Eureka council introduces Gulch & Greenway overlay ordinance after hours of testimony

Eureka — The City Council on June 17 moved to introduce a two‑part package of land‑use rules intended to protect the city’s gulches and urban greenways, but not before more than two hours of public testimony that ranged from technical support to accusations that the plan amounts to a taking.

The ordinance package is split into Bill 10‑44, an overlay map that identifies parcels subject to extra review, and Bill 10‑45, changes to the municipal code that set permitting rules, update tree‑removal thresholds and expand prohibitions on planting invasive species. Staff said the overlay and code updates implement long‑standing general plan policies (cited as NR‑2.2) and respond to a 2022 state requirement to incorporate open‑space protections into local plans by Jan. 1, 2026.

Under the proposal, an overlay will be placed on parcels that intersect mapped features — 20% slopes, break‑in‑slope areas and a 100‑foot buffer upslope — to trigger site‑specific evaluation when development is proposed. A narrower Gulch Greenway Management Area (GGMA) inside the overlay will include slopes of 20% or greater, defined streams and riparian drip lines plus buffers (100 feet from wetlands, 50 feet from drip lines or break in slope, whichever is greater). The GGMA requires discretionary review for most new work in…