Six Stories Everywhere? 

Editor:

Six-story apartment buildings allowed in every single neighborhood in Arcata. No limit on how dense these apartments might be. Existing houses permitted for coffee shops, convenience stores and restaurants. Zero parking required for apartments of any size. For offices, stores and restaurants — one or two spaces is the most parking they'd be allowed to have.

These would be the policies for all of Arcata.

This is not just an ugly "what-if" fantasy. This is exactly what Arcata Community Development Director David Loya is presenting to the city council at its Nov. 15 meeting. Mr. Loya and several supporters are proposing to treat the entire city of Arcata with the same policies that are being developed for the Gateway Area Plan (Mailbox, Sept. 21).

The Gateway area is now a diverse mix of homes, apartments, stores, light manufacturing, some heavy industry, offices, empty lots and underutilized spaces. The Creamery Building and Arcata's arts district are there, and it will be home to the new L Street linear park. It's a great location for dense housing to support a walkable, bikeable neighborhood.

To imagine that the policies developed for Gateway are feasible for downtown, for Bayview, Sunny Brae, Westwood, Sunset, Valley West and Bayside is ridiculous. The policies on pedestrian and bike pathways: Yes. Policies promoting six-story buildings in residential neighborhoods: No way in the world.

Arcata's existing Housing Element requires development be done "in a way that allows for gradual, rather than drastic, changes from surrounding development density or type" and include "design features such as gradual increases in building height." All of this is apparently being thrown out the window.

Is this what we want?

Fred Weis, Arcata