The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, after a voluminous Q&A period with Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford and planner Cade McNamara, booted the ordinance out to their March 5 meeting. The separate ordinances for the Humboldt Bay region and inland parts of the county can be read in full at https://bit.ly/47WTYX4
After private deliberations between the applicant, appellants – a neighborhood group called the Coalition for Responsible Housing – the board approved a version of the development on a 2.47 acre parcel with 17 lots and 56 units, down from the initial proposal of 19 lots and 62 units. Additionally, developer Dane Valadao agreed to reduce the four two-story residences to just two single-family, single-story homes and commit funds to road maintenance.
Dane Valadao argued that his project would provide much-needed local housing at an affordable rate. Opponents, a collection of residents under the name the Coalition for Responsible Housing, claimed the project would lower the neighborhood’s quality of life.