A local opposition group, Citizens for a Better Eureka, sued the City under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), arguing that an addendum to the environmental impact report failed to analyze traffic impacts, and that providing affordable housing on these sites would replace City parking lots and result in congestion in the downtown area. However, Eureka concluded that the plan for housing would contribute to an overall decrease in vehicle miles traveled – thus reducing harmful emissions – and impacts to intersection levels of service would be similar to the original housing element. In three other separate actions, Citizens for a Better Eureka has challenged the City’s efforts to provide housing.
“All of these projects are much more viable and much closer to being able to get funded with this designation,” Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery said.