Screenshot of Wednesday’s Arcata City Council Meeting.
At a public hearing for the Gateway Area Plan and General Plan last night, Arcata City Council members discussed final changes they’d like to see before ratifying the documents. The plans, which establish policies and zoning changes that will likely change Arcata’s housing landscape in the coming decades, will come before the Council twice more in the coming months.
Because Vice Mayor Alex Stillman and Councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar have recused themselves from Gateway Area-related topics due to conflicts of interest, discussion on the Gateway Area Plan and General Plan were split into two agenda items.
Here’s a quick rundown of what they talked about.
Gateway Area Plan and Code
Over the first half of the meeting, Mayor Meredith Matthews and Councilmembers Sarah Schaefer and Kimberley White discussed the Gateway Area Plan and Gateway Code, which will rezone 139 acres of southwest Arcata to pave the way for mixed-use and high-density housing development.
During the public comment period, quite a few folks advocated for a linear park along the L Street trail. Afterwards, the three non-recused Councilmembers discussed ways to protect and further develop the existing bike and walking path on L street, from Samoa Boulevard to Alliance Road. They decided to add language that guarantees protection of the L Street path in the plan, and to add a measure for the development of a linear park along the L Street path over the next two years.
To increase transparency, the Council also changed the review process for taller buildings. Instead of the Zoning Administrator, the Planning Commission will hear proposals for buildings four stories or higher, which will include a public administrative hearing.
General Plan 2045
The full Council convened to discuss the General Plan 2045 comprehensive update during the second half of the meeting. They requested a few minor changes to the Plan, and also discussed some concerns related to sea level rise and the Arcata Fire District.
The General Plan’s policy on pedestrian pathways and multi-use trails calls to “retain and expand” total trail feet in Arcata, and says that if developers ever want to remove or relocate a trail, the final call is up to the City. After Community Development Director David Loya clarified it would be specifically the City Council’s discretion in those cases – not the zoning administrator’s, as some community members have feared – the Council opted to change the language of the policy to affirm the Council’s authority over trail relocation and removal.
“I feel like in our community, trails are a big deal to everyone,” said Councilmember Atkins-Salazar. “I think that it’s important that there is a process – if we need to, for whatever reason, consider moving a trail, then it should be a process – and it’s my understanding that it would be a process.”
The Council also agreed to change a detail in the Land Use Policy. An implementation measure titled “Residential-Low Density Rezone” directs the City to, in a couple of years, consider allowing more mixed-use and housing development in certain neighborhoods, including Bayview, Northtown, Arcata Heights, and Sunset. Councilmember White worried that new development permitted by the potential rezone wouldn’t “fit” with the neighborhoods, and suggested removing the measure.
Loya clarified that the policy wouldn’t rezone those neighborhoods – it would just commit the City Council to surfacing the idea a couple years into the implementation of the General Plan.
“I 100 percent support this policy,” said Councilmember Schaefer, noting that the affected neighborhoods have desirable access to schools, parks and services, and that limiting more affordable housing options there would be exclusionary. Referring to mixed-use neighborhoods, Schaefer said: “That is true community, and that is what good neighborhoods look like.”
The Council chose to delay consideration for the rezone policy from year two to year four of the General Plan’s implementation, in part to see how development of the Gateway Area pans out.
Other topics didn’t result in changes to the Plan. Councilmember White worried how the Plan will affect areas that will, sooner or later, face sea level rise. Loya clarified that the Local Coastal Plan, projected for completion around early 2025, will overlay the General Plan and account for those concerns.
“The current version of the local coastal program actually does not allow for densification in areas that are subject to sea level rise,” Loya said. While that version does allow land use changes, “those zoning changes are really geared towards early incentives to put us on the path towards longer term adaptation and retreat from that area.”
Other than that, the Council talked a bit about the Arcata Fire District (AFD), which has raised concerns about its ability to respond to disasters in large buildings. AFD has asked the Council to delay approving the Gateway Area Plan pending a Standard of Coverage Study, which will evaluate future needs of AFD and should be complete by the end of the year. Councilmember White read a letter outlining AFD’s concerns, which AFD Board President Eric Loudenslager sent to the Council earlier this week.
Some members seemed confused by the AFD’s most recent letter given the City’s efforts to collaborate. Because the issue is tied to funding, it’s largely beyond the City’s control. Noting that the plan can be amended after its ratification, and that the fire marshall will have to sign off on all new buildings anyway, the Council moved on without requesting changes.
Given the late hour, the Council decided to continue discussion on the plans at their June 5th and July 17th meetings. You can check out the Gateway Area Plan here and the General Plan here, where recent changes are marked in red.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has positively identified human remains discovered in the Trinity River near Sugar Bowl in Hoopa on May 29, 2024, as that of 23-year-old Jeshua Wilkinson (DOB 02/13/2001) of Arcata, CA.
Wilkinson was reported missing to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on May 15 after being swept away in the Trinity River near Kimtu Beach. HCSO search teams were able to locate Wilkinson on May 29 after a multi-weeklong search and rescue operation in the area.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies to Jeshua Wilkinson’s family during this difficult time.
Timothy Carpenter poses with his record-breaking antlers. | Submitted.
###
On a hunting trip this past September, McKinleyville-area resident Timothy Carpenter shot and killed a Roosevelt bull elk so improbably massive that he still has trouble wrapping his mind around it.
“The antlers on the bull are so large it’s a little confusing,” Carpenter told the Outpost in a phone interview this week.
He estimates the elk’s weight at somewhere around 900 pounds, and photos reveal its tree-like antlers to be as tall as a pair of teenage boys. It’s a genetic anomaly, like the Shaquille O’Neal of elk.
“Exactly,” Carpenter agreed. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Earlier this month, a special judges panel convened by the nonprofit Boone & Crockett Club carefully measured the elk’s rack, tallying the length of its two main beams and their numerous forked tines. (The elk was an 8x9, in case you’re counting.)
Once the judges completed their measurements and added up the numbers, Carpenter’s elk was confirmed as the new world record. The official score of 455 2/8 inches smashed the previous world record by more than 30 inches.
In the weeks since, articles and photos of Carpenter with his record-breaking catch have proliferated across the surprisingly large number of hunting websites and periodicals, from Field and Stream and Game & Fish Magazine to more niche publications like Bugle Magazine: Journal of Elk Country and the Hunt.
“There’s a lot of them, actually; it’s kind of crazy,” he said. “My friend’s mom sent me one from Illinois the other day. It was in her hometown newspaper, printed. I said, ‘What?!’”
Carpenter, a hunting outfitter and wildlife biologist, grew up in the Bay Area and later earned his degree in wildlife management from Humboldt State University. He believes hunting goes hand-in-hand with conservation and has worked with ranchers, timber companies and other landowners to build tolerance for the prolific subspecies.
“I feel very fortunate to be doing what I’m doing … to establish those relationships where we can talk about conservation, where we can talk about management with hunting,” he told Bugle Magazine.
Carrington Hilson, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, oversees elk research and management on the North Coast. She said hunting is one of the main management tools that humans have for elk in our region and across the state.
“We are privileged in the fact that we have a population of [Roosevelt] elk that has rebounded,” she said when reached by phone Thursday. “We now have approximately 2,500 [Roosevelt] elk on the North Coast,” meaning in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. While the agency didn’t start tracking population data for the local population until 2016, Hilson said their numbers have increased significantly in recent years.
While she and other wildlife managers want to enable continued population growth and range expansion for these local herds, their increased numbers have caused problems. Certain populations along the coast are increasingly involved in property damage and conflicts with humans.
“These elk along the coast are in high densities, and they’re also highly habituated, so they lack fear of humans,” Hilson said. “So we’re having situations where they are in people’s yards. They break fences; they destroy ornamental plants and fruit trees. We also have the situation where they are on larger ranches, and there [are] issues with production in regards to cattle and hay.”
CDFW issues a limited number of tags each elk hunting season. (Harvesting an elk without a tag is illegal.) Some tags are awarded on a point system based on information submitted in applications while others are distributed via lottery.
Carpenter, who also holds the archery world record for Roosevelt elk, said the odds of getting a tag in any given year are pretty low. Having grown up in the more urban confines of the Bay Area, he developed a love of the outdoors when his dad got him into the Boy Scouts and took him on hunting and fishing trips. His brother, who also studied wildlife management at Humboldt State and later got a job working in the woods, got Carpenter into hunting.
“I didn’t have much time to hunt for myself, and I just feel extremely fortunate to have been able to fill my tag with such an incredible animal,” he said. After harvesting the large bull at an undisclosed Humboldt County location, he and his friend quartered the carcass in the field and hauled every last bit of meat to the truck they’d arrived in, he said.
“Nothing left in the field but some bones that were picked clean,” he said. “I have been enjoying sharing and cooking the meat with many friends and family.” He added that he’s grateful that this mature bull had many years to spread its “incredible genetics.”
Later this year, the elk’s antlers will go on display in Springfield, Missouri, during the Boone and Crockett Awards. Carpenter still marvels at their size.
“The elk’s unbelievable,” he said. “Still my main feeling is I’m just extremely fortunate.”
Jeff Conner (left) receives a special proclamation alongside Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Schaffer (right) from Mayor Debra Garnes (Center) for their work resolving the homicide case of Johnny Renfro.
On Tuesday, May 21, 2024 the Rio Dell City Council confirmed the appointment of Jeff Conner as the Interim Chief of Police. Former Chief of Police Greg Allen has taken the position of Associate Vice President for Safety & Community Wellbeing (Chief of Police) for the Cal Poly Humboldt Police Department. The City wishes him well in his new role.
Conner has a long association with the Rio Dell Police Department going back many years, including serving as Chief of Police from December 2017 to July of 2022. During that time Conner implemented several reforms and improvements to modernize the Department.
Since his tenure as Chief he has remained part-time with the department as a Sergeant, mostly handling investigations. Conner will step down from the Interim role before the close of August this year and anticipates retiring from law enforcement altogether by the end of 2024.
The City of Rio Dell is currently recruiting for a new Chief of Police. Applications are currently open.
Photo caption: 2022. Jeff Conner (left) receives a special proclamation alongside Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Schaffer (right) from Mayor Debra Garnes (Center) for their work resolving the homicide case of Johnny Renfro.
UPDATE, 2:09 p.m.: Donald Trump has been convicted on all counts.
# # #
The verdict is in. A jury made up of twelve New Yorkers are expected to deliver their decision soon in the case against former President Donald J Trump. He faces 34 felony counts o falsifying records pertaining to hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 election. Watch live coverage above.
Cal Poly Humboldt alumnus Greg Allen (‘94, Social Work), whose professional and personal roots run deep in Humboldt, has been named Associate Vice President for Safety & Community Wellbeing for the University Police Department.
Allen began his tenure Monday, May 20, and brings with him more than two decades of experience in law enforcement, emergency preparedness, and building community policing partnerships. “This is an amazing opportunity to lead the Department while understanding the needs of students, staff, faculty, and members of our local community,” Allen says.
“We are elated to have Greg Allen join the University. He is a strong leader with experience building teams, fostering an environment of inclusion, and strengthening partnerships,” said Sherie Cornish Gordon, Vice President of Administration and Finance. “He has a passion and commitment to 21st-century policing. We look forward to Greg Allen’s ability to evolve our department in alignment with our polytechnic transformation.”
Allen returns to where it all began: Cal Poly Humboldt as a student and, later, the University police department, where he served as Acting Sergeant from 2000-2005. Allen became a parole officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and later, the Deputy/Lieutenant for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
“I was a teenager when I came here. At Cal Poly Humboldt, I grew up as a student and then later became a police officer. I’ve come full circle and it’s like coming home,” Allen says.
A proud alumnus and graduate of the Social Work program, Allen says faculty and administrators played a significant role in his success as a student. Among his mentors was RW Hicks, who was the director of the Student Academic Services Outreach Program and the federal Talent Search TRIO Program at Humboldt.
“RW is one of the reasons I came up here,” says Allen, who was part of the Educational Opportunity Program. “He modeled leadership and inspired me to be a leader as president of the Black Student Union.” He says the knowledge and skills he learned from the Social Work program and minor in Ethnic Studies are foundational to his approach to law enforcement today.
“I learned to avoid generalizations. Each person should be treated with respect and fairness. It’s important for officers to be sensitive to someone’s background because everyone has a story, which shapes who they are today,” he says.
He passes on this wisdom to officers-in-training at College of the Redwoods Police Academy. “I believe in communicating what we do and why. With those skills, you can de-escalate a situation. Also learning to be adaptive in law enforcement is crucial in a world where everyone’s needs are constantly evolving.”
Allen says his top priority will be building relationships by having conversations with the campus and local community about what policing looks like at a University as opposed to a city. He also plans to understand the strengths of UPD, while providing additional training that may be needed to better serve the campus community.
Humboldt Bay Trail South construction underway in 2023. Photo courtesy of Ghirardelli Associates.
Think of this: By the end of the year, and apart from a few miles of backroads in the Arcata Bottoms, you’ll be able to walk or bike from just north of King Salmon to Clam Beach on a dedicated pedestrian bike/trail. Amazing.
Press release from the County of Humboldt:
Construction of the Humboldt Bay Trail South project along the Humboldt Bay shoreline has made significant progress since its official kick-off in July 2023. The project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2024 and will expand the Humboldt Bay Trail by 4.25 miles, completing the multi-use trail connection between Eureka and Arcata. The project will also include several area improvements and repairs and will provide breathtaking views and up-close experiences of Humboldt Bay for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.
The Humboldt Bay Trail is a network of multi-use trails, also known as shared-use paths, providing non-motorized access for transportation and recreational use throughout the Humboldt Bay region. Filling the gap in the Humboldt Bay Trail between Eureka and Arcata will transform the transportation corridor by separating pedestrians, cyclists, and other forms of non-motorized devices from motorists on Highway 101 and eliminate a major barrier to active transportation between the two largest population centers in Humboldt County.
“Our vision is to restore access to and protect the shoreline, provide a place for people to connect with each other and the natural world, and ensure a multi-use trail option for those traveling between Eureka and Arcata,” said Humboldt County Public Works Director Thomas K. Mattson. “This expansion will provide a paved, stand-alone path for community members who travel, commute, or recreate by bicycle, roller skates, skateboard, stroller, wheelchair or other mobility devices.”
Most of the new trail segment will run along the Humboldt Bay shoreline, adjacent to the railroad and Highway 101, with a one-mile portion situated on top of the levee around the Brainard Mill site. The project includes necessary repairs to stabilize portions of the shoreline along the railroad corridor, as well as raising the elevation of a one-mile segment of the railroad corridor for improved protection from flooding and sea level rise.
Project construction began in July 2023 and work completed to-date has included vegetation clearing, partial rail removal, Eucalyptus tree removal, earthwork and grading and rock placement for shoreline repair. Construction activities planned for 2024 include bridge retrofitting, rock and soil importation, construction of three new bridges, trail surface paving and placement of benches and signs. The planned schedule may be affected by a number of unexpected factors, including weather conditions and the supply chain for construction materials.
In addition to serving the region’s transportation needs and enhancing coastal access, the Humboldt Bay Trail will achieve a critical link in the California Coastal Trail and advance the Great Redwood Trail.
The overall Humboldt Bay Trail is being developed as a collaborative effort between the County of Humboldt, Humboldt County Association of Governments, City of Arcata, City of Eureka, California Department of Transportation, California State Coastal Conservancy, Great Redwood Trail Agency, Humboldt Trails Council, Redwood Community Action Agency, Timber Heritage Association and other partners. Additional information is available at humboldtbaytrail.info.
