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1 City of Arcata
Economic Strategic Plan
City Council Work Session
June 15, 2026
1 Agenda
• Overview
• Process To Date
• Draft Economic Strategic Plan
• Discussion
• Next Steps
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Overview
3 Who We Are
4 Civic* Possible’s mission is to empower community leaders by providing thought partnership, facilitation, and special projects that amplify their work and drive meaningful change in their communities.
Curiosity
Creates an environment of
exploration and creativity in
approaching challenges and
opportunities.
Engagement
Human relationships provide
meaning to all our work and all
people need to be include and
heard.
Posterity
Focus on creating lasting
impacts that benefit current
and future generations.
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3 Who We Are
5 • We build on what’s already working. Arcata has remarkable assets. We start by understanding what makes Arcata distinctive and how to amplify existing strengths.
• We focus on what’s achievable. The plan will center on high-impact initiatives that reflect local capacity and available resources. • We center community voice. We design engagement to reach beyond the “usual suspects” to include voices often underrepresented in planning. • We help draw out solutions. We serve as facilitators and connectors, helping the community see its own possibilities more clearly. 5 Our Approach
6 Intellectual Capital: Ideas, research, creative
knowledge, and innovation assets
Human Capital: Skills, education, experience, and
demographics
Physical Capital: Infrastructure, space, mobility, and
place-based amenities
Institutional Capital: Governmental capacity,
governance structures, enabling policy
Financial Capital: Investment flows, access to funding, grant opportunities
Cultural Capital: Community identity, openness to risk, inclusion, creativity
Network Capital: Relationships, trust, mentorship, and
connectivity
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4 Project Timeline
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8 Process To Date
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5 Discovery
• 256 Survey responses
• 56 Interviews
• Community visit
• Friday Night Market
• Data and document review
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Landscape Report
10 • Purpose and Context
• Philosophy, Framework, Methodology
• Where Arcata Stands Today
• What We Heard
• Synthesizing Data and Voice
• Next Steps
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6 Key Findings
• Language and process shape what's possible.
• Arcata’s economic future lies in deepening what already works. • Cal Poly Humboldt is the community’s greatest competitive advantage.
• Housing is the bottleneck through which every other challenge flows.
• Physical and financial capital are the binding constraints. • The City operates within fiscal constraints.
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Key Findings
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7 Planning Workshops
13 • February and March
• Defining Good Growth
• Identifying possible projects
• Clarifying strategic priorities
• Measuring progress
13 Planning Workshop Participants
• Alexandra Stillman, City of Arcata Councilmember
• Bethany Gilden, Cal Poly Administration
• Carly Tambling, Bright and Green
• Fernando Paz, Cal Poly Campus and Community
Development
• Gloria Baker, Chamber of Commerce
• Jacqueline Dandeneau, Playhouse Arts
• Jen Rice, Jen Rice Consults
• Joe Bishop, City of Arcata Building Department
• Justin Woehler, Ruf Collective
• Kathy Moxon
• Leila Roberts, Amaranth Consulting
• Lucy Salazar, CUMBRE
• Meredith Maier, Chamber of Commerce
• Meredith Matthews, City of Arcata Councilmember
• Michael Davies-Hughes, Humboldt County
Department of Education
• Michael Fisher, Cal Poly Administration
• Natalie Waltston, The Plaza
• Nick Kieselhorst, Ironside Metal
• Chris Kieselhorst, Ironside Metal
• Peggy Murphy, Humboldt County Economic
Development Department
• Portia Bramble, North Coast Growers Association
• Rosamel Benavides, Cal Poly
• Rob Davies
• Rob Holmlund, Humboldt Bay Harbor District
• Ross Welch, North Edge Financing
• Scott Davies, Ridgefield Weddings
• Scott Pesch, Pacific Partners Commercial
• Susan Seaman, North Edge Financing
• Swan Asbury, City of Eureka Economic Development
Department
• Tory Staff, Open Door Community Health
• Wil Franklin, North Coast SBDC
• Brenda Perez, Centro del Pueblo
• Lonny Graphman, Cal Poly Entrepreneurship Program
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8 Planning Workshops
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Staff Workshop
Departments represented
• City Manager
• Community Development
• Engineering
• Environmental Services
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Information and Technology
• Police
• Recreation
• Wastewater
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Draft Economic Strategic Plan
17 Economic Strategic Plan Framework
• What Good Growth Means
• Strategic Priorities
• Initiatives & Actions
• Implementation
• Appendices
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10 Good Growth Means…
• A quality of life worth staying for, with good schools, affordable housing, healthcare, and a community where families can put down roots and thrive. • Arcata continues to grow while holding onto the creativity, openness, and distinct character that makes it worth living in.
• Everyone can participate in the economy, in decisions, and in the life of the community, with all voices included and no one left behind. • The cities, county, and institutions of this region work together through shared plans and joint investments rather than operating in isolation. • A thriving local economy built on entrepreneurship, living wages, and businesses that the people of Arcata are proud to call their own.
• Expanding access to outdoor recreation while protecting the green spaces and natural environment that make this place worth living in. 19 19
Strategic Priorities
20 Economy of Place Homegrown Economy Economy of the Commons 20 6/15/26
11 Strategic Priorities
21 Economy of Place
The quality of this place is the city's
most important economic asset. The
natural environment, the downtown
and Plaza, the neighborhood
business districts, the trail network,
the university campus woven into the
community's daily life: these are what
draw people to live here, visit here,
and choose to stay. Investing in the
vitality, accessibility, and
connectedness of these places
strengthens the economy that grows
from them. When the place works
well for the people who are here,
residents stay, businesses root,
visitors come, and the activity that
generates feeds back into the
community that created it.
Homegrown Economy
Arcata invests in the businesses,
producers, and entrepreneurs who
are rooted here, and grow from what
makes it distinctive. Food producers,
outdoor gear manufacturers, artisan
makers, cooperatives, and creative
enterprises have developed here over
decades, built from the culture,
environment, and values of the place
rather than recruited from outside.
The priority is to expand what is
possible for these businesses,
whether that means shared
infrastructure that helps them scale,
development services that support
them at every stage, or pathways into
national and international markets. An
economy rooted in Arcata circulates
wealth locally, generates pride as
much as revenue, and strengthens
the community's identity rather than
diluting it.
Economy of the Commons
Arcata will be known for how it
approaches collective challenges:
local innovation, producing solutions
that address local needs and can be
adopted and learned from by other
communities. The priority
intentionally focuses on that unique
quality as a source of both
community and economic growth. It
encourages collaboration and
investment in collective work, from
municipal infrastructure to
cooperative ventures, and
approaches the challenges facing
the community where local
experimentation produces working
solutions. These approaches
become models and can be shared,
taught, or built into services beyond
the region.
21 Economy of Place
• Community Vitality
• Outdoor Recreation and Access
• Sharing Arcata
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12 Economy of Place: Initiative & Actions
Community Vitality: Arcata's downtown, Plaza, and neighborhood business districts are where the community's economic and social life concentrates. The city's community vitality initiative focuses on making those places more active, more welcoming, and easier to reach, strengthening the conditions that keep storefronts occupied, streets lively, and local businesses rooted in the community.
Actions
• Entertainment Zone Designation
• Storefront Pop-Up and Incubation Program
• University-Plaza Connectivity Corridor Improvements
• Vacant Property Activation Program
• Permanent Outdoor Dining Program
• Plaza Master Planning Process
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Economy of Place: Initiative & Actions
Outdoor Recreation and Access: Arcata's residents and visitors share a deep connection to the natural environment, from the marsh and community forest to the trail network and coastline. The city's outdoor recreation initiative focuses on strengthening the links between those assets and the people who use them, improving access, building coordination across recreation providers, and ensuring the local economy benefits from the activity these places generate.
Actions
• Great Redwood Trail Completion
• Trail Town Program
• Trail Front Development Design Designation
• Outdoor Recreation Participation and Impact Assessment • Outdoor Recreation Business Support Program
• Outdoor Recreation Sector Working Group
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13 Economy of Place: Initiative & Actions
Sharing Arcata: Arcata draws visitors for its outdoor environment, culture, and university, and the community benefits when those visitors have a clear, welcoming experience and when the revenue they generate comes back to the places and people that create it. The actions in this initiative build the brand, coordination, and reinvestment structures that make that possible.
Actions
• Basecamp Branding
• Tourism Community Benefit Fund
• Tourism Coordination Entity
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Homegrown Economy
• Local Production and Making
• Business Support
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14 Homegrown Economy Initiative & Actions
Local Production and Making: Arcata has a long tradition of people making things here, from food products and outdoor gear to marine equipment and artisan goods, grown from the community's culture and natural environment. The actions in this initiative invest in shared production infrastructure that gives local producers the physical capacity to start, grow, and stay.
Actions
• Foodworks Culinary Center Expansion
• Agricultural Cold-Pack and Food Logistics Cooperative • Outdoor Gear Accelerator Program
• Community Fabrication and Prototyping Access
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Homegrown Economy Initiative & Actions
Business Support: A strong local economy depends on whether people who want to start, run, or grow a business in Arcata can find the advising, capital, and clear city processes they need to do it. The actions in this initiative strengthen the cross-cutting support available to businesses at every stage, from startup through growth and ownership transition.
Actions
• Develop a Business Retention and Attraction Plan
• Expand the SBDC / Startup Humboldt Reach
• Little Lakes Property Re-Use and Redevelopment Strategy 28 28
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15 Economy of the Commons
• University-Led Community Innovation
Lab
• Economic Coordination for Climate
Adaptation
• Ecosystem Steward Position
• Permitting and Regulatory Process
Audit
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Implementation
• Ecosystem steward
• Communications
• Shared measuring system
• Plan adaptation
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Discussion and Questions
31 Questions
1. What do you love in what Good Growth Means in Arcata? What may be missing?
2. What do you love in the three priorities?
What may be missing?
3. What do you love in the Initiatives and Actions?
What may be missing?
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Next Steps
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