UPDATED: Friday, February 4, 2022
The Community Development Department released the draft of the Gateway Area Plan on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 which provides details of how Arcata’s Gateway Area could be redeveloped to create more housing and job opportunities for the community.
The Gateway Area Plan draft will be circulated to the public for approximately one year before it can be adopted by the City Council, and members of the public may review the Gateway Area Plan draft here.
Click here to watch a 60-minute informational video about the Gateway Area Plan draft.
City staff has been holding a series of public meetings to discuss the contents of the draft since December 2021, and the Community Development Department has scheduled more public engagement opportunities this month which include:
- Tuesday, February 8 - The draft plan will be discussed at the Planning Commission meeting at 6 PM The meeting agenda and Zoom link is available here.
- Saturday, February 12 - City staff will be present at the Arcata Plaza Farmers’ Market from 10 AM to 2 PM to share information, answer questions, and help community members complete the Community Vision Survey.
- Tuesday, February 15 - The draft plan will be discussed at a special Parks & Recreation Committee meeting at 6 PM. The meeting agenda and Zoom link is available here.
- Saturday, February 26 - City staff will be present at the Arcata Plaza Farmers’ Market from 10 AM to 2 PM to share information, answer questions, and help community members complete the Community Vision Survey.
In addition, the City of Arcata has released the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan Update. This EIR process includes an analysis of the Gateway Area Plan draft as a new Element of the City’s General Plan, and associated zoning changes needed in order to implement the General Plan. The City encourages the community to submit comments and suggestions regarding the preparation of the EIR, environmental issues and alternatives that will be addressed in the EIR, and any other related issues.
The NOP review period begins on Friday, February 4 and closes on Monday, March 7 at 5 PM. Written comments may be sent by email to Community Development Director, David Loya, at dloya@cityofarcata.org with cc to comdev@cityofarcata.org, or by mail to City of Arcata, Community Development, 736 F Street, Arcata, CA 95521.
A virtual public scoping meeting regarding the EIR will be held on Thursday, February 24 at 5:30 PM.
The meeting is being conducted on Zoom, and the link to attend can be found here.
More opportunities for public engagement regarding the Gateway Area plan draft will be announced as dates are finalized. Community members are encouraged to sign up for the Community Development Department’s Long Range Planning & Community Visioning email notification list to stay updated on public comment and engagement opportunities. Sign up by clicking here.
Arcata residents are encouraged to share their input and reach out to the Community Development Department with questions regarding the draft of Arcata Gateway Area Plan.
Groups of five to 20 community members are invited to schedule their own Gateway Area Walking Tour with City staff by calling (707) 825-2213.
In addition, City staff is available to meet with individuals or groups of community members interested in discussing the plan. City staff can be reached by email at dfreitas@cityofarcata.org or by calling 707-825-2213 to schedule a virtual or in-person meeting.
The Community Development Department has created a Community Visioning Survey for residents and non-residents to share their thoughts on Arcata’s future. Based on community feedback, the deadline to participate has been extended to Friday, April 1, 2022. Feedback received from the survey will help shape Arcata’s future development priorities. The survey is available in Spanish and in English, and can be accessed here.
Based on public input received in the last month, the Community Development Department has identified common concerns related to the draft plan and has created a fact sheet for the public to review. The fact sheet will be updated regularly, and is available here.
Video recordings of previous public engagement meetings regarding the Gateway Area Plan draft, including the virtual Town Hall, Planning Commission and City Council meetings are available to view on the City of Arcata’s YouTube page.
For more information on the Gateway Area Plan draft or to learn more about Community Development projects and plans, please click here or call 707-825-2213.
A portion of the Gateway Plan Area, courtesy of the City of Arcata.