CITY OF ARCATA
SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
STUDY SESSION
AGENDA
Monday, June 8, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Council Chamber
736 F Street, Arcata
This is a Joint Study Session with the Arcata Planning Commission Special accommodations for the disabled who attend City meetings can be made in advance by contacting the City Clerk at 822-5953. Assistive listening devices are available. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Pursuant to Government Code section 54957.5, all writings or documents relating to any item on this agenda which have been provided to a majority of the City Council, including those received less than 72 hours prior to the City Council meeting, will be made available for public inspection in the agenda binder located on the counter in the lobby at Arcata City Hall, 736 F Street, during normal business hours, and on the City's website at www.cityofarcata.org.
PLEASE NOTE: Speakers wishing to distribute materials to the City Council at the meeting are requested to provide 10 copies to the City Clerk.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ How to Observe and Participate in the Meeting:
Observe:
Members of the public can attend the meeting in person.
Public Comment Participation in Person:
Members of the public may attend the meeting in person and give public comment.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
3. ROLL CALL
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
During special meetings, public comment is only taken at the beginning of the meeting. Pursuant to the Brown Act Section 54954.3(a), the public comment period provides an opportunity for people to address the Council only on items that are listed on the Special City Council Meeting Agenda.
5. DISCUSSION
a. Consider Amendments to the Land Use Code and Policy Updates to Create Consistency Between the General Plan 2045 and Zoning.
b. Provide Direction on Housing Element Timeline and Community Engagement Strategy.
6. ADJOURNMENT
June 8, 2026 - City Council Agenda
STAFF REPORT – CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: David Loya, Community Development Director
PREPARER: David Loya, Community Development Director
DATE: June 8, 2026
TITLE: Consider Amendments to the Land Use Code and Policy Updates to Create Consistency Between the General Plan 2045 and Zoning.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Council and the Planning Commission should entertain a discussion about amendments to make zoning and policy consistent.
INTRODUCTION:
The City Council adopted General Plan 2045 in 2024. There are several updates that were required to make the zoning, which is a critical tool to implement the General Plan, consistent with the new policy document. The City was awarded a HUD PRO Housing Grant to complete this work. This conversation provides the Council the opportunity early in the update process to provide direction on these important amendments.
DISCUSSION:
The Planning Commission considered this topic at their May 12 and 26, 2026, meetings. Lisa Wise Consulting (“Consultants”) provided a summary of the recommended changes that were included in the May 12 meeting packet. The Commission had a follow-on discussion about several of the topics on both May 12 and 26. The Council and public may wish to review the staff reports and the video of those meetings to prepare for the June 8 discussion.
Proposed changes fall into three categories. First, there are simple changes related to the changes adopted in the General Plan. Examples include amending the parking standards or the housing density numbers to reflect the policy in the General Plan. A second body of changes include reorganization, like moving the Geological Hazards Section into Title VII – Public Works of the Arcata Municipal Code, or updates to ordinances such as the Planned Development Permit or Hillside Development Permit ordinances. These changes will improve process and organization of the Code, eliminating redundancy and complicated processes. Lastly, there are certain policies that staff, the public, Commissioners, or Councilmembers have raised for review. Topics in this category may include requirements for bike parking, housing in commercial zones, or the Community Benefits program. Each of these topic areas have received additional scrutiny since the September 2024 adoption of the General Plan. This conversation provides the Council the opportunity to resolve these policy discussions.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS:
Consistency is required by law and is good practice. The Council understood in adopting the General Plan 2045 that updating the Zoning Code was a necessary next step. This meeting will help set the tone and direction for these updates.
COMMITTEE/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning Commission reviewed the recommendations on May 12 and 26. Committee’s will be engaged on topics relevant to their policy areas as the work progresses through 2026.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA):
This work was considered in the General Plan EIR. Staff and Consultants will evaluate the final work product for any addenda to the adopted EIR that may be necessary.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT:
This work is fully funded by a HUD PRO Housing Grant secured by Community Development Department.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
Participate in a discussion with the Planning Commission about amendments to make zoning and policy consistent.
From: Dan Shahin
To: David Loya
Subject: Re: Neighborhood Conservation Districts
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026 6:30:08 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
David,
Yes, please do.
Also, I think you should consider refining the wood-burning stove regulations to allow things like EPA certified pellet stoves.
They are an economical and efficient way to heat a home.
Finally, if you really want to consider removing community benefits from new Gateway plans, I hope you will also think about reconsidering parking requirements.
I know we want a world with fewer cars, but given the dawn of electric vehicles, onsite green power generation, and the practical limits of the HTA, we should allow —and in some circumstances encourage— sensible parking with charging stations as part of any realistic development.
Thanks,
Dan Shahin
On Wed, May 27, 2026 at 4:20 PM David Loya <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks, Dan. I thought it was a good conversation.
I can forward this to council if you like. Let me know.
David Loya (him)
Community Development Director
City of Arcata
p. 707-825-2045
c. 707-834-5013
I acknowledge my residence in Goudi'ni (Arcata), part of the ancestral territory of the Wiyot peoples. I offer my reconciliation and respect to their elders past and present.
https://www.wiyot.us/162/Wiyot-Placename-Video
From: Dan Shahin <
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2026 7:50 PM
To: David Loya <[email protected]>
Subject: Neighborhood Conservation Districts
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
David,
I fully support the sentiments expressed by the Planning Commission on 5/26 regarding eliminating the subjective and costly review process that we had to go through for our remodel. That process added nothing to the project except costs and it was frustrating, if you recall.
I was happy to see you support removing this counter-productive regulation.
Dan Shahin
From: Kimberley White
To: Merritt Perry; Tabatha Miller; David Loya
Subject: Fwd: The role and utility of woodstoves
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026 6:23:35 AM
Good morning,
I received a call and a subsequent email and wanted to forward it accordingly (see email below).
In solidarity,
Kimberley White
Mayor, City of Arcata
(707) 633-3867
“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people”. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Begin forwarded message:
From: Hugh Kent
Date: June 2, 2026 at 11:41:00 PM PDT
To: Kimberley White <[email protected]>
Subject: The role and utility of woodstoves
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Heya Kimberly, I very much appreciate you answering my phone call last Friday.
It actually reinforced my belief in local governance and politics pretty strongly and I just appreciate your openness and availability. Here is my contribution to the wood stove discussion. As I said on the phone I don't really know where to direct it so am sending it to you. Thank you again!!
Hugh
Good day, I am writing in response to the recent discussion of the future of wood burning stoves in Arcata at the Planning Commission. I am not a political person and I general steer far clear of public speech. It is not generally my place in society to weigh in on public decision-making. this issue I cannot let pass without my 2 cents input. I was not able to attend the Planning Commission meeting as I work and have small children and was making supper at that time. My knowledge of the content of the most recent planning commission meeting is from local news coverage of the items up for discussion which included the banning of
wood stoves in new construction as well as discussion of banning the replacement of existing wood stoves. I take issue with the tone expressed by a public official that wood burning has no place in Arcata and is somehow poison more than having a large state highway right in the middle of town or the various industries conducting business here, or the airport, or the rather prominent solvents and other volatile chemicals used in the construction of new homes and other buildings. Picking out woodstoves as a focus of public policy seems pretty arbitrary and to represent personal interests of the planning commission members rather than the actual most helpful ways to improve air quality in this place.
Similarly, the assertion that cooking food in traditional methods over fire is poison is just pretty misguided in my opinion. The modern expression of longexisting hegemony and continuing the pattern of denigration of others' way of life even. The town is strengthened by Indiginous people cooking acorns or salmon in the way that such foods are prepared. It is a proper shame to have public officials advocating banning this practice in the town.
I live in a house build in 1910. It is a beautiful home that I raise my two children in. I conduct myself with vigor, honor and thoughtfulness in my life. Since I was young I have believed in living close to the earth. I strive to impart an understanding of this to my children as it is rare in the world now. Our house maintains a connection to the space that it was built in that is very important to me and is different than the way homes are build now. The wind rattles the windows. We can hear deer grazing outside of them at night. We have heard bears walk by. I can hear my neighbors talk when they are outside. It is drafty. It can be cold. We feel the cold of the winter in our bodies as a part of our experience through the year. We heat with a woodstove. With a long chimney that drafts well. I gather my own wood, carefully, with intention. No living trees are cut to warm our bodies. I split it with a maul and an axe. It keeps me strong and will continue to as I get older. It models proper work and dedication to my children. I dry the wood carefully in the summer and teach my children to do this. It is an honorable way to live. The home is dry. It is not moldy. It feels good to walk in from the cold. The stove gathers us together as a family and gathers our guests close in front of it when it is really cold outside. To me the scent of a properly burning fire is not poison. I work in Weitchpec, CA. During fire season the air in that part of the county is not safe to breathe, at times for weeks or months on end. The contribution of my well-maintained and operated woodstove to such pollution is miniscule to the point of absurdity.
That is all that I have to say. The things that I value and the way that I choose to live certainly seem to be different than those of at least some members of the planning commission. I don't have anything bad to say about proper construction and I completely understand need to limit sources of pollution as the town grows.
I do roundly condemn the intolerance and self-righteousness expressed by Peter Lehman and would hope for better from a public official. I hope that this is meaningful in some way and that cooler heads prevail in setting public policy for the town.
With sincerity,
Hugh Kent