Humboldt-Cutten Citizens for Responsible Development

  We Are All At the Crossroads.

• Development Agreements between Humboldt County and the various developers of these projects will have a significant, long term effect on the taxpayers now, and in the future. Development Agreements will provide legally binding rights for the developer of the land from the effective dates of the agreement. While the developer would agree to fund certain, unspecified, costs for infrastructure, Humboldt County, through its taxpayers, would provide the bulk of the costs for construction and maintenance. Many of these planned developments have long build out periods, some 20 to 30 years. Costs could escalate by an unknown amount over the years. The residents and taxpayers of Humboldt County would be responsible for these additional costs.
• Grandfather Rights will prevail and, thus, supersede any and all future regulations, costs or considerations that were not in place at the time the Development Agreement became effective. This would apply to unknown future requirements, i.e. global warming, energy regulations, building requirements etc. Future Federal and/or State requirements would be the only way changes to the Development Agreements could be made.
• Large developments with build-out periods spanning many years, require “anticipatory funding” from the developer for infrastructure (roads, sewers, utilities) costs. There is no accountability for rising costs due to inflation, maintenance etc. In addition, there are no clear guidelines on who will pay for infrastructure maintenance or necessary infrastructure that was not anticipated at the time Development Agreements became effective. Again, future costs would be borne by the county and paid by the taxpayer.
• Tax implications would include funding for such things as road construction and maintenance, sewer and water, additional fire and police protection, school construction and operational costs.
• Only a small percentage of money generated by property taxes, an estimated 30%, is returned to the Humboldt County General Fund.
• Our research shows that for each property tax dollar paid, 20% goes directly to the State of California. Of the remaining funds, approximately 67% is earmarked for schools, 17% for the Humboldt County General Fund, 2% for the transportation department, 2% for Humboldt County libraries and the balance is used to fund police and fire protection services.

• Increased fire and police protection would be required.
• Large pockets of high density populations with inadequate road access would bring added concerns about fire, earthquake and other emergency situations.

• An expanse of thousands of acres of forestland has been slatted for development within the next 10 years; with the first development already in Phase I.
• Forestlands and greenbelts surrounding re-zoned areas will house Humboldt County’s greatest change in population density, with a project increase, at a minimum of three times the current population.
• The forests to be lost include 80 to 90 year old redwoods, habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species including; spotted owl, peregrine falcon, osprey, and a 16 mile run of salmon-spawning creek feeding directly into Humboldt Bay. Gigantic shopping malls, roads and high density urban development are slatted as its replacement.
• Under the Eureka Community Plan, the forests and rural residential areas in the unincorporated areas east of the city of Eureka will undergo massive development in the next few years. It will be a conversion scale of timber production lands to high density development that Humboldt County has never seen, nor can even imagine.
• Many areas of proposed building are on ridge top areas, flood zones and steep hillside terrains.

• Our quiet, slower paced lifestyle would be greatly impacted.
• Our ecologically sensitive wetlands, our fragile rivers and streams and our world renowned redwoods could be lost forever.
• Our unique small communities would be replaced by condominiums and apartment complexes.
• The quality of life, the quality of our air, and the beauty of our outlying communities would be changed forever.
• Greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion, and other larger city problems would be brought to Humboldt County.

• E-mail us – join our group or our e-mail list and stay informed. Visit our blog and make comments/suggestions. If you have questions, we may have the answer or know someone who does.
• Share our website with neighbors, friends and anyone who is interested. The voices of our communities can and do make a difference. Our county representatives do listen.
• Read the Legal Notices printed in the Northcoast Journal or at www.northcoastjournal.com . This is the only publication where legal notices of actions to be takes by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors’ are available to the general public.
• Email, call or write your supervisor’s and/or planning commissioners
   http://co.humboldt.ca.us/board/ - Board of Supervisor’s   Note: Letters e-mailed to the Board of Supervisors' clerk, nturner@co.humboldt.ca.us, before noon on the Friday before the scheduled meeting on Tuesday will be included in the Supervisor' information packets and will be published on the agenda website.

• Attend Board of Supervisor’s and Planning Commission meetings; get to know the system. Join us in showing that the public is aware of what is happening in our county.
• Write letters to the Editors of the Times Standard and the Eureka Reporter. Make your opinions known.

• To serve as a "clearing house" where interested community residents can gain accutate, up to date information about events and policy making decisions which will affect our local communities. 
• To inform the residents of the Cutten, Ridgewood, Lundbar Hills, Pine Hill and the surrounding communities about future planned developments which may greatly impact the health, safety, continuity and quality of life we enjoy in our area. 
• To protect our environment and preserve the neighborhoods in our rural communities.
• To provide an avenue through which interested community members can maintain an open channel of communication, keep current on local government decisions and provide a forum for positive action to insure responsible development.
   
Our Goals:
• To monitor the progress of the proposed McKay and Forster-Gill subdivision projects, and other proposed developments as they are proposed, with particular emphasis on zoning and EIR concerns as they pertain to the neighboring communities.
• To monitor and provide public input on the Eureka Area Community Plan as it pertains to the surrounding unincorporated areas.
• To monitor the progress and adoption of the Humboldt County General Plan as it impacts Humboldt County as a whole and the Cutten area communities in particular.
• To attend the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, the Humboldt County Planning Commission, the Eureka City Council meetings and any other government agency meetings, as necessary. To make our presence known and express our positions as residents. To give input as appropriate, on decisions that affect our rural communities.
• To establish and maintain a website to provide a community resource for public information.
• To coordinate with other community groups in order to coordinate our efforts and further our common goals.