Around 2021, Mark Pahuta put up a video of Super-8 film he shot while in Arcata. The film is dated as being from 1968, but more likely it's from around 1976-1977. FILM and STILL IMAGES of Arcata from that era.
Merritt Perry has been the city manager in Fortuna for more than years. Prior to that he worked as City Engineer and director of Public Works in Fortuna for four years. He became interim City Manager following the resignation (after a second DUI) of former Fortuna city manager and Arcata city councilmember and 3-time mayor Mark Wheetley.
Three videos of the fire from June 19, 2024, in Miami. "I did get a chance to speak to one gentleman who tells me he was actually sleeping at the time. He awoke not because he smelled the smoke, not because he heard the commotion, but because he heard a firefighter knocking at his front door. That's what prompted him to get up, get outside."
The traffic crossings are not safe. IT WILL ONLY TAKE ONE FATALITY to have us wishing that we'd thought about this more and done things differently. WITH PHOTOS of 3D images, models, and flashing beacon lights.
Video and Transcriptions on the Sunset-101 Roundabout discussion. From the City Council meeting, February 21, 2024. "If you can make those changes -- the full separated bike and pedestrian facilities, the additional traffic calming measures, and getting rid of the slip lanes."
The letter that sent to the City Council, to request that the Sunset-101 Interchange funding be removed from the Consent Calendar, so that it can be further discussed. From the letter: "I believe there are unsafe elements to this design -- and that the design can be improved to make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The design is good for vehicle traffic flow -- but not so good for bikes and walkers. My strong concern is that with this design there will be vehicle - bicyclist collisions. *** My concern is that someone will get hurt.***
Here are images of the design of the roundabouts for the multiple-lane intersection of Sunset Avenue, L. K. Wood Boulevard, and the four on-ramps/off-ramps for US Highway 101. The question is: WHERE ARE THE BIKE LANES?
Part 2. The multi-road intersections of Sunset Avenue, L. K. Wood Boulevard, G Street, H Street, and the four on-ramps/off-ramps for US Highway 101 are an acknowledged difficult situation. The solution that's provide is not, in my view, a good solution. I think this design would be the source of all kinds of problems. I believe there must be a better solution for us at this intersection. We can do better.
The letter sent to the City Council. This item was on their agenda for the February 21, 2024 meeting. The overall design of this interchange does not seem safe -- not safe for bicyclists, for pedestrians, and not even safe for cars. WE CAN DO BETTER,
If you tried to watch the live video stream of that May 29th meeting or wanted to review it by video, you may have felt some frustration or confusion. On the live video stream or in the video, we can hear the City Council -- but we couldn't see the Council. Some times for long stretches in the video -- up to 19 minutes in one case -- there is no image of any human being. With a SUGGESTION to correct this.
From the Arcata Fire District May 28, 2024 letter: "We are writing to request that approval of these elements be denied at this time and put on hold until the AP Triton Standard of Coverage (SOC) for the AFPD is completed and the Arcata City Council and AFPD Board of Directors achieve consensus on a plan for the likely expansion of the District's capacity."
To the City Council for the 1st public hearing at the Council on the General Plan, Gateway Area Plan, Gateway Code, and Program Environmental Impact Report. --- "As you must be aware, the Council is in a difficult situation here. You are being asked to approve a set of documents that are incomplete." With 5 very important topics suggested for review, and 5 other lesser but still very significant topics.
THIS NEWSLATTER WAS SENT OUT ON MONDAY, MAY 27, 2024. The two scheduled public hearings with the Arcata City Council take place on Wednesdays -- May 29 and June 5, 2024. If needed, the public hearing meetings will be continued. The City Council will consider, take public comment on, discuss, and perhaps vote to adopt the Gateway Area Plan, the Gateway Zoning Code, the Arcata General Plan 2045, and the Final Environmental Report.
Fresh from 1958, we have The Gateway Singers. Included here is the video and lyrics for "The Ballad of Sigmund Freud." Missing are the Gateway Singers performances of "Let's all Room Together" and "Supply and Demand."
The LU-9 Implementation Measure in the draft General Plan would allow 4 and 5-story buildings in the Bayview, Northtown, Upper I & J Street, and Sunset neighborhoods. A rezoning would allow "Local-serving commercial uses such as corner grocery stores and coffee shops" throughout those neighborhoods.
**** LU-9 does not belong in Arcata's General Plan **** WITH IMAGES OF WHAT COULD BE BUILT.
Reading time: 14 minutes -- The "Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible" Open Space program is another ill-conceived aspect of the Gateway Plan. Again, noble in concept -- and unlikely to give desired results in its execution. A look at the design of the Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible Open Space program, to see how it can be improved. With maps, commentary, and SOLUTIONS.
The "plan" for human-access parks in the Arcata Gateway area is woefully inadequate.
To make the Gateway area livable for thousands of people, we need real parks.
Sure, there's open space. But where are the parks? Gateway needs parks! How is Arcata going to supply adequate parks for 2,000 people? Parks = Community. Places to meet, talk, hang out. Children's playgrounds too. If we don't insist on this, it's not going to happen.
Letter submitted to the Arcata Parks and Recreation Committee for their July 13th, 2022 meeting.
Agenda item: “Consider the Gateway Area Plan and provide a recommendation to Council”
Three 35-second videos - QUICK to watch. Plus descriptions, images, and commentary on Solar Shading situation. Arcata's northern latitude makes for a low angle of sun in the Winter months. Any building will make a shadow in the space next to it. The taller the building, the longer the shadow. *** In terms of determining what the solar shading caused by taller buildings on specific sites, unless we have some kind of images of the extent of the solar shading we are "flying blind."
Reading/viewing time: 6 minutes -- Transcription and all images from the video of Shading Analysis. This is a step in the right direction, but completely inadequate. It fails to fully illustrate what the results of solar shading would be with multiple 6-story buildings in the Gateway area.
The Building & Massing Presentation that arrived on August 12 provides so much needed information, along with the first glimpses of the long-awaited 3D modeling. 2: Solar Shading.
HUMOR: Last Tuesday’s PlanCom meeting brought direction that impacts all future-oriented Arcatans, whether they are animal, mineral, or vegetable. In a 6 to 1 vote (with Commissioner Kermit Junn dissenting as usual), the PlanCom strengthened their determination to prohibit occupancy of ants from the Gateway Area. --- “This was always the intention from the start of this process, hundreds of millions of years ago,” remarked Elated Boya, Arcata's Community Development Director. “Possibly you missed those early meetings. For Arcata to have a micro-micro-grid of bicycle lanes, ants would only get in the way.”
An open message to Arcata's City Council, and to every living, breathing person in Arcata who cares about our future. ---- Does a decision need to be made as to the fate of L Street, whether it's going to be a park or a thoroughfare street, prior to Ben Noble formulating much of the Form-Based Code? ---- This is the Council's chance to take an appropriate leadership position. To act otherwise is hypocrisy.
In June, 2010, the City of Arcata published a 160-page document titled "Arcata Rail With Trail Feasibility Study and Operations Plan." This detailed study is significant now for the Gateway Area Plan because of its depiction of how L Street would be converted into a Linear Park. With images and street designs. **** THIS IS A "MUST SEE" DOCUMENT by the Planning Commissioners, the City Council, and all citizens who want to see how exciting and desirable an L Street Corridor Linear Park could be.
This page contains an assortment of photographs and aerial views of the L Street Pathway area. It will be updated as new images come in, so be sure to check back to see what's new.
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.
A 2nd copy of the original July 13, 2022, letter to Parks and Recreation Committee on the need for dedicated parks within the Gateway area -- in particular, playgrounds for children. Request for differentiation between adult recreation (bocce, basketball) and children's playgrounds. Request for differentiation between open space in the form of trails versus open space in the form of parks where people can congregate, sit, and play. Points out falseness of draft plan's “Existing Parks and Recreational Facilities” map.
NOW INCLUDES EUREKA COMMUNITY MEETING. Videos made during walkability expert Dan Burden's visit to Humboldt County on July 22-25, 2023. Free events took place in Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, and Blue Lake.
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. ***