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Press release from the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities:

Humboldt County, CA—The Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) has intervened in a lawsuit filed last year by the newly formed “Citizens for a Better Eureka” against the City of Eureka. The lawsuit seeks to halt efforts to build affordable housing and a transit center on city-owned lots, including some downtown parking lots. On Monday, January 22nd, 2024, the court approved CRTP’s petition to intervene. CRTP is represented in the case by Legal Services of Northern California.

The City’s plan to make city owned property available for the development of affordable housing is part of its housing element plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in Eureka. The need for affordable housing in California is immense—Eureka is home to approximately 3,060 extremely and very low-income households; and there are nearly 500 people in Eureka experiencing unsheltered homelessness on any given night. The City’s plan, which this lawsuit threatens, is well on its way to making a meaningful impact in our community and 218 affordable homes near public transit are already in the works as part of this project.

CRTP has fought for years to protect and strengthen the city’s plans to build much-needed walkable, affordable housing and a multi-modal transit center on some downtown parking lots. Beginning in 2020, and with CRTP’s support, the city awarded development rights to build affordable housing on several sites to the non-profit Linc Housing and to the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust, respectively, and approved an agreement with the Humboldt Transit Authority to build the Eureka Regional Transit and Housing Center (EaRTH Center). These projects have also collectively been awarded tens of millions of dollars in state grant funding and are proceeding toward construction. But all of this progress (and grant funding) is now at risk because of this group asking the court to halt all actions to further the city’s housing plans.

“The city’s plans represent a win-win-win for housing, downtown vitality, and the climate,” said CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske. “These projects will collectively bring hundreds more people within walking and biking distance of downtown businesses and employment centers, provide desperately needed affordable housing, and dramatically improve local transit service. Our intervention in this case allows us to actively defend the city’s walkable housing and transit center plans in court. We can’t let a small group threaten this important progress just because they have the money to file a lawsuit.”

While this lawsuit was filed last year, the threat to the city’s housing plan became more urgent when “Citizens for a Better Eureka” filed a motion earlier this month for a preliminary injunction. After being granted permission to intervene in the lawsuit, CRTP filed an opposition to the motion for preliminary injunction. If granted by the court, this injunction would immediately block the city from working with Linc Housing, the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust, and the Humboldt Transit Authority to further their affordable housing and transit-and-housing projects, and would prevent these and other projects from breaking ground. This would significantly delay progress toward meeting critical housing and climate goals. It could also jeopardize awarded grants, signed contracts, and other agreements, and in the worst case might effectively block the projects altogether. CRTP will work vigorously to prevent this outcome and keep the city’s plans on track.

For more information about CRTP, visit https://transportationpriorities.org/.

About Legal Services of Northern California LSNC is the non-profit civil legal aid provider for 23 northern California counties, serving low-income people, older adults and people with disabilities, primarily in the areas of housing, health care, public benefits and civil rights. In 2023, LSNC served more than 10,000 individuals and families. LSNC prioritizes assisting low-income community members to preserve and find affordable and safe housing.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Arkley Threatens Lawsuits, Referendum, Recall Drive Over City of Eureka’s Plans to Convert Parking Lots to Housing
• ‘Furious’ Rob Arkley Says He’s Moving Security National HQ Out of Eureka After Clashing With City Staff About Development Priorities
• Will Eureka Finally See Development on the Big Gravel Lots by the Boardwalk? City Looks to Declare the Parcels Surplus and Seek Proposals for Mixed-Use Project
• New Group — ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ — Says It Will Sue Eureka Over Downtown Housing Development
• Eureka City Council Approves Surplus Designation for Vacant Lots by the Boardwalk Despite Lawsuit Threats, Paving the Way for Affordable Housing and Mixed-Use Development Along the Waterfront
• Here is the Housing Development/Parking Lot Lawsuit Served on the City of Eureka Today
• Arkley-Affiliated Group ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Second Lawsuit Against the City Over Development Plans
• Local Group Announces Intent to Stop the City of Eureka’s Conversion of Downtown Parking Lots Into Housing With New Ballot Measure
• Open Letter Urging Eureka Voters Not to Sign the ‘Housing For All’ Petition Endorsed by 100+ Humboldt County Residents, Including Local Leaders in Politics, Business and Culture
• Backers of Eureka’s Pro-Parking ‘Housing for All’ Initiative Say They’ve Gathered and Submitted Enough Signatures to Get It On the Ballot
• (UPDATE) Eureka Gets $30 Million Grant for Housing Projects That the ‘Housing For All’ Initiative Hopes to Block
• Arkley-Affiliated ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Two More Lawsuits Against the City, Aiming to Block Linc Housing Developments