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Eureka launches housing‑element update with goal to plan for 1,740 units by 2035
Summary
City planning staff kicked off the housing‑element update required by state law, outlined an outreach program and said Eureka must show capacity for 1,740 net new units by 2035; staff highlighted reliance on nonvacant sites, ADUs and city‑owned parcels as primary strategies.
Director Kristen Kenyon and Senior Planner Kelsey Flutterick presented the city’s housing element update and community engagement plan, explaining state law requires jurisdictions to demonstrate how they will accommodate a regionally assigned housing need. Kenyon said the state’s allocation requires Eureka to plan for 1,740 net new housing units through 2035 and emphasized the process focuses on measurable programs, site inventory and fair‑housing analysis.
Kelsey Flutterick described an outreach program anchored by a TalkEureka interactive hub, an upcoming community workshop on July 14, targeted interviews with over 60 organizations, tabling at public events and multilingual translators for broader accessibility. Staff said they have already reached out to local housing providers, the housing authority, Uplift, legal services, HTA, HCOG and the college.
Kenyon noted constraints: Eureka has few vacant parcels and the state’s rules exclude parcels smaller than half an acre for below‑moderate income sites unless they are city‑owned or otherwise demonstrably feasible. She described proven strategies used previously — putting city‑owned sites into the inventory, encouraging ADU production (now exceeding 20 units per year), promoting mixed‑use redevelopment and targeting nonvacant sites with demonstrated redevelopment potential.
Council members asked about annexation, mall redevelopment, potential incentives for property owners, and lowering minimum lot sizes to encourage infill housing. Staff said interested property owners that indicate willingness to develop housing will be valuable evidence for the site inventory and that the city can pursue regulatory and funding strategies to support adaptive reuse and small‑lot subdivisions.
