UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: City of Eureka planning staff lets us know that the original designs for two of the projects, which we published this morning, have since been changed, due to feedback from both funders and city advisory committees.

The new, far more boring designs — the buildings we will actually get — are below. We’ll leave the originals in the text of the article below to remind ourselves of what could have been.

But here’s the new Sixth and M:

And here’s the new Eighth and G:

What a world.

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ORIGINAL POST:

OLD Linc Housing architectural drawings of the project at 8th and G.

Note: Two of the projects covered in this grant — the ones at Sixth and M and Eighth and G — are specifically included in the list of projects that the “Housing for All” initiative, sponsored by Rob Arkley’s Security National company, seeks to stop.

Press release from the City of Eureka:

On August 30, 2023 the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $30.1 million to the City of Eureka and Linc Housing to support the construction of 90 homes in three affordable housing communities at 8th and G Streets, 6th and M Streets, and Myrtle and Sunny Avenues, called the Eureka Scattered Site Project. The City and Linc Housing have been working together on the project since the Eureka City Council approved Linc Housing’s proposal in October 2020, after a Request for Proposals (RFP) process was completed with the aim of building affordable housing on City-owned parking lots as required by the City’s 2019-2027 Housing Element to meet State housing requirements. The AHSC funding will be used to leverage other funding in the coming months to complete the project.

The grant includes funding for amenities at each housing site including short- and long-term bicycle parking, service offices, community rooms, laundry facilities, and playgrounds, as well as 3 years of no-cost transit passes and five years of no-cost broadband internet for resident households. The grant also provides over $9.2 million in funding to the City and Humboldt Transit Authority for significant public transportation, infrastructure and active transportation (bicycle and pedestrian) improvements, as well as approximately $750,000 in funding for impactful programs, including a workforce development program with Westside Community Improvement Association, a transportation safety/encouragement program with Redwood Community Action Agency, and homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs with Uplift Eureka.

Community input was essential in shaping the AHSC application, which was submitted on April 4, 2023. From attending meetings, to submitting survey responses and offering letters of support, the AHSC grant would not be possible without the community’s input! Below is the final AHSC application scope in written form. You can view the Project Area Map displaying the various improvements at this link.

The AHSC grant is administered by the California Strategic Growth Council in partnership with the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and funded from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, an account established to receive Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds. The AHSC Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by funding compact, affordable, infill housing, in conjunction with sustainable transportation improvements. This is the second time Linc applied for AHSC; the project narrowly missed out on funding during the previous 2021-2022 grant cycle.

This funding will provide the following benefits for all of our community along with a momentous economic boost to our economy:

  • Partial construction costs for three affordable housing communities - $20,154,639
  • Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (“STI”) - Pedestrian and Bicycle Amenities - $2,974,042
  • Public Transportation Amenities - $4,705,410
  • Transportation-Related Amenities (“TRA”) - Bus Stop and Intersection Improvements - $1,575,750
  • Programs - $756,600

OLD Linc Housing architectural drawings of the project at 6th and M.

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