Isabella Vanderheiden / Thursday, Jan. 2 @ 2:13 p.m. / Agendizer
What’s Next for the EaRTH Center? Eureka Design Review Committee to Hold Public Hearing on the Updated Design Next Week
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Nearly three years after the Eureka City Council unanimously approved plans for the EaRTH Center, a multi-story housing and transit development slated for two city-owned parking lots on Third Street between G and H streets, the project is finally making headway. If everything goes as planned and the necessary funding is secured, construction could begin as early as this summer.
Eureka’s Design Review Committee will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, to discuss the redesign of the long-awaited project.
The EaRTH Center — a near-acronym for Eureka Regional Transit & Housing Center — will host the Humboldt Transit Authority’s regional transportation center on its ground floor, with leasable space for offices and commercial uses. “The second through fourth floors will have a total of 46 residential dwelling units, consisting of three studio apartments, 18 one-bedroom, 13 two-bedroom, and 12 three-bedroom units,” the staff report states. All housing units will be “deed-restricted affordable,” aside from one manager’s unit. (You can find a trove of design plans at this link.)
The project has faced numerous setbacks since it was approved in February 2022, delaying the anticipated completion date by a few years. When the original plans were drawn up a few years ago, the city was working with Cal Poly Humboldt and Servitas, a student housing management company, to build much-needed housing for students. However, Cal Poly Humboldt and Servitas ended up leaving the project due to financing.
“[The city] pivoted and started working with the Humboldt Transit Authority and Danco to come up with another project,” Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery told the Outpost. “The only real difference is that the exterior design is a little bit different, and it won’t be student housing. It can accommodate students, of course, it’s just not specific for them.”
All units will be earmarked for very-low- and low-income people. Looking to clear up any misconceptions over who falls into the “affordable” bracket, Slattery noted that someone making $30,950 annually would qualify as “very-low-income,” as seen in the table below.
The city has secured approximately $13 million in funding for the project to date. Slattery couldn’t provide an estimate for the total cost of the project but said staff will be going after tax credits to move the project forward. “It’s a really competitive project because there is a transit hub at the EaRTH Center,” he said. “It’ll be very competitive when they go out for funding.”
The city is still tied up in litigation with Citizens for a Better Eureka, a special interest group funded by Rob Arkley’s financing firm Security National, over claims that the city failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when it designated several city-owned parking lots as surplus to make way for affordable housing developments. Asked if any of the lawsuits could derail EaRTH Center, Slattery said none of them specifically target the project.
“There is one lawsuit that is about our housing element overall but this property has been vested and we believe it’s going to move forward regardless,” he said. “If we lose, the city would have some CEQA stuff to deal with, but it shouldn’t affect this project.”
If everything goes according to plan, the city could break ground on the EaRTH Center this summer/early fall. But again, the timeline is dependent on funding.
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Find the full agenda, with our Agendabot’s item summaries, below. The Eureka Design Review Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Eureka City Hall — 531 K Street.
Eureka Design Review Committee
Jan. 8, 2025, 9 a.m.
A. ROLL CALL
B. OATH OF OFFICE
1. Oaths of Office
C. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
1. a
D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes
E. PUBLIC HEARINGS - CONTINUED
F. PUBLIC HEARINGS - NEW
1. Eureka Regional Transit and Housing Center (EaRTH Center) Location: 600 block of Third Street, on the south side, between G and H Streets; APNs: 001- 136-001 and -002 Projects: Density Bonus (DB-24-0006), and Design Review (DR-24-0006)
The City of Eureka, Humboldt Transit Authority, and Danco Communities are proposing to build a new four-story mixed-use development called the EaRTH Center on Third Street. It will include a regional transportation center, commercial spaces, and residential units. The project has been reviewed for design and environmental impact and is recommended for approval. The proposed development meets all design criteria and is exempt from additional environmental assessments. A public hearing will be held to get feedback on the project before final approval.
— LoCOBot
… or, as a conversation between Beavis and Butt-head!
Beavis: Uh huh huh, EaRTH Center? That sounds like something from science class.
Butt-head: Yeah, like Earth with a bunch of letters missing.
Beavis: Huh huh, what’s all this stuff about applicants and property owners?
Butt-head: I don’t know, but it sounds like they’re building a big building with shops and apartments.
Beavis: Cool, like a giant shopping mall with people living on top of it.
Butt-head: Yeah, but they gotta make sure it looks good and stuff. There’s rules about how it’s supposed to look.
Beavis: Rules are dumb. I just want to see them build it and then go check out the shops.
Butt-head: Me too. Let’s go hang out at the EaRTH Center when it’s done. Maybe they’ll have nachos.
Beavis: Yeah, nachos! Let’s go tell them to hurry up and build it already.
Butt-head: Yeah, let’s go bug them until they finish it. But first, nachos.
— LoCOBot
DOCUMENTS:
Staff Report • Attachment 1 - Resolution • Attachment 2- Applicant Submitted Plans • Staff Report • Attachment 4 - Engineering Project Referral Memo
G. OLD BUSINESS
H. NEW BUSINESS
DOCUMENTS:
I. PRE-APPLICATION REVIEW
J. DIRECTORS REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
K. OTHER REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
L. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
M. ADJOURNMENT
N. NOTICES