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I am contacting you regarding the recent proposal of the City’s General Plan Update. I did not receive your recent flier
but I have heard of it, and as a nearly lifelong resident of Arcata, I wanted to speak out. Your goal of “spurring investment and redevelopment within Arcata’s existing city boundary” concerns me. Looking at the maps of the proposed changes, I conclude you want to fundamentally change the look and character of Arcata. I of course have seen
more open space in the city limits turned into residential and commercial use in the last 50 years than I could list here, and while I understand growth is almost inevitable, I think we have grown sufficiently. I do not want to see more open space built upon, especially in the northwestern part of the city, as you are encouraging. I know the planned growth in
Cal‐Poly Humboldt is part of what is driving you, but CPH should not be making our planning policies. The city should have tried to stop them from going in the direction they have now gone in the first place, instead of trying to build up our city to accommodate all their new students. We can still say no. I do not believe the administration of CPH, nor
frankly many of its students, care much about Arcata. I am certain that all the big real estate developers in the area will love your plan, but like CPH, they only represent their own self‐interest, not the city as a whole nor it’s residents. They probably dream of an Arcata filled with strip malls with giant corporate chains. I want Arcata to retain what little rural and small‐town feel it has left. We should instead have a plan for not growing in population and manage the population we have now to the benefit of all. Do not think I am some kind of NIMBY conservative. I like much of the urban progressive attitude of Arcata, much of which has resulted from people coming to live here from other places over the
last 2‐3 generations. I do not want more urban infrastructure and growth. Your plan terms what you want as “development” but it only seems like growth. There is an old saying: We need smart development, not dumb growth.