The long, gradual implementation of Arcata’s Gateway Plan has begun.

The Gateway Area Plan, passed in 2024 by the Arcata City Council, was a comprehensive zoning update that recategorized 139 acres into mixed-use and high-density zoning, with the intent to transform much of Arcata into a dense town that emphasizes walkability and infill projects. Now, a couple years later, the floor is open for public debate: How will we do it?

Last night’s meeting of the Arcata Planning Commission didn’t come to any big conclusions on that question, but it was one of the first steps in the process. The commissioners received a presentation from Lisa Wise Consulting (LWC), a consulting firm contracted to assist Arcata’s community development program, on what the process to implement the (often finicky and granular) details looks like. 

One of the first steps is updating the land use code, the set of regulations that govern how people can develop property. The list of recommendations LWC shared with the commission runs to a dense 17 pages; not all of them will be adopted. Arcata’s land use code was last updated in 2008. Though the city council and the commission are set to review the proposed changes next month during a joint session, they probably won’t be adopted until early next year.

If put into law, the updates would include eliminating parking minimums and maximum-density restrictions, prohibit the construction of new billboards on scenic roads, allow for restaurant sidewalk dining, encourage the daylighting of creeks and the planting of native plant species, ensure that buildings are constructed right next to sidewalks — that’s a tiny sample. In general, if altering something in the code would make Arcata friendlier to people wishing to walk around, enjoy the scenery, and spend money at small businesses, there’s probably something in those suggestions proposing a change.

It’s up to the commissioners to decide if they think it’s a good idea to recommend LWC’s outline to the city council. 

It’s worth taking a stroll through it for yourself, city staff said at the meeting; the process for adopting any code changes is generally a public one, but considering the scale of these ones, it’s especially vital.

“I feel like we made a pact with the community to share publicly the decisions that are being made, even if they are ministerial,” Arcata’s Director of Community Development David Loya said. “I wouldn’t recommend that we renege on that promise to the community at this point.”