Humboldt County Planning Commission approves 70-unit "We Are Up" supportive-housing project in McKinleyville

The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the We Are Up planned unit development permit, conditional use permit, special permit and lot-line adjustment for a 70-unit supportive-housing campus in McKinleyville.

Staff recommended approval after presenting a redesigned project that added three parcels fronting Central Avenue, moved the community center closer to the street, increased the housing total from 50 to 70 units and incorporated agricultural program elements such as a greenhouse, barn and orchard. Senior planner Steven Santos told the commission the project includes 13 attached cottages, courtyard apartments and 40 units in a four-story mixed-use community center and preserves roughly 80% of the large parcel as open space.

The project drew extensive public support at the hearing. The applicant—referred to in the record as “Miss Keane”—described the development as an integrated model of caregiving, job training and community integration for seniors and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, saying the site will host on-site training, a commercial kitchen and retail opportunities to support long-term operations. “Our residents who may have difficulty driving will have a bus stop right on…