Amid revelations last week that local developer Travis Schneider’s family home is twice the permitted size, it was also discovered that Schneider brought in 10 times the amount of fill dirt allowable for the project under its coastal development permit, county Planning Director John Ford confirmed to the Journal. The latest in what is now […]
Coastal Commission
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Planning Commission Sends Schneider Permit Back to Staff
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted unanimously last night to send the issue of local developer Travis Schneider’s permits back to staff in an effort to find a path forward that will be agreeable to local tribes and the California Coastal Commission. While Schneider and Commission Chair Alan Bongio expressed deep frustration at a meeting […]
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UPDATE: Planning Director Disputes Developer’s Account as More Permit Problems Arise for Schneider
UPDATE: Planning Director John Ford followed up with the Journal this afternoon after publication of this article to say he’d checked his records and wanted to clarify the timeline surrounding his Jan. 19 conversation with developer Travis Schneider. Ford was adamant that he did not undermine what county planner Cliff Johnson had relayed to Schneider […]
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PlanCo Staff Recommends Approval of Schneider Permit; Documents Shed New Light on Contentious Meeting
A couple weeks after the matter spilled cantankerously into public view, Humboldt County and Building Department staff is recommending the Planning Commission approve the permits necessary to allow a local developer to continue construction of his family home, with some revised conditions, at its meeting tonight. The issue arose after Travis Schneider violated the terms […]
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Coastal Commission Votes to Move Forward with Humboldt Offshore Wind Exploration
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously today to conditionally concur with a federal determination that allowing energy companies and organizations to study a proposed offshore wind farm area on the Humboldt County Coast is consistent with the California Coastal Management Program. The highly technical and bureaucratic vote clears the way for companies interested in purchasing […]
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‘Ground Zero:’ Coastal Commission Approves Safety Corridor Project, Worries Sea Level Rise May Leave it Under Water
While Caltrans’ project on the 6-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 101 that connects Eureka and Arcata is aimed at improving safety for motorists, the agency got an earful Aug. 7 from California Coastal Commissioners who felt it is ignoring a potentially far more dangerous threat: sea level rise. “This is ground zero,” said Chair Dayna […]
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Trinidad Rancheria Hotel Project Gets Conditional OK, Off Ramp Moving Forward
The California Coastal Commission went against the recommendation of its staff Aug. 8 and gave the Trinidad Rancheria the go-ahead — or a “conditional concurrence” — to build a five-story hotel on its property off Scenic Drive south of the city. This means that the Coastal Commission, which is tasked by law with protecting the […]
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Officials Brace for Sea Level Rise
As sea levels inexorably rise, various public agencies have been working locally to find a defensive strategy to protect vulnerable bottomlands from inundation. This is a challenging enterprise. The cities of Arcata and Eureka, plus more than 10,000 acres of agricultural land, U.S. Highway 101, underground gas lines and electrical power lines are located in […]
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Lawsuit seeks hefty fines for 5 coastal commissioners
Del Norte County Supervisor Martha McClure is one of five coastal commissioners facing thousands — if not millions — of dollars in fines in a civil lawsuit alleging they failed to “disclose private, ‘ex-parte’ meetings with developers, lobbyists and other individuals” as required by law. The lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court last month […]
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Billboard Butcher Strikes Again
A second safety corridor billboard fell today at the hands of a nefarious, saw-wielding advertisement adversary. The nearly 30 billboards lining Highway 101 have been a source of displeasure and controversy for some Humboldt residents for years. Bay views — enjoyed while zipping down the highway in climate controlled automobiles — are spoiled by the loathsome […]
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UPDATED: Billboard Company Unleashes Lawyers Who Use Big Words
Looks like the company that owns all those billboards between Arcata and Eureka just recently found out that the Coastal Commission wants them all torn down. It’s response? “You can’t make us!” That’s a rough translation of the comically wordy lawyer-speak contained in from attorney Anthony M. Leones of Miller Starr Regalia on behalf of CBS Outdoor Inc., […]
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Coastal Commission Gives Conditional Go-Ahead to Caltrans’ 101 Corridor Project
Going against its own staff’s recommendation, the California Coastal Commission this evening voted 9-1 to give a conditional federal consistency determination (translation: a go-ahead) to Caltrans’ proposed project for the 101 corridor between Arcata and Eureka. And that’s not all: The “conditional” part of the approval means that Caltrans will have to address a number […]