _____ groups _____”
“What about existing buildings that will lose winter solar access??”
“No winter sun” with drawing of house and sad sun
“Is winter sun more important than housing humans??”
“Wide sidewalks with trees and benches – and a maintenance plan” (Seconded with a dot)
“_____ when interfacing with existing _____ residential”
How Should the city regulate new buildings and public streets…
“Please keep new buildings @ 2-3 stories tall. Big buildings can oppress positive open energy”
“Rain water catchment”
“Sidewalks, bike lanes, no traffic streets like G & H 🙁 Too narrow” (Seconded with one dot)
“Follow regulations the new black fence (sp) on M St is ugly + does not follow City current
regulations” (One “NO” dot)
“Storefronts along the sidewalk + places for people to sit + chat or people-watch”
“4 story max”
“ABANDON THIS WHOLE PROJECT”
“Maintain a maximum building height of 4 stories as prescribed in the General Plan”(Seconded
with one dot)
“Don’t underestimate the need for parking! Very few people commute by bike! Get real”
(Seconded with one dot)
“NO building right up to the (property line) sidewalk! Please, set buildings back!”
“-Well maintained sidewalk – Bus stop”
“Physical barrier b/t Bikes & Cars” “Yes!”
“No buildings >4 stories, keep them close to Plaza transition to 2 stories as you go south/west
of Plaza”
“_____ safe walkability/street crossing w/ lighting for peds. Green space within streets/
sidewalks where possible”
“_____ a center _____ park _____ equal distant in the center from 20 houses for parties
community meet ups”
“Limit building height to 4 stories”
“Gray water for landscapes!”
“Biger (sp) sidewalks and _____”
What strategies can the City use to promote racial equity in access…
One dot placed here appears general in nature and not applicable to any specific comment.
“Prosecute racial provocateurs so people OC feel comfortable living here”
“Create District naming convention that honor (sp) the original ancestors of the District lands”
“Reach out to Wiyot Tribe”
“Festival + open house history month events to honor the important times in history for
minorities”
“Encourage home ownership, not renting by large rich developers” (Seconded with one dot)
“_____ events _____ celebrate all people (i.e. Black History Month, Cesar Chavez Day)”
What currently makes the Gateway Area a pleasant environment…
“Lack of dense housing!”
“The Creamery District & Art” (Seconded with one dot)
“Not much traffic”
“Open GN Bathrooms”
“Local service industry businesses within walking distance to Downtown & HSU”
“The bike/ped trail! the Creamery, Back Porch, Kinetic Lab, Holly Yashi” (Seconded with one
dot)
“The peacefulness and nature. I walk on the railroad tracks to the Marsh every day and am
always charmed & delighted by what a beautiful place it is. Don’t turn it into Central Park! 3,500
more people will ruin it.”
“Queer bars and safe spaces”
“ASI trained food workers”
“Easy parking”
“BIKE TRAIL, ART”
“Open space, sunlight, industrial vibe, bike path, trees, skyline – wide area for gatherings of
people”
“The Creamery businesses – ie Playhouse, courtyard shops, The Pub, the lites, + flags, the
street mandala, Holly Yashi shop + manufacturing – mixed commercial + art places.”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) poster –
feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
“Is it possible to a CEQA update?”
“Growth inducing” (Unclear specifically what this refers to based on position of note)
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Equitable Housing poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
Guiding Principles:
Statement on poster: “Plan for up to 3,500 new residential units…” Response: “Perhaps half
this amount” Response: “Yes”
Statement on poster: “…market-rate units for singles and families…upper income units, such
as luxury penthouses…benefits of truly mixed income neighborhoods” One dot placed.
Response: “A lot of your renters will be students so luxury penthouses should be made w/
HSU professionals income in mind”
Statement on poster: “…all new development…minimum quantity of housing units”
Response: “Arcata does not have to provide housing for everybody” (Seconded with one dot)
Response: “What is the incentive for a private developer, builder to build affordable housing?”
General Feedback:
“What are the required needs so ‘we the people’ know? ‘Equitable’ sites should be throughout
Arcata”
Gateway Plan Strategy:
Statement on poster: “…minimum residential density levels but no maximum…” Response:
“Minimum density force larger structures, the property owner should have the option not to
build over 2 stories” (Seconded with one dot) Response: “Yes” Response: One dot with “NO!”
Statement on poster: “…range…from micro units to three or more bedrooms.” Response: four
dots
Statement on poster: “…mixed-income neighborhoods…deed-restricted affordable…low and
market rate units.” Response: 10 dots placed.
Statement on poster: “Support the re-housing of existing residents displaced…” Response:
three dots placed. Response: “Places like this should include input from those _____ housing
options w/ in the planning area. Respect and compassion are never misplaced. Keep people in
their home neighborhoods”
General feedback:
“Rent control!!”
“I like these strategies”
“What type of housing would you like to see…”
“Not 8 story buildings Arcata _____ small community, not citified”
“_____ interesting design and renewable energy _____”
“Mix of styles and income levels – no more than 4 stories!” (Seconded with one dot)
“The housing _____ density _____ built with _____ parklike spaces” (Seconded with a
checkmark)
“Eco-friendly high rise”
“Mixed. Four stories MAX. Some single family, duplexes-“
“_____ 4 plexus for ownership, 2 stories at max height” (Seconded with two dots)
“Shadows in _____ Arcata can be fiercely cold & you only know this if you ____ lived here
awhile”
“3-4 stories max – Anything more will change character of town” (Seconded with two dots)
“Low impact tiny homes”
“Three story _____most _____ -variety of multiple and _____ unit” (Seconded with two dots, one
with note “ditto”)
“_____ level maximum”
“_____ mixed community”
“More ADA accessible housing”
1-2 bedroom townhouses/condos that People can buy, not just rent from rich developers”
“1st time home buying opportunities -Mid-range homes affordable for incomes up to $80k”
“4 story maximum”
“Studio 1 bedroom & 2 bedroom units with laundry facilities with adequate of (sp) street
parking”
“Green building Energy efficiency (more than ‘passive’ designs)”
“MIX of singles + duplex + townhouses + apts” (Seconded with one dot with note “ditto”)
“Live/work” (Seconded with one dot)
What strategies can the City use to promote racial equity in access…
“Outreach to POC to apply for housing” (Seconded with one dot with note “YES”)
“Inclusionary zoning 20%”
“Income limitations on affordable housing units”
“Outreach to BIPOC residents” (Seconded with one dot with note “YES”)
“The Gateway has nothing to do w/ homelessness problem They won’t be able to afford any of
them.” (Seconded with “ditto”)
“Rent control”
“Humboldt County has the highest artist per capita in the West Coast. Housing for low-income
artist” (Seconded with one dot)
“Maybe the City shouldn’t plan to cram people of color into dissimilar housing in the industrial
lands?” (Seconded with one dot with note “YES”)
“More public feedback + specific groups input” (Seconded with one dot with note “YES”)
“Make Arcata safe for POC’s”
“ALL NEW ground-level buildings should include RAMPS. Res. and Business”
“Working with indigenous communities”
What strategies can the City use to ensure housing opportunities for a wide
range of incomes…
“Income limitations on housing -Priority for locally employed residents (Seconded with one dot)
“Racial equity audit on living spaces -Holding priority but still meeting requirements”
“Limit AirBnbs”
“Prioritize home ownership + Quality of life housing”
“Why give away the ‘hottest RE market in the country’ away to developers? MANDATE
AFFORDABILITY”
“Most Humboldtians are already PRICED OUT’ (Seconded with one dot)
“Simply comply w/ minimum State requirements – nothing beyond that”
“Co-Ops offer another type of living”
“Encourage housing cooperatives”
“Lottery system for low income housing modeled after larger cities”
“Elders need ground floor dwellings. Emphasis on accessibility is crucial”
“What is deed restricted affordable housing?” Comment: “Yes I want to know this too”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Final Thoughts/Feedback poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
“Wouldn’t it be cool to have a 3-D model (analog, not digital) of the area?! Yes!!!” (Seconded
with one dot)
“Thank you for the thought & brain power that has/is going into this. I am excited to see how
Arcata grows & develops thoughtfully”
“What can we do to help this project? Is there a vote? Is there a petition?”
“Need more input about infrastructure & height – 0>4 high” (Seconded with three dots)
“What about coordination between HSU & the City about needed infrastructure to support all
the ____ development of both entities“
“NO to GREENFILL. (Sun Valley) We’re watching”
“There should be a collected effort w/ the Staff and the Public to read and compile all of these
stickers & post-it notes together. Total transparency is a must!” (Seconded with one dot)
“Leave Arcata as is!” (Seconded with three dots and a sad face)
“4 stories max! Thank you for listening” (Seconded with two dots)
“If nothing else, ditch the 8-story config. Max 4 stories. This is a small town. And, regional
transit pass!”
“4 stories max! Wise people came up with the Arcata General Plan. Let’s not dumb it down for
big developers and specious environmental claims by grant writers and gov’t bureaucrats”
“Can the AFD protect/handle 8 story high buildings?”
“We (the public) need to hear from the Fire Chief’s thoughts” (Seconded with one dot)
“Thank you for the opportunity to comment and learn about this _____ & important work”
“Please make Arcata more Green & more Progressive” (Seconded with two dots)
“LOVE THE OUTREACH! Thanks for checking in with us.” (Seconded with “yep”)
“More focus on creating racial equity & safe space for us”
“Art spaces for BIPOC – queer residents”
“Thank you!!! Yes, thank you” (Seconded with one dot)
“Thank you! 4 stories max!”(Seconded with one dot)
“Displacing people + businesses to do your project is bad planning. There are other areas”
“How do we keep homeless turning these “attractive” housing units into garbage pits. Yes – I
understand the issues, but live the reality of seeing a _____ dirty Arcata” (Seconded with two
dots)
“Why does the City always try to reinvent the wheel? Please look up other communities that
have successfully absorbed large numbers of students into the community with _____”
“Address the rise in racist attacks of BIPOC protestors (sp). Make it safer for BIPOC to
protest” (heart added)
“Mental health is an important part of society. The “pandemic” has created a lot of stress for
adults as well as children. It could be a benefit for our citizens to have affordable counseling”
(Seconded with one dot and a heart)
“4 stories max!” (Seconded with four dots)
“More investment in racial equity (paying BIPOC to lead) Invest in POC/queer youth, arts,
culture NOT POLICE they aren’t needed if all basic needs are met (heart)”
“Thank you for inviting the public to join the discussion”
“Reduce police funds + move them to effective community lead organization”
“More community BIPOC + queer artist events + pay/allow BIPOC to teach racial equality +
equity”
“Stay flexible for good ideas that may not have been considered.” (Seconded with two dots
and a checkmark)
“Thank you for the opportunity to participate. Yay! Thank you!”
“Will there be enough clean water available for the increased population?”
“Adequate health care facilities?”
“Better care for vets. Stop this scam on old folks”
“Question the assumption that Arcata has to be the housing refuge for thousands more.
Why???”
“Excellent and extensive efforts at community engagement and input THANK YOU!”
“New housing to fit neighborhood architecture existing – Continuity not excessive height –
Utilize solar as much as feasible – provide safe access on foot and vehicle”
“Need more emphasis on importance of high paying jobs, not just minimum wage jobs
-STIM industry -service industry – light industrial -etc”
“_____ plant”
“Separate bikes/ped from cars”
“The security fence around G5 project at 11th & M St is incompatible w/ neighborhood! Also I
worry about the noise from the server cooling fans”
“Thanks for all your work on this!! Great job!”
“Pandemic economic crisis political caos (sp) WRONG TIME for this”
“What about the Giuntoli area taking some of the impact?”
“MORE community outreach to inform/inquire abt plan” (Seconded with one dot)
“Does this benefit developers?” (Seconded with one dot)
“What protections against WILD FIRE are built into the new developments?
“For those who want to _____ to town (Safeway, Co-Op, Plaza, Hensels…) what _____ way if
people can’t _____”
“Advisory Committee that includes POC and unhoused to get important feedback”
“Demonstrate your flexibility and gain the communities’ (sp) trust by implementing the most
wanted changes NOW (4 story max, etc)” (Seconded with one dot)
“I do not see where this plan provides for multi-generational families. What about the needs of
children & seniors?”
“1) 3-story ht max 2) better use mix – not just mostly residential 3) just meet minimum state
housing requirements but not more 4) process as a specific area plan – which will address
infrastructure”
“Thank you. Looking forward to this project”
“Remember cars are needed to access nature outside city limits _____ Have dedicated _____ in
the Plaza”
“Infill development is SO important! Don’t let the nay-sayers/go-slowers kill this plan. But yes
details to work out – 8 stories too high? and on sea level rise vulnerable -LT parking option offsite – walking w/out cars losing Creamery _____”
“Great thought overall and _____ warranted compared to existing use. BUT please 4 stories
MAX” (Seconded with one dot)
“Infrastructure? (sp) Water systems? Wastewater plans for pop. increase? (Seconded with two
dots)
“Reduce police funds + move them to effective community lead (sp) organization”
“Need to reserve some space north of 255 for future WWTP components”
“Great job! Keep it up!”
“_____ planning Thank you!”
“More emphasis on sustainability, green solutions, active transportation infrastructure above
the minimum”
“The Housing Element for 2019-2027 states we need 610 units – How did we get to 3500 +
then 2500 in the green belt?”
“Need to consider recreation facilities ie courts fields programs”
“Thanks for encouraging feedback!”
“It took 1 year for PGE to upgrade electrical box for an ADU (800 sf) in Arcata. How will they
do for big projects?” (Seconded with two dots)
“Thanks for this type of opportunity (@ Com. Center) Lots of info/lots to ponder. I need time to
digest it now!”
“Meet the housing targets 3500”
“How many Arcata planners currently ride/walk to work? Odd to plan that nobody else will
own cars”
“Joe Mateer does, and he deserves a raise!!! (heart)”
“No 8 stories, 3 stories max. I appreciate the opportunity to voice my input I think a lot are on
the same page.”
“Will the Gateway Area make the now unaddressed ‘downtown square’ obsolete?” (Seconded
with one dot)
“Will our waterway/watersheds be protected like the Jolly Giants stream that runs through
town?” (Seconded with one dot)
“I think this plan assumes that the students will be single young individuals. the Poly’s attract
older students with families and returning students. Don’t forget about the children and
creating a safe environment”
“Thank you for asking for our input! Most important first step”
“How much time has been dedicated to mitigating ocean rising?” (Seconded with one dot)
“Keep Arcata livable”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Full list of Plan topics poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
General Comments (not attached to a specific category:
One pink sticky note with small handwriting (Seconded with one dot)
“Please change the names of the districts Wiyot inspired would be better”
“_____ Plaza!”
“This plan helps keep Arcatas (sp) charm & helps us plan for the future (heart)”
“Really the report is 120 pages long We respond on a post it? Not fair!”
“The charm of our town will be Lost” (Seconded with five dots and “Absolutely” with a crying
face)
“I think Arcata will still maintain its charm if this plan comes to fruition Its the location +
surrounding environment that give Arcata its charm”
“Arcata’s small town charm is already hindered by lack of affordable housing _____ Remember
what you call ‘charm’ keeps people _____”
“We need a wholistic view and NOT this piecemeal stuff. We need to make it OURcata not for
_____ and contractors”
“Where is the dog park, yo?”
“DOGS! What about the dogs?”
“Horses! What about the horses!?”
“More home ownership condos townhouses”
Land Use:
“Open space” (Seconded with one dot)
“Pay attention to climate change priorities in land use planning – energy swing of less cars, no
coal, new INFILL _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“Encourage zoning for Murphy’s Market type establishments (beyond residential zoning)”
“Resource or civic center”
Mobility:
Three dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general
“Unrealistic to make it car free (no infrastructure” (Seconded with one dot)
“What about the handicapped that can’t walk!” (Seconded with two dots)
“CRTP – free shuttle service -localized Uber/ride share -Partner w/local Cab _____”
“-Connect trails to go around Bay -Connect to trail to Blue Lake -_____”
“_____ build out L St _____ the largest _____ Keep bike/ped path + extend _____ space w/
added linear park. No new _____ for one way _____”
“_____ charging _____”
“Make the bus free during the ongoing pandemic” (Seconded with one dot)
Community Benefits:
Four dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general; one dot had a
written note that was illegible
“Who decides what’s beneficial to the community & how is it _____ different things _____
(different smaller communities within the larger community”
“How about discussing community impacts & how to mitigate?” (Seconded with one dot)
“Require 10% min feedback from community” (Seconded with ‘yes!’)
“More community _____ Programs – mobilization of market _____”
Street Design:
Four dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general; one dot had a
written note, “More parking”
Three sticky notes were either partially covered or had small lettering
“Need more street trees & landscaping”
“Pedestrian and cycling only street from gateway _____ to Plaza” (Seconded with “Yes!” and
one dot)
“Bike & pedestrian trail should be lined w/ a linear park, NOT A ROAD”
“Less parking – Less dependency on cars and more incentive for active transportation”
Housing:
Seven dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general; one dot had
a written note that was illegible
Three sticky notes were either partially covered or had small lettering
“Encourage ownership! Discourage corporate or absentee landlords”
“Absolutely NO 8 story buildings!”
“4 story limit w/ any buildings”
“Affordable housing in perpetuity”
“Mandate owner-occupied housing to discourage _____”
“_____ home buying opportunities, please!”
“_____ our town’s look and feel”
“Build up instead of out. Why stop @ 4 stories?”
“_____ to 4 stories as listed in the general plan” (Seconded with one dot)
“Stop at Four (set backs start at 3)”
“Eco-friendly mid or high rise please!”
Community Design:
Four sticky notes were either partially covered or had small lettering
“Acceptable noise levels is an issue if you mix residential + commercial/also light pollution”
“_____by limiting bldg height to max 4 stories. Include max allowable new _____”
“Maintain Sunlight and space(s) for community gardens! _____”
“_____ 3 overpasses (101)”
“Encourage creek daylighting & green zones”
Completely obscured pink sticky note (Seconded with one dot)
“The _____ DUTCHY’S PIZZA THAT IS ON ALL NITE (sp) IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO LIVE
NEAR. APPARENTLY ITS FOR THE PILOT LITE + IT SEMS THERE IS A BETTER SOLUTION,
OR IF HE KEEPS HIS OVENS”
“____ free is _____ an Arcata _____ style – getting out of _____ w/out a car!” (Seconded with
two dots)
“THE FENCE @ PERIMETER 11th & M Streets* HAS TO BE REVISED. ITS TOTALLY
INCOMPATIBLE with the town + adjoin (sp) neighborhood childcare, residential area *G5 Fiber
facility”
“What good are sidewalks if we have our street lights turned off? It is dangerous to walk to
town from 10th Street! All cracked sidewalks and not enough light to see!” (Seconded with
one dot)
Arts and Open Space:
Three dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general
Two sticky notes were either partially covered or had small lettering
“More parks for families and gardens for peaceful refuge amid the buildings”
“LOVE the pursuit of Art Funding! – Combo art in _____ to create destination spots” (Seconded
with one dot)
“Open space sunlight gardens! L Street Linear Park”
“Accessible safe spaces focused on arts, culture + POC-led _____ to create _____ equity +
_____ in Arcata”
“Create a pottery and/or community arts with walking _____”
“Need parks & recreational facilities”
“Maintain the green spaces + landscaping we have ie street trees” (Seconded with one dot)
“Don’t remove existing green space -Plant only natives -No non-native grass, etc”
Infrastructure:
Six dots were placed in this area; appeared to refer to the category in general
Two sticky notes were either partially covered or had small lettering
“_____ parking need to be addressed before the _____ of the Gateway _____” (Seconded with
one dot)
“Green energy usage _____”
“Improve the wastewater system before building dense housing!”
“Need to have a plan for the infrastructure first -wastewater/storm -sea level rise -Fire -Parking
Don’t _____ individual projects have to figure this out, _____”
“_____ w/ major input from the fire district”
“_____ usage? _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“Ocean rise infrastructure – New location for WWTF -_____ marsh and bay _____” (Seconded
with one dot)
“FIRE RESISTANT Buildings and TREES”
“HSU students need cars to to access the Forest hills & mountains. Students will need
parking.”
“Wide sidewalks (more than 6 ft.)”
“Let the artists in the community choose the district names”
“Water treatment plant will have to be updated beyond what the current 100 million dollar City
loan will do”
“No L _____ couplet -Keep L St as bike path -More bike/ped _____ K St + _____”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
“Gateway Area Amenities I” poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event*)
Housing Creation:
Amenity: Vote Tally
High-density housing 14
Small units (750sf or less) 30
Family units (3 or more bedrooms) 16
Owner-occupied units 31
Single room occupancy 9
Preserving existing affordable housing 17
Creating new affordable housing (deed-restricted units) 16
Creation of new mixed income housing 25
Write-in:
Homeless housing allowing for pets and disability 3
Open Space:
Amenity: Vote Tally
Trail enhancement/new bike and pedestrian trails 32
Contribution to area beautification fund 7
Easements dedicated to city for parkland or creek daylighting 20
Contribution to parkland fund 4
Creek daylighting 20
Street trees 33
Community gardens 21
Edible/native landscape 19
Art and Culture:
Amenity: Vote Tally
Creation of public art or related infrastructure 16
New performance space 6
Art & culture fee program 6
Artist live/work housing 18
Community-building infra (seating along trail, drinking fountains, little free libraries etc) 24
Contributions towards partnership with Arcata Main Street on community connectivity
events between Plaza/Gateway 7
Green Building/Sustainability:
Amenity: Vote Tally
LEED Gold or higher, all electric development 15
Mass Timber Construction 6
Renewable energy generation 20
Contamination remediation 5
Stormwater runoff management in addition to state requirements 16
Light pollution reduction 17
Jolly Giant Creek water quality improvements 13
Improving fish passage for salmonids 19
“Wetland banking” for habitat restoration 16
Write-in:
Prevent bird window strikes 3
NOISE CONTROL esp at nite (sp) from HVAC equipment 2
General comments:
“100 AirBnB units? That’s housing that’s lost! And it’s a lot of units” (Seconded with four dots)
“Enforce limit _____ 100 short term rental units”
“Anyone looking at 3D printed units for single occupancy?”
“ADA accessible”
“Subsidies for homeless to ____ housing to home ownership”
“D) All of the above”
“Street trees are great. Make sure there is $ for biannual cleanup. There is very little street
cleaning & I see lots of debris going down sewer grates Lots of $$ to clean out once
underground” (Seconded with one dot)
“Do the Gateway Plan keeping _____ ecosystem function in mind – creeks, vegetation
corridors, pocket parks & playgrounds for kids”
“These should be necessities (requirements) not amenities” (Seconded with two dots)
“What about safe areas for youth sports. This will affect young families that would be
emotionally invested in our community.”
“Outdoor bandstand theater” (Seconded with one dot)
“All electric is good, LEED adds cost and not necessarily value”
“Preserve solar access to adjacent properties. Daylight more of Jolly Giant Creek” (Seconded
with one dot)
“How do we control noise from parties if these are to be also student housing mixed w/
professionals?”
“Have lots of lighting in diff forms & intensity. Well lit areas can create moods.”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: .
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
“Gateway Area Amenities II” poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event*)
Multi-Modal Transportation:
Amenity: Vote Tally
EV charging stations 14
Employee showers 4
On site bike parking/storage in addition to what is required in form based code 15
Bus passes for residents 17
_______ parcel frontage for transportation use 3
Comment: one person added a question mark to this category
Utility undergrounding 26

Comment: “Only way this plan does not become a huge blight”

Contribution to all-electric bus 15
Trail lighting and aesthetic improvements 21
Park & ride lots 7
Write-in:
A parking space for each new residence built 2
Enhanced Architecture/Design:
Amenity:
Roof form variation 14
Architectural detail, ornamentation, articulation in addition to what is required
in form based code 19
Comment: “think of sun”

Cantilevered upper floors 5
Retail/dining facing trail or creek 20
Comments: “think of sun” “south facing” (one other, illegible)
Rehab and adaptive reuse of existing history structures 25
Comments: “Very important”
“What happened to the log cabin at the fiber optic center?”
“What about architecture that fits in with architecture in neighborhood?”
Retail and Job Creation:
Amenity:
Ground-floor retail/mixed use developments 10
Outdoor dining 29
Comment: “think of sun”
Rooftop dining 9
Comment: “100″
Owner-occupied units 22
Comment: “Don’t let landlords buy up properties to jack up rents”
Creation of 50+ jobs 12
Community health/support services 22
Other ideas?
Amenity:
Public art – sculpture, music, dance, benches, _______ _______ 6
Solar outdoor decorative lighting 1
Etched glass or other ways to make windows bird safe 1
Solar panel covered picnic tables – yes! Generic CSU-style – no 1
Campground 1
Outdoor picnic area 1
General comments:
“If you build it, they will ride. We need an excellent public transit system!”
“Secure bike parking – covered. Outdoor racks in this weather are not encouraging…”
“Better public transportation and also to get out of the area. Decrease cars – HSU freshman no
cars if in Arcata. Can do other 1st years in other colleges.). HSU busses at holidays to Sacr,
SF, Oregon, etc and return after holidays.”
“Maintenance over long term!! Shabby paint, siding, balconies turn into slums!”
“Sight lines!”
“Lighting!”
“CCTV!”
“City sponsored ride share program”
“Stop pretending we don’t need cars…”
“Recreation facilities for new residents, i.e. tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer/baseball
fields” (Seconded with the note, “Public”)
“Need a transportation plan for people that work in Arcata but don’t live there, and vice versa.”
“3500 units with little parking is unrealistic and not workable.”
“Necessities & requirements (not amenities) (Seconded with “absolutely!)
“Maintain light industrial space for service work businesses” (Seconded with dot “Keep it ind
use”
“Keep light industrial use”
“8 stories is too high – max 3 or 4. Will change character of small Arcata”
“No stucco”
“No more than four storys. (sp) Put taller buildings on south side of block to avoid blocking sun
on neighboring buildings”
“We cannot keep businesses one on the Plaza. Why add more retail space now? (Seconded
with two dots)
“Mandates, not amenities” (Seconded with “Yes, please!” and “Me three!”)
“Where are the higher paying service/light industrial options? STEM businesses that support
HSU Poly?”
“The plan needs more public space as opposed to privately owned ‘public’ space”. (Seconded
with a heart)
“This plan proposes to allow windowed walls erected adjacent to the bird sanctuary and up the
riparian corridors. According to Sibly Guides and Audobon groups, windows are the highest
faster for bird mortality.”
“I feel saying 8 stories was a way to get people to agree to 4. Too High! 3 stories MAX!”
“Mandate affordability!” (Seconded with another dot and a “ditto”)
“100 AirBnB units? That’s housing that’s lost!” (Seconded with four dots)
“Enforce limitation of 100 short term rental units”
“Do deed-restricted units mean that low income families end up not building much equity in
their property? Is there a way to make housing more affordable for everyone without needing
subsidy programs?”
“Anyone looking at 3D printed units for single occupancy?”
“ADA accessible”
“Subsidies for homeless to transitional housing to home ownership”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Gateway Area Development Review Process poster –
feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
“Amenities” Defined:
Left side of poster
One dot with writing – illegible
“I’m concerned about what the City will give with the approval of ministerial process”
“Benefits to the large developer for what should be an requirement is insulting” (Seconded with
one dot)
“A paid parking structure is not an amenity (well, maybe it is for the owner of the structure!”
“Your amenities are really requirements at the code or in decent planning process” (Seconded
with one dot “Yes”)
“Stormwater management + creek restoration + access to open space”
“Most of what you have as amenities should be MANDATED” 🙂
“Encourage native plantings: red alders** Oregon vine maples Huckleberry Encouragement for
native bird to be in this area” (Seconded with one dot)
“Daylight the creek! Pocket parks for kids & pets Concrete benches in sunny spots Access to
daylight (Seconded with two dots)
“Do not remove public input no matter what the Amenities. Streamline, ok. Rubber stamp by
Planning Dept, NO!!”
“HEIGHT!!!” “Yes” (Seconded with six dots)
“Yes, pocket parks covered bandstand water features art, sculpture”
“Set higher floors back from sidewalk -safe bike parking overnight -Murals -Outdoor music
venue -A variety of shops & eating establishments”
“Okay but how many murals do we need, and are they worth a bunch of 8 story behemoths”
“Process it as a Specific Area Plan as was originally intended and promised”
Amenity Categories:
Right side of poster
Amenity: Vote Tally
Green Building and Sustainability 12
Active and Alternative Transportation 8
Retail and Job Creation 2
Housing Creation 6
Arts and Culture 6
Open Space 14
Comment: “Yes” and an asterisk
Enhanced Architectural Features and Exterior Design 5
What else may we be missing? “Dog park” “Parking”
“All Arcata residents should know. Mail all info? More input & team work. It takes a village”
“Given size of development proposed building eliminates many local contenders. Work for
large projects would primarily be done by large…”
(con’t on next sticky) “out of town companies who only who only provide some work for some
locals”
“Better communication with Gateway people + neighbors”
“Need high paying jobs too, not just retail. Retain service & light industrial”
“Incentives to renters who do not have cars”
“TRIBAL/NATIVE INPUT”
“Create a social area in a warm place – south facing”
“Creek daylighting”
“Displacing people in housing to create more housing is bad” (Seconded with three dots)
“Yes Art! Sculpture murals water features Parks” 🙂
“Build parking garages below apartment buildings! For at least 75% of occupants!”
“Love it!”
“Encourage cooperative and communal living”
“Quality construction that is maintained & does not become eyesore over time. Not cheap
materials & finishes. Require upkeep”
“Streamlined process is code for making it more developer friendly. Excludes public input”
“Mix of income levels!” “Yes!!” (Seconded with three dots)
“Slow DOWN! What’s the rush to push this through?” (Seconded with four dots)
“Do not streamline! retain public input”
“Grey water Solar water Solar heat”
“Amenities – More talk about an offsite parking option LT parking”
“Maintain public review for developments that are greater than 3 stories.” “Yes!” (Seconded
with three dots and an asterisk)
“ _____ building height for amenities!”
“Sidewalks* & bus stops *well maintained”
“Missing $ for maintaining + cleaning what exists now”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
General Plan Updates poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event)
No community feedback was given on this poster.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Housing Insecurity and Homelessness poster – feedback
results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
Feedback:
Some sticky notes are covered with others and can’t be read in photos
“More homeless services are needed; more treatment, housing, all around help… people need
homes. Home the homeless!”
“It’s not peoples’ fault if they can’t have a house to live. There should not be stigma. ‘There
but for fortune go you or I’”
“Safe Sane before Affordable”
“-Safe -Small town -Offer treatment for the mentally ill homeless”
“Supervised camping areas. Affordable/subsidized housing” (Seconded with three dots)
“Provide homeless with place to camp/park and encourage to move away from roadsides and
city parking lots” (Seconded with one dot)
“-Accessible shelters -Preventative programs” (Seconded with two dots)
“More safe parking lot Safe camping for people without vehicles” (Seconded with one dot)
“Free campground cleaned once a week Laundry Shower etc.” (Seconded with two dots)
“-Housing first -Home ownership -Housing mentorship”
“Give the folks in the newly developing Safe Car Program & Valley West Housing. Work
programs inspire connectedness with city for folks”
“Arcata Ball Field needs to the the only place for unsheltered people to camp”
“Going to the Plaza during a sunny day (except during Farmers Market) sucks! Homeless,
smoking, drugs, fighting… + I almost got hit in crosswalk…”
“We are losing our town to grant writers an (sp) big developers. When accepting these grants
you need to accept people from outside the City and even the region.”
“SoCal media has stated that this is Homeless Heaven!”
“-Change language on Houselessness -Break through stigma workshop -Value lived
experience: -listen -build relationships -Apply _____ Care”
“Stop anti-homeless structures art etc”
“Homelessness can not be solved on a city by city basis???”
“Subsidized transitional housing with $ to support mental health, drug treatment, job training,
etc to help get folks back on their feet (Arcata House)”
“We need much more housing & parking areas for homeless”
“Always ask: Affordable for who? If someone cannot afford anything does not mean they
should have nothing, there needs to be options for permanent housing & safety nets to prevent
people being put out of their home” (Seconded with two dots)
“Incorporate CTEP -Public Safety Committee”
“Homeless facilities should be considered in the Gateway District.” (Seconded with two dots)
“Supervised tent camping seemed to work in the beginning of Covid” (Seconded with one dot)
“More public restrooms” (Seconded with five dots)
“If someone cannot afford a home, we need to take a look at WHY they are homeless. Fixing
that, and helping them find housing even if they have no money. The unhomed are people too,
and there’s no good reason why we aren’t taking care of them and housing them, too…”
(con’t from previous note): “Especially the disabled who are unhomed. Shelters do not work for
them at present. there needs to be an option for them.”
“Provide services with housing medical social career services” (Seconded with one dot)
“Structured and serviced campgrounds. + Long term solutions!” (Seconded with one dot)
“Build tiny house communities to help get folks into Housing!” (Seconded with three dots)
“-Cheaper housing costs -Rent control -Homeless areas set up” (Seconded with one dot)
“Supervised ground w/ full facilities”
“Go (sp) steps with car parking on Samoa & Giuntoli motels – More public restrooms &
garbage”
“-Public homeless campground -No absentee landlords -Encourage building for home
ownership”
“Hooray for Vly West housing for the unhoused. We need lots of safe, functional housing w/
attached social services for the homeless.”
“Limit short term rentals. Enforce limits”
“More Drug Treatment Facilities Clinics”
“Having animals/pets keeps folks from having homes because landlords don’t see them as
family/kids” (Seconded with three dots)
“Arcata landlords make money off of renting moldy old units to students without any true
reniventions (sp)”
“Understand what is and is not the City’s responsibility. The City needs to be empathetic, but
can’t solve homelessness.”
“-Housing first -Services to promote holistic health & mental wellness w/o judgment/exclusion
-Healthcare -Drug/alcohol treatment -Social services -Community engagement -Incusion
through job offers/opportunities”
“There is no plan for homeless housing in this Gateway Area Plan”
“Subsidized housing is probably the only ‘affordable housing.’ We need to understand how that
works”
“City/County farm where people who work to camp/live outside can be & do some work.”
“Encourage + incentivize Tiny Homes Both for houseless and homeowners”
“Arcata doesn’t feel very safe anymore.” (Seconded with six dots)
“And now you are inviting 3500+ people to live here & add to that insecurity”
“We need more affordable housing that has quality. Small, clean units for people who are not
wealthy but who make enough to not qualify for assistance programs” (Seconded with two
dots, one with note “$800/month is not affordable”)
“At least 10% of all new housing reserved for very low income/Section 8 housing.”
“KOA type development off main streets”
“What about a mix of rentals and affordable houses for families?”
“Lockers to store stuff during day 4 houseless pop?”
“Be very careful how you approach meeting those needs/could turn into an attractive nuisance
expensive/counter Arcata values. Tough one – put a lot of thought into this” (Seconded with
one dot)
“What is to prevent the builders and landlords from jacking up the rent after the houses have
been built? This always seems to happen!”
“I wish there was a city organization or partnership that could go out in small group to talk to
people living on the sidewalks + shop entries to let them know about alt. to sleeping in public
areas. I think…”
(con’t from previous note): “More than anything it makes Arcata look like we don’t care about
them or what our town looks like.”
“Affordability should be mandated in”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
How Did We Get Here? poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken
at the end of the event*)
Narrative at top of poster: The vision reflected in the Gateway Area Plan draft,
(prioritizing infill, protecting surrounding agricultural and natural resource lands, de-emphasizing
single occupancy vehicles, revitalizing blighted parcels and vacant industrial land, and
identifying the southern end of K Street as a gateway into the City), builds on prior policy
documents that reflect wide public engagement and have been approved by past City
committees, the Planning Commission, and the city Council. Some of these priorities are
already baked into our current City-wide vision statement.
Feedback:
“Not enough Arcata residents know about this, please take more time to plan & get input from
locals…”
“Rapid growth is not mandated by the State of California. This is a choice made by planners
and developers. We can meet our RHNAs while adhering to General Plan and being harmless
with local residents.” (Seconded with one dot)
“Should avoid using this term, it is offensive, subjective & _____” (With arrow pointing to
“blighted parcels” on the poster
“I agree we need more housing, but please make it tasteful (NOT Danco) + 4 stories Max!”
“Change the name for a start it doesn’t represent the plan!” (Seconded with one dot)
“I just need more housing for people”
“Focus smaller… one betterment…then decide…can best proceed… Project too big…by the
time one bit is…rethinking will be required…because time and commun… have changed”
“Yes to smart growth! We need housing & this is a good, proactive plan rather than reactive/
putting out ‘fires’ later.”
“Would still love it if our City had a dog park… as a traveler to other towns a good dog park is
an incentive to stay” (Seconded with one dot)
“It seems like this should be a stated condition of what we want to preserve and enhance in
the City – limits and constraints to development – the plan should not take away from what we
have spent time and effort to insure.” (Seconded with one dot)
“How did we get to 3,500 new units on top of HSU’s housing plan, the infill plan for Downtown
Arcata & the infill proposed (~3,000 units) nesr 27th St?”
“For this we need regional transportation not a hodgepodge of bus _____ (passes required for
each). Also, bike lanes for travel between Eur Arc Mck that don’t involve the highway!”
“Regional transit pass! Don’t make us buy 2-3 passes a month”
“I like planned growth but not this plan. It’s out of scale and wrong for a small community!”
(Seconded with one dot with note “true”)
“_____ are _____ for different _____ prediction for coastal development”
“I LOVE this project! Both the participatory, transparent process AND the thoughtful
substantive policy it reflects.”
“What is ‘Arcata Community 2022’ – It’s not on the table. And if it’s a policy doc why isn’t it a
product of prior policy docs?” (Seconded with one dot)
“I think the scale of this project is wrong for our community.” (Seconded with five dots)
“Please explain where the sewage will go? From a public health nurse (Seconded with four
dots)
“Biking is walking is great in plan – however we need more parking + cars are not going away –
they are going electric + Arcata needs more parking” (Seconded with one dot)
“Isn’t most of our forests & farmland in Arcata already protected?”
“We need to remove parking to get more people out of cars – even EVs – to solve our safety +
climate crises!”
“I hope you don’t consider viable commercial businesses along a street as “blighted” or
“underutilized.” People still need to make a living and” (continued on other side/not visible)
“No rezoning out the light industrial use from businesses” (Seconded with one dot)
“Part of the fun of living in this neighborhood is the mixed-use vibe – don’t sanitize it”
“This has been a long time coming. How refreshing that our desperate need for housing is
finally being addressed in an environmentally conscious way. Thank you”
“Keep scale the same as the General Plan for the rest of Arcata” (Seconded with one dot)
“What is the relationship (capacity etc) between this element and other infill opportunities in the
City” (Seconded with one dot)
“This plan is a thoughtful and inclusive way to manage growth. Infill is much better than sprawl
that impacts our wild and cultivated lands”
“Push out industrial uses decreases jobs + economic diversity”
“Can we consider water catchment, gray water usage, water runoff and other items mindful of
water conservation? 🙂 “
“People in Arcata need cars! Seniors are not going to ride bikes & walk up & down the hills, at
least I’m not!” (Seconded with one dot)
“Households adopt a carbon tax “Pigovion?” tax”
“So are these housing needs going to be addressed in high rises? Condos? Rental?”
“Impact of parking for people with disability”
“The primary gateway as well as secondary gateway are sadly in need of maintenance
upgrades so pedestrians feel comfortable”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
How We Heard Your Feedback So Far? poster – feedback
results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
“Please address concerns of existing businesses who would be ‘encouraged’ to _____”
(Seconded with one dot)
“I had NO idea until someone came to my door.” (Seconded with two dots)
“We had NO idea! this has been a catastrophe as far as outreach its been Nill (sp)” (Seconded
with one dot)
“NO”
“Gateway residents’ participation in the public engagement process has not reflected in any of
the details of this plan. It is as if we were talking to a brick wall. *Agreed” (Seconded with one
dot)
“Slow Down we need to plan carefully” (Seconded with one dot)
“Cart before the horse!”
“Horse is sick”
“_____ job with engagement?”
“Until someone came door to door I did not understand the huge impact ( _____ 8 story
buildings) the _____ would have” (Seconded with one dot)
“Apparently 25_____ are not enough Nobody knows about this NOW?” (Seconded with two
dots)
Re: statement on poster “…summary of the participation opportunities…December 2020…”
“I think this is false. Plan is 120 pages dropped on people in December”
“I’ve seen/heard a lot about it since _____ online & Mad R. Union. For all the people who
haven’t heard much, where do they get news about local _____?”
“Good outreach”
“_____ Zoom meetings _____” (Seconded with one dot)
“Good job building a record bad job on actual outreach. _____ 2021 is when we actually all
started to hear about this – Feels Rushed” (Seconded with three dots)
“_____ is one thing. Paying attention and adaption to expressed needs does not seem to be
the City’s _____ saying NO!!!” (Seconded with one dot)
“Keep it up – good outreach” (Seconded with two dots)
“Solar panels on every roof in city limits!”
“____ of outreach to ____ members of the Gateway during the initial outreach _____”
(Seconded with one dot)
“_____ to have even heard about Gateway – most think 4 stories are even too tall!” (Seconded
with two dots)
Re: walking tour to take place January 29: “Thank you Looking forward to the tour” (Seconded
with one dot)
“It seems public engagement _____ was very lightly attended”
“I have rarely seen more proactive effort to engage community input”
“I live in Arcata & received a flyer a month ago. Hope to learn a bit fast to have a voice!”
“Most residents & businesses in the Gateway had not heard of the plan as recently as last
week” (Seconded with two dots)
“Community needs to be _____ and involved! Just heard about this by flyer – why so hush
hush?” (Seconded with one dot)
“What went wrong with outreach efforts _____ majority knows nothing about the scope of the
Gateway Plan or ministerial _____ Most people think this is a Samoa Blvd project”
“Abundant outreach, bravi”
“Do nothing, if _____” blue sticky
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Mobility and Alt Transportation poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
General comments:
“More buses en route for longer service hrs, they limit local transportation + are _____”
“ADD A WALKING ST as in Copenhagen etc. Very popular!”
“More enforcement for speeding in Arcata! 25 mph! I walk + bike all over Arcata + _____”
“We need more parking for cars + more bicycle/walking friendly off street trails. Thank you for
Rails to Trails paths, more please.” (Seconded with one dot)
“We need to get people out of cars Before into new housing.” (Seconded with one dot)
“If the City plans for less/fewer cars, how will they insure less cars so they don’t spread all over
the streets?” (Seconded with four dots)
“If traffic is slow enough, you don’t need bike lanes”
“Where are 3500 residents supposed to park? (Seconded with two dots)
“Need a parking plan, not rely on chaos. Don’t punt on this need Parking _____ to allow
parking & walking _____ downtown?” (Seconded with two dots)
What would motivate you to walk or bike to or from the District?
Five sticky notes are folded or covered; two comments written directly on poster too small to
see
“Separated bike _____ Class IV Better bike parking”
“No Plan”
“Better lighting more bike lanes” (Seconded with one dot)
“_____ parking. Access to natural places and _____ Older people _____”
“-Smooth untracked sidewalks -Well lit streets”
“Secure bike structures – the outdoor racks make _____ too easy to steal. _____”
“Cleaner sidewalks & well maintained landscaping”
“Class IV bike trails, secure bike parking”
“If the street sweeper came regularly with cars moved to ensure less broken glass”
“_____ travel by car!” (Seconded with two dots)
“Cars are not going away. Cars are going electric – What are voters + residents opinion on this
topic?” (Seconded with one dot)
“Electric cars are still cars!”
“Trails that are bike and horse friendly”
What strategies can the City use to promote racial equity in access to
transportation and to destinations in the Gateway Area and throughout the
City?
“More services between Valley West, bus etc”
“How about equal access for elderly & disabled people who can’t walk and need to drive
around” (Seconded with four dots)
“Better public transportation – need more routes around the City and to keep it affordable”
“Free rides within the Gateway area”
“Bicycles first – well…and walking”
“What about weather? Who wants to walk or bike or park 1/2 mile away in the rain? Cars are a
reality now and in the future” (Seconded with two dots)
“Wider sidewalks” with comment “I like this idea” (Seconded with one dot)
“Aside from walking and biking will any other form of transportation be improved like having
better busses or maybe even a train?”
“-Build collective _____ bike culture. Transportation _____ to connect community page -Better
w/ local bike shops – for free rentals or _____”
Tell us your experience with key intersections in the Gateway Area!
“The 2 way intersections on K St are scary in a car Terrifying on a bike or on foot.”
“Samoa & J and Samoa & I are terrible!”
“11th & Q Put a stop sign _____”
“K Street _____ cross some cars just won’t stop”
“-We need housing -We don’t need sprawl. -Sprawl impacts daytime parking more than
residential _____”
“Fence at the Data Center on M and 11th obstructs our view!
“11th & Trail is scary for trail users”
“Completely separated from cars. Green paint is not enough.” Separate bikes from peds”
(Seconded with three dots)
“Love bike blvd. Feel safe & empowered to ride” (Seconded with one dot)
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
…questions about housing Arcata poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
What is good about housing in Arcata?
“Older homes made of redwood – single story – artistic – encourage unique beautiful housing”
(Seconded with one dot)
“Gardens + space around homes better for animals birds waterways” (Seconded with one dot)
“_____ ability _____ Add fountains water features”
“Established trees & gardens, well cared for property, neighborhoods” (Seconded with one dot)
“No condos!”
“The potential for community – not yet overwhelming – good people – Increase home
ownership”
“Arcata has unique homes, in amazing environments. Please keep the character interesting,
and the surrounding areas accessible with parks, art, sculpture, trails, fountains. (Seconded
with two dots)
“We are not an urban metropolis and should not aspire to become one. Go someplace else for
that! Retain local scale, walkable, small community feel.” (Seconded with three dots and
“ditto”)
“Victorian & Craftsman style housing! It’s OK to want aesthetics” (Seconded with one dot)
“Variety! Trees + gardens” (Seconded with one dot)
“I am buying my home thanks the City of Arc. & the ‘Arcata First Time Homeowner’s Program.’
Thanks Arcata for all you do”
“That there are not 4-5-6 story buildings in housing”
“it is mixed” (Seconded with one dot)
“It has been built with the wisdom of past City staff, Council members, and community
members laid out in the General Plan. This Plan shows the folly in our current status and
methods.”
“Access to sun, green space”
“Small homes w/ yard for gardening & animals, etc activities, play”
“Already have a bikeable/walkable community”
“Small & big houses, beautiful, that’s why people move here”
“I appreciate low income housing by Co-Op + the ones newly built (though not fond of dark
colors. I can’t imagine any buildings taller than that”’
“This plan will solve some existing problems. Higher density to protect open space”
What are the biggest challenges about housing in Arcata?
“Not enough (very costly)” (Seconded with two dots “Yes”)
“Financial inequities, difficult for new home ownership unless you bring bay area $”
“Too expensive, too dilapidated”
“Racial bias in housing from non-HSU student transfers must end. More landlord racial
respectability for the growing community”
“-Costly housing – not enough housing -and YES more _____ review sector _____ on antidiscriminatory policies for renters”
“A place for the homeless to live – we cannot ignore the reality of the fact that we have
homeless.”
“Corporate and absentee landlords – and ‘vacation rentals’”
“Too expensive – need more supply”
“Inflation keeps rising!! 200,000 plus people still applying for first time unemployment and
continuous unemployment every one – two _____”
“-Home ownership -Cost of homes -Rent -All multifamily homes in groups”
“Accommodating low cost/income housing”
“NOT Dense enough for true walkability, + not enough mixed uses”
“Land prices too high throughout California & Humboldt County”
“-Too many airbnbs -Unaffordable -LA/Bay Area colonization”
“_____ in neighborhoods. Not enough rentals – too many AirBnbs”
“Need more small unit, handicapped accessible housing. Hard to find ADA housing”
“Well paid local professors who can afford homes can’t outpace out of town cash buyers for
single family homes.” (Seconded with one dot)
“Many houses are 2 bedroom/1 bath houses that don’t fit families or extended family units. We
need more 2-3 bedroom/2 bath houses w/ Mother-in-Law units.”
“Short term rental industry is not appropriately regulated”
“Micro-aggressions that minorities experience because of no community respecting/minority
honoring policy + events.” (Seconded with one dot)
“Absentee and irresponsible landlords!”
“Is there percentage cap on apartments?”
What are the top two things you would change about housing in Arcata?
“Why does the City want Arcata to grow so big? Likes it better the way it was!” (Seconded with
three dots)
“Please! No ‘racial priorities’ for any reason”
“More affordable-subsidized housing-apartment buildings”
“More co-housing & cooperative options”
“More community based housing, affordable housing” (Seconded with one dot)
“We need much more infill if we are to avoid losing our agricultural open spaces + riparian. We
must go up, otherwise, only billionaires will be able to live here. House prices are ridiculously
high and rising.”
“City require minimum thresholds for public feedback”
“Design/creativity needed”
“I would ask for humanity to deal with overpopulation – so we could end our ever-increasing
‘housing problem’”
“Senior needs: Access/safety/mobility. Don’t forget us” (Seconded with one dot)
“Affordability for renters”
“More affordable rentals!”
“A lot of housing is people coming to make money in cannabis, no commitment to the area”
“Please more outreach counseling for houseless people, more empathy for others”
“Housing subsidies that encourages home ownership to people, NOT further enriching Large
developers”
“Keep producing infill housing, but keep it in scale with the existing town”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
Satellite View Road Mockup poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of
the event*)
Placed near Samoa and K Street:
“This plan cuts parking on K and L down by HALF of its current capacity. Unrealistic! People
need somewhere to park!”
“Why develop here? Bad Idea displacing residents. Build in Bottoms or Carson Park”
(Seconded with one dot)
“There are better places. Why displace so many people instead of expanding where the cows
are?”
Placed near Samoa and L Street:
“Encouraging a move away from cars is a nice idea, but not realistic. People will have cars and
will need to park (and recharge electric vehicles). Adequate parking must be included. Thank
you.”
“Solar parking structures”
“1/2 of core Arcata and people are overwhelmed by what is being presented. How to react is
different.” (Seconded with one dot)
“WILL WE REALLY END UP WITH PROMISED LANDSCAPED AREAS – UNLIKE SAMOA
BLVD?”
Placed near (proposed) 5th and L Street:
“How does this impact WING?? THEY ARE IMPORTANT” (Seconded with two dots)
Placed near (proposed) N/S street between 5th and Samoa Blvd:
“Brownfield clean-up on this site?”
“People will drive 50mph here”
Placed near (proposed) W end of 5th Street N of Samoa:
“If one way car streets happen in Gateway, don’t make 2-lanes like H & G” 🙁
Placed near 6th and J Street:
“More of this shared space” (Seconded with two dots)
Placed near 8th and L Street:
“What about the ROW for North Coast Rail Authority? Will there be enough room?”
“Where — Place Exercise Equipment for Youth adults and up” (Seconded with one dot)
“This is RCM Please consider kid safety zones they cross L St to get to the field.”
“Curb drop is covered with parking spaces would be good to check the rest of the map and
correct detail.”
“Do not make L Street a main thoroughfare”
“Yes to the 1 ways”
Placed near 9th and K Street:
“Yes to 1 way”
Placed near 10th and L Street:
“Love 10th St. being bike blvd alway (sp) ride to Plaza on 10th Also love that bike trail
continues to Creamery and Marsh.”
Placed near (proposed) bike/foot path near 9th and N Street:
“Like more dedicated foot paths” (Seconded with one dot)
Placed near 11th and L Street:
“These parking slot designations on the street to (sp) not take into consideration driveways in
and out – so there will be fewer”
Placed near 12th and K Street:
“Class IV”
Placed near Alliance and (proposed) 11th Street:
“Keep L St as Bike Blvd w/ less shared space with cars NO one ways on K & L”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
City of Arcata Community Open House
January 21 and 22, 2022
“What Have We Heard So Far?” poster – feedback results
(Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event*)
Citywide Visioning: Vote Tally
Creating housing for all user groups and incomes 27
Love of Arcata’s natural resources (ocean, forest, working ag lands, parks) 42+
Encouraging walkability and bike ability, investing in multimodal transportation 28
Comments: “Buses” “Public transit” “Horses”
Creating job opportunities, including Arcata’s arts and manufacturing sectors as well
as finding jobs for recent HSU graduates 11
Increasing feelings of safety in public spaces for all users 20
Coordination between HSU and the City 16
Thoughtful City growth, meaning both infill and protection of the City’s green spaces 35
Arcata for All and racial equity work 25
Comment: “Pay POC for the work”
Using arts for self expression, place making and mental health 16
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 18
Climate change/sea level rise preparation and armoring 20
Youth/child support, care, representation and engagement 10
Re-connecting with local indigenous communities 23
Investing in mental and physical health care 18
Gateway Visioning: Vote Tally
Area has good potential and strong community of businesses and residents
looking for new ways to build on that potential 7
Area is a strong off-plaza center for the core downtown, and is well-positioned
to downtown, nature, and the ocean-connect to Plaza with bike/ped
priority-need safe routes to parks 6
Creamery District as strong center and Arcata Playhouse as strong center of Creamery 12
Area needs maintenance/investment-more and bigger sidewalks, repainting of
storefronts, more lighting, more landscaping and greenery, more
public art-murals, etc. 14
Focus on human-scale activity- flow designed for people, design that brings
people together 11
Encourage uses that lead to more events/ people on the street 11
Encourage a diversity of uses and business types, more jobs in the area 9
Focus on communal and shared space, green space, edible landscaping and
native plants-places to linger safely in a beautiful environment 18
Strong arts identity in Creamery and interest in expanding that beyond Creamerycreating spaces and structures for artists, including artist housing and
roles in decision making 13
Concerns of proposed building height/scale, and its effects-shading,
aesthetics, parking 33
Comments: “More parking” “3 max”
Incorporate Wiyot place naming and find ways to honor the fact the Gateway Area
is on unceded land 14
Concerns of re-configured roadway in impacts to surrounding neighborhood-
more cars 20
Other thoughts to share (on City vision and on Gateway vision):
*Note: lots of engagement on sticky notes; appears that as the poster filled up, thoughts shared were
not delineated between the City and the Gateway. Also, notes written on
Dots were included above. Some were not legible in the poster photos.
“Not at all Senior friendly. How many floors will get an elevator? Who will service?” – Sara
Turner
“Seniors and their needs – how about their accessibility issues (biking in rain)?”(Seconded with
three dots)
“Infrastructure concerns are very important – sewer, water, solid waste, electricity”
“Sound proof and color access – so important”
“Arcata has opportunity to bomb as an arts city with the right marketing to create job”
“Try to create (post around the City) messages of minority acceptance”
“Healthcare, transportation, sewage”
“Streamline Section 8 housing vouchers, not the approval process for Big Developers. Time to
stop using public policy to fatten the pocket of the wealthy!” (Seconded with one dot)
“We don’t need to provide housing for every person who wants to live in Arcata. We don’t
need high density.” (Seconded with three dots)
“Design pedestrian and cycling ONLY streets from Gateway Hood to Central Arcata”
“My biggest concern for Arcata is the homeless problem. Is there a formula for how many
homeless our town can manage. I think _____ are way_____our abilities to manage this issue.”
(Seconded with three dots)
“Business incubators – Platform Cooperatives:
• Artist/Artisan
• Child Care
• Elderly Care
• Home Care”
“More focus on safe spaces for youth, BIPOC residents and Queer celebrated areas, art
spaces” (Seconded with two dots)
“6-8 story buildings are not compatible and are out of scale!” “Yes, agree!” (Seconded with two
dots)
“Lets demonstrate mass timber construction (CLT) substitute for concrete & steel”
“Need more townhouses and condos for home ownership”
“Weather does not allow non-car lifestyle for all – Seniors, commuters to Eureka”
“Dog + kid friendly homes”
“Mandate owner occupied properties, to discourage buying and renting out of investment
properties, as we have now.”
“Work on _____ transportation out/in of area to help decrease cars”
“ZIP Cars”
“Waste treatment – will it meet the demand? Its a future (sp?) in 20/30 yrs. Consignally (sp?)
services”
“Moving forward with this project when residents are overwhelmed w/ current events is
WRONG”
“_____ I support multi-modal transportation, there is a severe lack of parking in Arcata so I
hope that increased housing goes hand in hand with consideration of increased parking”
“Provide more parking citywide and especially downtown”. (Seconded with one dot)
“Pay BIPOC + let lead rail equity/equality initiatives”
“Small electric buses run frequently, easy on/off (reduce auto use)” “good idea!” (Seconded
with one dot)
“Increase home ownership”
“Increase parking”
“Protect from flooding and sea level rise”
“The City needs to do a better job of planning and maintaining public spaces”
“People will leave their cars in SoCal IF we have excellent PUBLIC TRANSIT!“ (Seconded with
one dot)
“Four stories plenty! Love bikes + be realistic – most folks still have cars – need to park!”
“Does wastewater treatment system have capacity to accommodate all this?? Land should be
designated & saved for relocation of treatment plant esp. as sea level rises” “Duh” (Seconded
with two dots)
“BIPOC need to be the leaders of racial equity work for the City + need to get paid for it” “Yes”
“Minimum 3 stories for housing + walkability”
“Max 3 stories” “Healthcare” “Agree!” (Seconded with three dots)
“Preparedness for big tech coming to Humboldt?
• Housing
• Arts
• Culture
• Accessibility”

“Max 4 stories. Laundromats. Child care & mental health care accessibility” (Seconded with
one dot)
“More visibility and partnership with the Wiyot and other tribes”
“Invest in hemp and green waste from weed farms and trim jobs”
“Max 3 stories in all districts but Barrel – Max 4 stories in Barrel District”
“City of Arcata should keep maximum building height of 4 stories as stated in the General
Plan”
“4 story max ______ include more parking. I like the traffic _____ But 2 _____”
“Perhaps sharing some illustrations of projected building heights/outlines would help more
people accept the zoning changes. How many 2, 4, 6, 8 story buildings expected in 10
years?”
“Please explain how the number (3500) of proposed increased new dwellers who want to move
here to live in high rise apartments was figured” (Seconded with two dots)
• “No buildings >4 stories”
• Maintain planning commission & city council (public) approval process
• Maintain solar access as a human right”
“Building height 8 – 7 – 5 story buildings adverse affect on whole/shading surrounding area”
*Note: Everything visible was collated. Some content is covered by stickies or illegible. Illegible is noted
with a blank line: __________.
Public Participation during Agendized Discussion of
Arcata’s Strategic Infill Redevelopment Program (SIRP)
at Formal, Open Government Meetings
(Prior to the Release of the Draft Gateway Area Plan)
Findings:
This analysis focuses on formal, open government public meetings held prior to the 12/1/21
release of the draft Gateway Area Plan. Each meeting identifies the agenda item title and the
number of public speakers that gave oral public comment for that agenda item during each
meeting. This analysis does not include the two “Special Meeting Walking Tours” held on
9/14/21 and 9/21/21. All analysis is based on adopted meeting Minutes, video and/or audio
recordings, unless otherwise indicated.
As of 6/17/22, staff has provided five publicly available resources which lists the dates of all
its public engagement efforts. Those five resources were used as references for this public
engagement analysis. For unknown reasons, no formal public meeting dates for the year 2020
were provided within the resources, therefore, information from that year is excluded.
In summary, a total of 20 formal, open government public meetings with agendized discussion
about Arcata’s Strategic Infill Redevelopment Program were held in 2019 and 2021:
4 Planning Commission Meetings: Total 0 public speakers.
5 City Council Meetings: Total 2 public speakers.
3 Study Session Meetings: Total 3 public speakers (one speaker at each meeting).
8* City Committee Meetings: ~1 public comment was provided during each meeting (from a
total of ~3 different public members).
(*Please note: The 9/20/21 Energy Committee Meeting discussed SIRP, yet that information was
not included in staff’s provided resources. It has been included in this analysis, due to that
meeting’s significance and for future discussion continuity.)
Publicly Provided Resources
1) Arcata Strategic Infill Program-Public Engagement & Community Participation,
12/15/21 City Council Meeting, Agenda Packet, pp 75-77. (“…This document provides a
chronological summary of the participation opportunities on the Infill Program. This
engagement summary will be updated periodically.”)
2) Draft Gateway Area Plan, “Public Engagement & Community Participation,” p 7.
3) Infill Market Study-Community Engagement Report, “Community Engagement,” p 1.
4) Arcata’s 6th Cycle 2019-2027 Housing Element, “Summary of Public Outreach,”
12/18/19 City Council Meeting, Agenda Packet, pp 124-127.
5) Draft SIRP Community Engagement Report, 6/22/22 City Council Meeting, Agenda
Packet, p 170.
1
Formal, Open Government Meetings
2019
(All meetings were held In-Person):
• 10/08/19: Planning Commission Meeting (Time stamp 1:40-2:12)
**Housing Element Vacant Sites, Inventory, Policy & Implementation Measure Review.
**No oral public comments given.
• 10/22/19: Planning Commission Meeting (Time stamp 3:30-3:31)
**Housing Element Vacant Sites Inventory Map & Implementation Measure Review.
**Motion to discuss at next meeting (due to late hour). Discussion ~1 minute.
**No invitation for oral public comments.
**Meeting referenced in Resource #1, #3.
• 11/12/19: Planning Commission Meeting (Time stamp 3:08-3:47)
**Review the Draft Housing Element Update and Consider a Rec to the City Council.
**No oral public comments given; 2 emails received/briefly described (3:45).
• 11/20/19: City Council Meeting
**Review the Draft Housing Element and Provide Direction to Staff.
**No oral public comments given.
• 12/04/19: City Council Meeting
**Review the Draft Housing Element and Provide Direction to Staff.
**One oral public comment given.
• 12/10/19: Planning Commission Meeting (Time stamp 1:21-2:31)
**Adopt Resolution Recommending the CC Adopt the Draft Housing Element…
**No oral public comments given.
**Agenda Packet p 360: Attachment A, Exhibit 2: Public Letters Received (6 letters
summarized in draft Housing Element).
• 12/18/19: City Council Meeting
**Adopt Resolution Adopting Housing Element & Adopt CEQA Addendum…
**No oral public comments given.
2021
(All meetings were held Virtually):
• 1/06/21: City Council Meeting
**Consent Calendar, Item G: Authorize the City Manager to Execute a $12,888
Amendment to the Infill Market Study Contract with ADE for Additional Work.
** Item not pulled for discussion.
** No Council discussion, therefore no invitation for oral public comment.
**Meeting referenced in Resource #1.
2
• 1/21/21: City Council Special Study Session
**City’s Long-Range Infill and Redevelopment Planning Efforts.
**No video, audio or Minutes provided, therefore no formal record readily available.
**One oral public comment given (based on an attendee’s written notes).
• 2/03/21: City Council Meeting
**Adopt Infill Market Study.
**One oral public comment given.
• 6/24/21: City Council/Planning Commission Special Study Session (Time stamp 0:46-1:21)
**Discussion on the Strategic Infill Redevelopment Program.
**Video available.
**One oral public comment given.
• 8/10/21: Planning Commission Study Session (Time stamp 0:16-1:17)
**Strategic Infill Redevelopment Program.
**Video available.
**Connie Stewart attended & shared info/updates. (1:05)
**No additional oral public comment given beyond C.S.’s input.
City Committee Meetings, Summer, 2021 (All meetings were held Virtually):
● Six Committees received a presentation about the GAP/General Plan Updates (with a
total of 8 conducted meetings).
● All meetings were audio recorded.
● Staff liaisons typically had primary access to the number of public attendees/meeting.
● 4/8 meetings were attended by at least one public member. 4/8 meetings were attended
by at least two public members.
● ~1 public comment was provided during each meeting (from a total of ~3 different
public members).
• 7/6/21: Economic Development Committee
• 7/14/21: Parks and Recreation Committee
• 7/15/21: Historic Landmarks Committee
• 7/19/21: Energy Committee
• 7/20/21: Transportation Safety Committee
• 7/20/21: Wetlands and Creeks Committee
• 8/17/21: Transportation Safety Committee
• 9/20/21: Energy Committee
This report was prepared for Responsible Growth Arcata (RGA) by an independent community
member, and created in the spirit of community service. All information in this analysis can be
independently verified from sources provided above.
3
Sample Unresolved Technical Questions/Issues for the Proposed Task Force to Address
1. What will it cost Arcata (presumably shared with Cal Poly Humboldt) to provide fire protection
for buildings higher than 4 stories, and how will that be addressed? Is grant funding available
and obtainable? Will it cover equipment, training, etc.? Will Cal Poly provide its fair share?
2. RE Waste Treatment Infrastructure:
a. If population grows by 8000 or more people as projected, is there sufficient space
available at the current location to accommodate additional mechanical treatment to
address the projected effluent?
b. If not, would the plant need to be relocated, and if so, what are the options for
relocating the plant, what would it cost, and who would/should pay (incl. Cal Poly)?
c. If Arcata experiences increasingly strong storms due to climate change (as is happening
elsewhere), are the two backup storage ponds sufficient to handle the likely storm
water inflows that have led to violations in the past?
3. RE 6- 8-story buildings, if built: Where and how should they be located to:
a. Avoid solar shading other buildings
b. Accommodate existing groundwater levels and sea level rise
c. Avoid earthquake zones/faults
d. Avoid brownfields and other hazardous soils from prior uses, or unstable soils
vulnerable to liquifaction
e. Avoid creating view-shed issues
f. Enable adequate parking to accommodate residents?
4. Will the foundation and material costs for building up to 8-story buildings actually make such
buildings more affordable? How many units (what density) would be required to cover the
additional building costs?
5. What is preventing developers from building more high density development now under our
current zoning codes and building standards, given the existence of the state legislation with its
density bonuses?
6. What do we know (definitely) about the implications of recent state legislation, or can we know
until there are more case law/examples?
7. What percentage of affordable units is required to trigger the density bonus?
8. RE Form-Based Codes:
a. Precisely what do form-based codes cover, aside from the building height and density,
setbacks, facades? What additional objective standards need to be developed to ensure
control over new development so that it meets Arcata’s vision for such development?
b. Are form-based codes preferable to simply establishing objective standards for high
density residential development? What do form-based codes provide that makes them
preferable to maintaining Planning Commission and City Council oversight and control?
c. Do form-based codes provide any better protection vis a vis state density bonuses
compared to setting objective standards? If so, how and why?
d. Assuming Arcata adopts a form-based code, how to we rate the value of the amenities
according to desirability for the city? Who decides? What additional cost is each
amenity likely to add to the development’s cost?
e. Are some amenities so important to Arcata that they should be requirements?
9. What kind of financial or other incentives can be provided to developers to develop condos, or a
mix of rental and owner-occupied units (vs. purely rental units)?
10. What kinds of funding can be obtained to incentivize developers to provide affordable (vs.
market-rate) housing? What are the options for State and federal grants, private investors or
investment groups (locally, regionally)? Are federal and/or state subsidies likely to continue?
11. How do we incentivize local developers (vs. out-of-town large corporate ones)?
12. To ensure the availability of parks and green space, can Arcata identify desired locations and
purchase the land now to ensure its availability (as has been done with the Arcata Community
Forest) using state and federal grant funding? How can Arcata do that?

Chapters

Specific, Special, and Fun

Grand Jury Report on the Arcata Fire District

Mad River Union – Grand Jury foresees Fire District funding, staffing, equipment shortfalls

Arcata Fire District needs funds for safety — Who will pay?

Fire and Safety issues in Arcata and the Gateway Plan

Arcata Fire District issues – Selected Articles

Portland: Mixed-use zoning results in apartments and one-story houses side-by-side

Ben Noble Form-Based Code presentation – June 29, 2022 – Part 3 Ministerial Review

Ben Noble Form-Based Code presentation – June 29, 2022 – Part 3 Ministerial Review

Gateway Ministerial Review and what it means for you

Ministerial Review – Selected Articles

Arcata in the 1970s — 9-minute film and still photos

Merritt Perry — Fortuna City Manager will be Arcata’s new City Manager

What a destructive fire in a 4-story apartment building looks like

Sunset-101 Roundabouts — Let’s improve the design and make it SAFE

Sunset-101 Roundabout discussion – Video and transcripts — City Council, February 21, 2024

The Sunset-101 Interchange design — It’s unsafe, and someone will be hurt

Chris Richards & Jane Woodward – August 23, 2022

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