Humboldt County General Plan Update
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County Planning Commission Meetings
How to Find Your Property
Within the Humboldt County General Plan update, proposed details specific to the unincorporated areas of the county are found in the Land Use Designations. These designations eventually lead to zoning classifications. The information is found on maps created by the County's Community Development Services (planning) Department. The Land Use Designations can vary among Alternatives A, B and C (see general discussion of these alternatives under "The Three Alternatives" tab). To find the proposed Land Use Designation for your property under each Alternative, you will need your assessor's parcel number (APN). To find out your APN number, contact your Realtor or find it on your property tax bill. You may also be able to search using your site address. Then you will need to look at the maps by going to:
http://gis.co.humboldt.ca.us/Freeance/Client/PublicAccess1/index.html?appconfig=gpu
- click on the Search tab (upper, far right, blue type)
- click on Find Parcel (blue type)
- enter your APN
- click on Run Search
- click on your parcel number (blue type, bottom left corner)
- click on each of the tabs (blue type) near the top of the page labeled Alternative A, B, C to see the different maps
To find out more about these maps, or if you have specific questions, contact county planner Martha Spencer. Her email is mspencer@co.humboldt.ca.us or call 268-3704. County Planning Department address is 3015 H Street, Eureka. Counter hours are 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Friday.
If you have concerns or objections with what you find, you should write to the County Planning Commission, 3015 H Street, Eureka, Ca 95501 and follow that up by speaking at one their meetings (see "County Planning Commission Meetings" tab for when and where). You should speak up now, not later. It is also recommended you print copies of the maps for your records.
County Planning Commission Meetings
You can watch County Planning Commission meetings live on TV Channel 10 and sometimes Channel 11. To find out General Plan meeting dates, go to the "COMMUNITY" tab at the top of this page, click on "Regulatory Calendar" in the drop down menu and look for '"H.C. Planning Commission". They start at 6:00 pm and meetings are open to the public. They meet in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 825 5th Street in Eureka.
You can also watch the Commission live on the internet by going to:
- go down to "Board Agendas and Meetings" (left hand side, middle of page)
- click on "Current Meeting Streaming" and wait for loading time.
This may seem confusing because you are on the Board of Supervisors' homepage, however, this is how you access live County Planning Commission meetings.
What is a General Plan?
A general plan is a set of long-term goals and policies that guide local land use decisions. It is the constitution for all future developments within a city or county. It eventually leads to zoning classifications. Presently, the County of Humboldt is updating its General Plan which controls all land use decisions in the unincorporated areas of Humboldt. Note that the seven, local, incorporated cities each have their own general plans and are not under the jurisdiction of the County's General Plan. Examples of unicorporated areas are communities such as McKinleyville and Garberville. If your property is located in the unincorporated area of the county, the updated Plan could effect you and your land. You can find out how by clicking on "How To Find Your Property".
The Three Alternatives
There are three proposed Alternatives the County Planning Commission is considering. They are labeled A, B and C.
Alternative A is the most restrictive regarding land use. For example, proposed Implementation Measure RL-IMx states "Decrease Inventory of Rural Residential Lands. Initiate a plan designation and zoning program to decrease the inventory of lands planned Rural Residential (RR) to meet homestead development demands." Alternative A includes other proposed policies which potentially would erode private property rights. Among all the Alternatives, it could lead to the highest cost housing by effectively reducing land supply and therefore housing supply. It could also increase planning permit costs. It could affect your ability to live on your own land. It could also put owning the Humboldt Dream rural property out of reach for all but the wealthy.
Alternative B is less restrictive. For example, Implementation Measure RL-IMx for this Alternative is described by planning staff as the "status quo". Generally, this Alternative is comparatively more flexible in its approach to property rights.
Alternative C is the least restrictive. For example, proposed Implementation Measure RL-IMx here states "Increase Inventory of Rural Residential Lands. Initiate a plan designation and zoning program to expand the inventory of lands planned Rural Residential (RR) to meet homestead development demands." This Alternative is the most supportive of private property rights. The Humboldt Association of Realtors supports Alternative C.
There is also a fourth Alternative: the existing General Plan. It is called the Framework Plan and contains many common sense policies which the County Planning Commission could retain and use in the final update of the General Plan.
To find out more, of if you have specific questions, contact county planner Martha Spencer at mspencer@co.humboldt.ca.us or 268.3704.
