This letter is from our partner organization RCCER, updating us on the Gateway plan and asking for people to support it at the meeting on May 29. We hope a lot of us from 350 Humboldt will be able to make it.
350 Humboldt Steering Committee
***
Exciting news! After years of deliberation and work, the Gateway Area Plan and Arcata General Plan was approved by the Arcata Planning Commission. Now, the Arcata City Council is finally getting ready to discuss and approve the Gateway Area Plan and General Plan updates.
SAVE THE DATE: This Wednesday evening (May 29) at 5:30pm, the Arcata City Council will be holding a special meeting to discuss the Gateway Area Plan before they make a final vote in the coming weeks.
This is an important meeting to ensure the Gateway Area Plan moves forward intact. We know that opponents of the plan are trying to turn out a large number of people to weaken the Plan, and it is critical that the meeting include pro-housing and pro-environment voices of support. We encourage you to mark your calendars and come to Wednesday’s meeting at Arcata City Hall and voice your support!
While commenting during the meeting is the most impactful way to have your voice heard, you can also email the City Council to express support (and their emails are included below).*
MORE INFORMATION:
RCCER strongly supports the Gateway Area Plan as a template for climate-friendly development of desperately needed housing in Arcata.
Here are some talking points on the climate and people friendly elements of the Gateway Area Plan that RCCER wants to ensure get adopted:
- RCCER strongly supports denser development in the Gateway area. Density is climate-friendly, encourages equitable transportation, and prevents sprawl. We welcome the strategic use of taller buildings as a way to conserve the farm and wild lands that make this Country special.
- RCCER supports measures in the plan to encourage greater housing affordabilityto ensure new development advances racial and economic justice in our community.
- RCCER supports streamlined zoning requirements and minimal design guidelines that allow for dense housing that remains affordable to build. This is to ensure that nonprofit, community-focused, and mission-driven developers can invest in housing in the district and are not negatively impacted by overly restrictive zoning guidelines that increase building costs and reduce affordability.
- RCCER celebrates the plan’s elimination of minimum parking mandates in the Gateway area, and calls on the city to extend this policy across the city. The city should not be mandating private automobile storage at the expense of walkability and public transportation.
Two other things to keep in mind when commenting:
- Express gratitude: It has been a long (and at times painful) process to develop the Gateway Area Plan. Let’s thank City staff and officials for their time, attention, and commitment to this important effort.
- Get personal: A comment is always stronger if you can connect it back to your own lived experience. Have you or loved ones struggled with housing affordability locally? Are you worried about sprawl because of a personal or professional commitment to the environment? Be sure to share that here!
Again, we encourage you to mark your calendars and come to Wednesday’s meeting and voice your support!
Thanks for taking the time to make your voice heard. Rock on, friends!