Arcata planning commission reviews updated Local Coastal Program; staff outlines timeline, zoning and sea-level strategies

Arcata City Planning Commission members received an orientation and update March 25 on the city’s proposed Local Coastal Program, a policy and zoning package staff plans to submit for certification to the California Coastal Commission later this year.

Community Development Director David Loyal told commissioners the draft is “a very good close to final draft” and described a multi-decade effort to rework the city’s 1989 coastal element and the 1994 coastal zoning. Loyal said staff expects revised materials, including coastal zoning figures, to be available in April and aims for Planning Commission and City Council hearings in mid‑2025, with Coastal Commission certification expected in 2026 if the local and state processes proceed on schedule.

The update matters because the LCP controls land use only inside Arcata’s coastal zone and affects how certain projects are permitted, particularly where the Coastal Commission retains jurisdiction. Loyal emphasized that major adaptation and construction work on low-lying sites — including some public‑works projects near Butcher’s Slough and the wastewater treatment plant — would ultimately be permitted by the Coastal Commission when those sites fall in retained jurisdiction.

Staff briefed the commission on several implementation issues and policy choices that will shape permitting and adaptation: a) the plan relies on an overlay approach so coastal-specific rules sit over existing base zoning, b) the city intends to seek recertification of a categorical exclusion (CatEx) area that allows principally permitted urban uses to proceed with building permits rather than coastal development permits, but there will be an interim period when a CatEx is not in effect, and c) a waiver process will be available to streamline permits for projects with de minimis coastal impacts.

Commissioners pressed staff on sea-level-rise assumptions and time horizons. Loyal said the general-plan elements are normally 20‑year planning documents but that sea-level guidance will be updated more frequently; he said adaptation work for the wastewater treatment plant is being planned on the Ocean Protection Council’s “moderate‑high” projection while cautioning that the scientific scenarios contain uncertainties and that using overly conservative projections could prompt retreat or restrictions sooner than necessary.

The commission discussed zoning and land‑use strategies for the Gateway and South G Street areas. Staff described a Coastal Commercial Visitor‑Serving (CCV) overlay proposed for much of South G Street that would encourage visitor-serving uses (hotels, RV parks and similar low‑infrastructure uses) to replace former industrial and storage uses. Loyal said such uses could be easier to remove or adapt as sea level rises and could help clean up contaminated parcels adjacent to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

Commissioners also queried specific policy language. Several commissioners sought follow-up on a proposed prohibition on petroleum exploration and production language (policy cited as 3.2.03 in the draft); staff said Coastal Commission staff had requested the policy language but that the city could discuss narrowing or removing it after consulting coastal staff. Commissioners asked for clarification of an agricultural‑practices line that mentions herbicide spraying; staff said the city cannot necessarily prohibit herbicide use by land‑use policy alone and would confirm legal constraints with counsel.

On process, staff recommended a focused, chapter‑by‑chapter review. Commissioners agreed to an organized comment process: submit lists of items to discuss (roughly chapters 1–6 initially) so the commission can group and address common concerns; staff requested those comments by April 2 to appear in the next packet. Loyal described an outreach and hearing sequence that would include additional Planning Commission business meetings this spring, a joint study session with City Council in June, and formal hearings thereafter to produce a recommendation the council could vote to adopt for submission to the Coastal Commission.

Votes at a glance: the commission approved the consent calendar item to adopt the minutes of the March 11, 2025 meeting. A motion to approve was made and seconded; three recorded vocal “aye” responses appear in the record and two commissioners were absent when the roll was taken. The LCP presentation and discussion were informational; the commission did not take a formal vote on the LCP at this meeting.

Commissioners asked staff to return with the revised draft and figures in April, to report back on the CatEx recertification path and waiver procedures, to consult with Coastal Commission staff about oil‑and‑gas language, and to provide clearer parcel‑level examples of proposed recreational/open‑space actions in the Gateway area. Staff noted many LCP implementation actions — including permitting for projects in retained jurisdiction and recertification of the CatEx area — depend on Coastal Commission review and approval.

Looking ahead, staff expects to complete document editing and the coastal zoning ordinance in April, conduct joint study sessions over the summer, and submit the finalized local coastal program to the Coastal Commission for conditional or full certification. If certification proceeds on the anticipated schedule, staff said the city could implement the certified LCP beginning in 2026.