The people at Urban Field Studio are architects. I am not an architect. It does seem that they did not give much time or thought to this study. Or, possibly, not have much thought to what makes Arcata special, and to what we’re trying to achieve.

Community Meeting ★ The Gateway Area Plan ★ The L Street Pathway & Linear Park ★ Bring your questions ★ Everyone is welcome ★ Discussion – Strategies – Involvement ★★★ Monday  July 10th - 5:30 to 7:00 PM ★★★ Doors open at 5:20 – Come early! ★ Arcata Playhouse - The Creamery Building ★ 1251 9th Street.

The 3D Modeling that was developed for the Gateway Plan can be utilized to show the Planning Commissioners, the Councilmembers, and the public what a realistic image of what the draft Form-Based Code will produce for building massing and placement. **** Why is 3D Modeling not being used?  We all know that the 3D Modeling tool is the best way to illustrate building massing and placement. What do we want our buildings to look like?

No upper floor stepbacks = Less sun, more shading, more of a canyon along the streets of Arcata. This article is a 6-minute segment from Ben Noble, describing requirements for stepbacks in the Form-Based Code.

What do we want our buildings to look like? Do we want a boxy building with 5-story walls that go straight up and completely shade the adjoining houses? It is all decided by the Form-Based Code. **** A very brief article with IMAGES that show our choices.

During the past more than one-and-a-half years of discussion on the draft Gateway Plan, we've seen a variety of important aspects of the plan come and go. Critical issues seemed to have arrived as firm promises and later vanished like smoke following a Planning Commission conversation of just a minute or two. Or vanished with no conversation whatsoever. *** An area that's near and dear to the hearts of Arcatans are building heights and the set-back and step-back requirements for new buildings.

Original article: June 16, 2022 --We've been promised the 3D modeling for at least four or five months now. *** ONE AND A HALF YEARS NOW **** Why is 3D Modeling so important? Look at the pictures here and decide for yourself.

I’m writing you in response to the action taken by the Planning Commissioners, on June 13, completely dismissing enhanced upper story setbacks. --- If solar shading issues can not be addressed through step backs, then include a community benefit that benefits the entire neighborhood: A greater setback that offers open space to the neighborhood.

Redwood City's Downtown Precise Plan includes Form-Based code and Planning Commission review. It all took 4 years to develop. The Form-Based Code can serve as a model for Arcata.

Now at eighteen months from the introduction of the Draft Gateway Area Plan, the wonderful world that was promised by the plan seems ever more unlikely. I refer to that wonderful world of “thousands of housing units that are environmentally sustainable and affordable to people in all income ranges” and “a broad range of housing densities and types, including rental and owner‐occupied options” that is promised on the opening page of the Draft Plan and continued in that theme throughout the document. *** Let’s look at what’s been ignored over these past eighteen months.

WITH TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE NOTES. ** Why was this "open discussion" meeting so controlled? In his introduction David Loya made clear what he was there to discuss. What the people there wanted to talk about apparently was not of large importance.

Let’s go the next step beyond travel lanes and bike lanes, sidewalks and crosswalks. Let’s design streets for living, not just driving. *** We used to grow up on the street. We’d play, we’d walk to the neighbors with a casserole for the block potluck, we’d ride bikes, play games, hang out, socialize. So would our pets. Drivers knew enough to watch out for us. We all survived and thrived. We want that again. ***

The City planners consider walking distance as an "as the crow flies" distance -- NOT a real-life walking distance. This a entire “10 minute walk” map is very misleading. It is a computer-drawn map with no regard to actually walking along a street. Yes, the Gateway area is close to town, and, yes, it is walking distance to many locations. But it is not true that “the Arcata sports complex is just within a 10-minute walk.” A person has to cross Highway 101 on 7th Street to get to the Sports Complex.

The proposed re-zoning of certain Arcata parcels, as part of the updating of the General Plan, includes sections of our town both south and north of the Craftman's Mall site. **** Please recognize that the southern portion of this area is very much different from the central (the dorms) and the northern portions of this area. De-couple the southern portion, and do not re-zone that neighborhood as Residential High Density.

To support walkability, bikeability, and high‐quality transit in the area, and to adhere to the goal of protecting our forest, agriculture, and natural resource lands, it is imperative that taller buildings are included in this plan. If measures are taken to mitigate shading concerns, it is important to offset them elsewhere in order to maintain effective density development.

Suggestions for the Planning Commission to consider at their April 22, 25, and 27 meeting.

The L Street corridor has created a peaceful, accessible, aesthetic alternative to roads with cars. We are extremely lucky that we have it, so far. --- If there were a road there that included vehicle traffic, even with some kind of barrier, its aesthetic value would be gone. --- If I were a mother, I would not take my children there. If I had a dog, we would go elsewhere. If I wanted to visit with friends, not there. If I were taking a walk, a bike ride, a run: no. Whatever draws me there now will be gone. We will not do art there, make music there, sit in the shade with a sandwich.

A special page for City Council and Planning Commission members -- and a great place for all readers to learn more about the Gateway Plan. This page will be updated regularly. Come back for more!

BROWN ACT VIOLATION --- This memo was submitted to the Planning Commission at the March 14 meeting of the PC. Printed copies were offered to people who were present, but nothing was available to persons who were watching on-line either at that time nor later. --At that meeting, a new Chair and Vice-Chair were elected. The wording of the 1st line "I support Scott Davies as Chair and Dan Tangney as Vice-Chair of the Commission." seems to imply that Commissioner Lehman had advance knowledge that Davies and Tangney would be nominated.

Ben Noble's orientation seems to be urban and modern. Frankly, I don’t think he’s the right man for the job here. ------ Here’s a proposal. Pick one site. Have a discussion among yourselves about what kind of Form-Based Code it would take to satisfy what you want to see happen on that one site. I propose the AmeriGas site – between 6th & 7th, between K and L. Here’s why.

City of Arcata Community Open House - January 21 and 22, 2022 - Feedback results - Collated by Responsible Growth Arcata volunteers, based on photos taken at the end of the event. The overwhelming number of attendees want buildings with no more than four stories.

"I believe you need to seriously work with Cal Poly to address the capacity of Arcata Fire to address buildings higher than 4 stories.... The Planning Commission and staff are spending a great deal of time discussing and selecting amenities before it is even clear that building greater than 4 stories is either desired by the Arcata Community (no valid representative survey has been conducted) or feasible economically for contractors to build, particularly if we are trying to construct affordable housing, due to the enormous cost of the required foundations and other building materials."

The Westwood Garden Apartments project was approved by the Planning Commission on October 27, 2022. False and misleading information contained in the Staff Report apparently influenced the Commissioners in their decision. Ten days later, a group of citizens -- residents of the current apartment buildings on the site -- appealed this to the City Council. This letter presents the nature of that false information, and requests the City Council to waive the $1,867 that the residents collected for the Appeal Fee.

*** NOT IN THE PACKET *** The Westwood Garden Apartments project was approved by the Planning Commission on October 27, 2022. False and misleading information contained in the Staff Report apparently influenced the Commissioners in their decision. Ten days later, a group of citizens -- residents of the current apartment buildings on the site -- appealed this to the City Council. This letter presents the nature of that false information, and requests the City Council to waive the $1,867 that the residents collected for the Appeal Fee. ------------------------------------------ Note:  This letter was not included in the City Council packet for the December 7 meeting (original appeal meeting date) and it was not included in the City Council packet for the January 4th meeting (when the appeal was heard). The reason for the omission of this detailed, pertinent letter is unknown.