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At a special meeting this evening, the Humboldt Bay Harbor District’s Board of Commissioners will consider issuing a permit to re-erect a billboard that was damaged during January storms and has been lying face-down in Humboldt Bay’s tidal mudflats for months.

The sign in question, located on the west side of Hwy. 101 directly across from Indianola Boulevard, never received a permit. It was first erected in 1961, a dozen years before the Harbor District was created, and it stands (or rather stood) on land currently owned by the County of Humboldt.

The sign before it fell down. | Image via Harbor District.

Harbor District staff says the “repair project,” which would involve replacement of the damaged uprights and pile-driving a dozen new posts into the ground, qualifies for an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the new structure would be located on the same site and have the same purpose and capacity as the one being replaced. 

Rob Holmlund, the Harbor District’s director of development, told the Outpost via email that there doesn’t appear to be any relevant, official distinction between the terms “repair” and “rebuild,” but regardless, the sign has effectively been grandfathered in. “From the Harbor District’s perspective, the billboard is ‘legal non-conforming,’” he said.

If approved, the permit would allow the sign’s owner, outdoor advertising behemoth OutFront Media, to continue operation of the billboard for another five years, after which it would be removed, according to a staff report.

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But environmental advocates and governmental agencies are urging the Harbor District to deny the permit, citing potential impacts to the sensitive environmental habitat, the scenic view and the Humboldt Bay Trail, which remains under the last phase of construction to connect the cities of Arcata and Eureka.

In a letter to the Harbor District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife noted that the sign is located in sensitive and ecologically important wetland habitats.

“Placement of a billboard in this location is not consistent with the ecological functions and values of these habitats and can include short- and long-term impacts to native plants, shore bird roosting, and potentially increased erosion potential of the marsh,” the agency’s letter states.

Furthermore, the site is being considered for a marsh restoration project associated with sea-level rise resiliency.

The state agency recommends that the Harbor District “take this opportunity to phase out a land use activity that is not consistent with ecosystem functions of the site” by denying the permit.

Jennifer Kalt, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Humboldt Waterkeeper, agrees with that recommendation. 

“The Harbor District was created by the voters in 1973 to protect the bay and public trust wetlands for the benefit of all of us,” she said. “Rebuilding this billboard in the wetlands is contrary to protecting the environment, the scenic views we all enjoy, and the use of the Bay Trail that we’ve worked toward for decades.”

Humboldt County Public Works Director Tom Mattson said his department’s main concerns revolve around the active trail construction project. 

“We want to make sure that they’re completely aware of the coordination that would be required if they get all the [necessary] permits,” he said.

That remains a big “if.” This morning, Mattson sent the Harbor District a letter noting that, from the county’s perspective, this project would qualify as construction of a new sign, and as such a county building permit would be required, complete with engineering plans demonstrating that the design conforms to stat building code. 

The letter also notes that the applicant proposes to access the billboard site via “railroad tracks,” but the rails and ties in the area have been removed and the county’s construction project is taking place right there. And once construction is finished, the public will be traveling along that route.

The applicant — Allpoints Signs owner Geoff Wills, on behalf of OutFront Media — would also need to obtain a coastal development permit or exemption from the California Coastal Commission.

“We have yet to receive such an application,” Coastal Commission Public Information Officer Joshua Smith told the Outpost via email. “We issued an emergency permit to repair the billboard earlier this year. However, that was before the structure completely fell into the bay.”

The proposed reconstruction of the billboard would involve an excavator using driving a dozen six-by-12-inch lumber posts 10 feet deep into the ground. Vertical support posts (also six-by-12) and horizontal stringers would hold up the half-inch plywood sign, with wooden catwalks and braces built below.

The Humboldt Bay Harbor District will meet at 6 p.m., following a closed session hearing, at the Woodley Island Marina Meeting Room, 601 Startare Drive, Eureka, CA 95501. 

Members of the public can attend the meeting in person or watch it on Zoom at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6917934402

Meeting ID: 691 793 4402

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