Shortly after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors convenes in the New Year, it will face a massive and controversial package of zoning changes that will bring new land use designations to almost 500,000 acres throughout the county, after board discussions on the matter stalled Dec. 11. That meeting saw more than 50 members of […]
general plan update
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Sweeping Zoning Changes Before Planning Commission Raise Concerns About Mercer-Fraser Reviving its Mad River Cannabis Facility
The Humboldt County Planning Commission is set to consider sweeping zoning changes at its meeting tomorrow for hundreds of thousands of acres of properties throughout the county. The zoning text amendments and reclassifications are being proposed to implement the county’s general plan update, which the board passed last year. But they are coming before the […]
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‘Does that Mean Trails are Back?’
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this afternoon to put language in the General Plan Update’s Conservation and Open Space element supporting the creation of a “regional trail system.” Today’s meeting kicked off on an unusual note, as 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg cued up his cell phone’s speakerphone and played a voice […]
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GPU Schedule Just A Nudge Off Track
OK, you might agree it’s way more than a nudge off schedule. However, the latest motion by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors only pushes a couple of General Plan Update meeting topics a bit down the calendar. On Tuesday, per County Planning Director Kevin Hamblin’s request, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors canceled the April 7 GPU meeting […]
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Supes to Consider GPU Slowdown
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday whether to pump the brakes on its General Plan Update, which is some 14 years in the making, in response to a plea from county planning staff. County Planning Director Kevin Hamblin sent the board a letter last week noting that the Humboldt County Planning Commission […]
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The GPU
There are no two ways about it, Humboldt County is a unique place, says Kevin Hamblin. The county planning director is sitting in his office off H Street in Eureka on a recent afternoon, his window propped open a few inches to let in some fresh air and the sound of pouring rain. Many people […]
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And They’re Off
After rumor mongering, plodding, hemming, hawing, and perhaps some behind the scenes prodding, there will be a supervisors race after all. On March 7, former Eureka Councilman Chris Kerrigan announced his candidacy for the county’s 4th District seat via a short speech on the steps of the County Elections Office. Backed by several notable Humboldt […]
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Planning Commission Seeks Guidance from ‘Bosses’
Facing a riled-up public, some of the newest members of the Humboldt County Planning Commission found themselves on the short end of two votes Thursday night. For the second meeting in a row, Supervisors Chambers was about half-filled by angry and demanding trail advocates, along with a smattering of fisheries biologists. One contested vote was […]
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Planning Commission Meeting Canceled
The Humboldt County Planning Commission’s special General Plan Update meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to a lack of a quorum, according to county Planning Director Kevin Hamblin. After last week’s meetings caused quite a stir, tonight’s meeting was expected to be heavily attended. Hamblin said the commission is still scheduled to meet Thursday, which […]
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From the Publisher: Poking a Hornet’s Nest
Editor’s Note: The following is a column by Journal Publisher Judy Hodgson that will appear in this week’s print edition, which hits streets tomorrow. Don’t miss Marcy Burstiner’s “Media Maven” column in this week’s print edition. Real and potential Brown Act violations are popping up with such frequency now, it’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Did […]
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Trails Vote Kicks Off GPU Firestorm
It seems the Humboldt County Planning Commission has kicked a hornets’ nest. Or, maybe it was just Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace. During its sixth meeting to take up the Conservation and Open Space element of the General Plan Update — recently dumped back into its lap by the Board of Supervisors — the commission […]
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Supes Call a GPU Element Do-over
The Board of Supervisors voted this afternoon to return a much-debated element of the county’s draft general plan back to the Planning Commission for review — the latest twist in the general plan update saga. After some discussion of state requirements for general plan updates, the board voted 3-2 (with 2nd District Supervisor Estelle Fennell […]