Editors:
The interim working version of the draft Gateway Area Plan has been presented to the Arcata City Council. The planning commission and city committees have all put in lots of hours to get to this point, but many of the largest issues remain. Including: How are we going to see housing in the Gateway area that regular working Arcatans can actually afford? Will there be homes or condos that people can purchase? The plan permits seven-story apartment buildings in the Coastal Zone? Where’s the budget for more fire and police protection? And — do the plans still show the city destroying the sanctuary of the L Street Pathway by putting in a new arterial truck-route road there?
The only large community open house meeting took place more than a year and a half ago. In the eyes of many, it’s time for another — to get the word out about what’s going on, and to get a feel for the pulse of Arcata.
In the meantime, please come to the community-led meetings taking place at the Arcata Playhouse (in the Creamery Building) on the first Tuesdays of each month. The upcoming meeting is this next Tuesday, Aug. 1, and starts rolling at 5:20 p.m. For more information about the Gateway Plan, the L Street Linear Park and the meetings, please visit Arcata1.com or contact me directly. The future of Arcata is up to us.
Fred Weis, Arcata
This article appears in Port of Entry.