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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.

Request for the Arcata City Council to Establish a
Gateway Plan Advisory Committee
Historically, the City of Arcata’s finest large-scale infrastructure projects and long-range planning
accomplishments have relied on community-based processes, wisdom, innovation, and can-do spirit.
Today, the City of Arcata needs to finalize a high-quality Gateway Plan that best reflects the community’s longrange visions, its priorities for the future, and its values in terms of future development.
Request to City Council: Through a community-based and open government process, establish a Gateway
Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) that would:
● Serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council, and work collaboratively with city staff and the
Planning Commission as directed by City Council;
● Prepare reflective recommendations to improve goals, policies, and implementation measures; and
● Assist city staff and consultants in completing a high-quality Gateway Plan.
Recommended GPAC Structure:
● Small number of GPAC members (7-9) for efficiency;
● Modeled after the successful Plaza Improvement Task Force; and
● City Council-appointed committee members could include residents, business owners, a Planning
Commissioner, and other diverse, representative stakeholders from the community.
Justification:
● During the global pandemic, too many COVID-related variables impaired city staff’s ability to
effectively engage the public;
● Six months after the draft Gateway Plan was released, city staff reported to Council: “The Gateway
Area Plan has generated significant, diverse and in sections divergent public input. We [Staff]
will continue to gather input through the community design process which might bring some
of the divergent ideas aligned.” (6/1/22 Arcata City Council Meeting, Agenda Packet, p. 215); and
● The City has established and implemented multiple Task Forces/Advisory Committees to
collaboratively complete large infrastructure and long-range planning processes – successfully and in
a timely manner.
What the GPAC Would Do:
● Synthesize the existing community input to date and assist in gathering additional focused input on
key community issues raised through an equitable and inclusive community engagement process;
● Define a community-supported, stable Gateway Plan framework that aligns the community’s
vision with objective development/design standards, including densities, building
height/massing, setbacks, streetscapes, articulation, mobility/parking (including L Street),
public open space, arts and culture, etc., to help inform the potential Form-Based Code; and
● Identify and prioritize valued amenities to assist in developing the Community Benefit Program.
How the GPAC Would Improve the Process to Finalize a High-Quality Gateway Plan:
● Help finalize the Gateway Plan in a way that increases inclusive and equitable community
engagement, consistent with Arcata City Council’s current Goals and Policy Objectives;
● Offer an atmosphere more conducive to improving transparency, trust, and community buy-in;
● Collaboratively address and resolve the diverse, divergent challenges and ongoing deficiencies
which have been identified by city staff, Planning Commission, City Council, and the public; and
● Develop an ambitious, yet achievable, process and timeline to expedite Gateway Plan completion.
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The 82 signatories below support this request:
Name Affiliation
Mr. Don Allan Former Arcata resident, former board member of RCAA
Mr. Allan Anderson Arcata resident, business owner in Gateway Area
Ms. Aurelia Anderson Arcata resident, business owner in Gateway Area
Ms. Heather Bakken Arcata resident, Employed in Gateway Area
Mr. James Becker Arcata resident
Mr. Daniel Bixler Arcata resident, Vice Chair of the concluded Plaza Improvement Task Force
Ms. Melanie Bright Arcata resident
Ms. Catherine Brown Arcata resident
Ms. Myrna Cambrianica Future Arcata resident
Ms. Patricia Cambrianica Arcata resident
Ms. Christine Champe Arcata resident and business owner
Mr. Kirk Cohune Business Owner of Greenway Partners and Creamery District Property Owner
Mr. Michael Cuthbert Arcata resident
Mr. Aaron de Bruyn Arcata resident, employed in Creamery District
Ms. Joy de Bruyn Arcata resident, employed in Creamery District
Ms. Jackie Dandeneau Artistic Executive Director for Arcata Playhouse
Mr. Brian David Arcata resident and business owner (Ken’s Auto Parts)
Mr. Anthony DeLuca Arcata resident
Ms. Lindsay Demello Arcata resident
Ms. Francie Demello Arcata resident
Ms Catherin Dunaway Arcata resident
Mr. Daniel Duncan Arcata resident
Mr. Todd Ellingson Arcata business owner (Complete Engine Service)
Ms. Laura Estetter Arcata resident
Dr. Bradley Finney Professor, Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Environmental Resources Engineering
Mr. John Fixico Arcata resident, employed in Gateway Area
Ms. Michelle Fuller Arcata resident, Arcata representative for Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District
Dr. Robert Gearheart Arcata resident, Professor Emeritus Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Environmental
Resources Engineering
Ms. Mary Gearheart Arcata resident, former Arcata and Humboldt County Planning Commissioner
Ms. Lia Groeling Arcata resident
Mr. Aaron Graff Arcata resident, employed in Gateway Area
Mr. Chad Grammer Arcata resident, business owner in Gateway Area (North Bay Auto)
Ms Abby Hamburg Arcata resident
Ms Susan Hansen Arcata resident
Mr. Stan Henerson Arcata resident
Mr. Royal Hunter Arcata resident
Mr. Vaughn Hutchins Arcata business owner, member of Arcata Artisans
Mr. Don Johnson Arcata resident
Ms. Sarah Jones Arcata resident
Mr. Jalon Joy Employed in Gateway Area
Mr. Stuart Juodeika Arcata resident
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Name Affiliation
Mr. Greg King Arcata resident, Executive Director of Siskiyou Land Conservancy
Ms. Sharon King Arcata resident
Dr. Ann King-Smith Arcata resident, former Arcata Planning Commissioner
Mr. Randy Klein Arcata resident
Mr. Craig Knox Arcata resident
Ms. Marianne Knox Arcata resident
Mr. Aldaron Laird Arcata resident, former Arcata Planning Commissioner
Mr. Eric Laudenslager Arcata resident adjacent to Gateway Area
Ms Pam Laudenslager Arcata resident adjacent to Gateway Area
Mr. Nick Lucchesi Arcata resident and business owner
Ms. Moonlight Macumber Arcata resident, former member of the Transportation Safety Committee member
and concluded Plaza Improvement Task Force
Ms Rebecca McBain Arcata business owner adjacent to Gateway Area (McBain Associates)
Mr. Scott McBain Arcata business owner adjacent to Gateway Area (McBain Associates)
Stephanie McCaleb Arcata resident
Ms. Indigo McGinnis Arcata resident
Ms. Pamela Mendelsohn Arcata resident
Mr. David Meserve Arcata resident, former Arcata City Councilmember
Mr. Ron Meyers Arcata resident
Ms. Debra Meyers Arcata resident
Ms. Nancy Noll Arcata resident
Mr. Alex Nosenzo Arcata resident, employed in Gateway Area
Mr. Ray Olson Arcata resident, former Wetlands and Creeks Committee member
Mr. Scott Patrick Arcata business owner (Neely Automotive)
Mr. Riley Quarles Arcata resident, Cal Poly Humboldt Retiree
Dr. Steven Railsback Arcata resident, Arcata small business co-owner (Lang, Railsback & Associates)
Mr. Paul Rosenblatt Arcata resident, former Arcata business owner
Ms. Nancy Rehg Arcata resident, Arcata business owner
Mr. Curt Reichlin Arcata business owner in Gateway Area (Industrial Electric)
Mr. Chris Richards Arcata resident and business owner (Chris Richards Automotive)
Mr. Bruce Rupp Arcata property owner, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Secretary/Treasurer
Mr. Steve Salzman Environmental Engineer
Ms. Sherri Starr Arcata resident
Mr. Scott Stevens Arcata resident and former business owner (North Bay Auto)
Mr. Philip Stevens Arcata resident
Ms. Marilyn Tucker Arcata resident
Mr. Joe Vagle Arcata business owner (Arcata Used Tire)
Ms. Carol VanKeuren Business owner in Gateway Area (Rich’s Body Shop)
Mr. Rich VanKeuren Business owner in Gateway Area (Rich’s Body Shop)
Mr. Steve VanKeuren Arcata resident, business owner in Gateway Area (Rich’s Body Shop)
Ms. Sheri Woo Arcata business owner, Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board of Directors
Ms. Jane Woodward Arcata resident, former Chair of Arcata Economic Development Committee