‘A huge benefit to our community’
Coastal Commission OKs Betty Chinn housing project
The California Coastal Commission has given the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation the green light to move forward on a community housing project at a city-owned site on Hilfiker Lane, known at the Crowley property, at the south end of Eureka. The commission unanimously voted Friday to deny an appeal from three Eureka residents seeking to overturn the Eureka City Council’s decision to grant a coastal development permit for the project.
The project came about in 2017 after PG&E gifted 12 standard residential trailers that had been previously used as construction management offices to the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation in an effort to alleviate Humboldt County’s worsening housing crisis. The trailers would house up to 40 homeless residents, allowing them to build credit by paying rent and gain stable access to wastewater and other services.
The appellants, Ann White, Janelle Egger and Jack Kinnear, asserted that the project could pose a danger to the surrounding coastal area and would conflict with the local coastal plan.
“The appeals raise contentions related to wetlands and water quality protection, visual resources, hazards, interference with public access and recreation, and inconsistencies with (California Environmental Quality Act) requirements,” the staff report stated. “… Staff believes that there is a high degree of legal and factual support for the city’s determination that the approved project as conditioned will not degrade adjacent wetlands or other types of (environmentally sensitive habitat area).”
During the commission’s discussion, Egger noted that the local coastal plan states that “the city shall provide public open space and shoreline access… and will consider and protect scenic and visual qualities of coastal areas that are visible from scenic public vista points and waterfront walkways.”
“This will obstruct the open space that is there,” she asserted. “There are six acres of open space, if the project could be put on the
other side of the parcel the open space would not be impacted. The open space is important for the trail. To have that open space removed would place the only real obstruction along the whole length of the Hikshari Trail.”
“Most importantly, there are alternative sites that would not cost as much and would not impact the visual, the open space of the trail,” she added.
Kristen Goetz, principal planner for the city of Eureka, defended the project and underscored the need for additional housing.
“The city is in need of housing as in much of California and we believe that this project will provide up to 40 transitional housing units for folks who are moving from homelessness to housing,” she said. “We would respectfully request that you deny the appeal.”
North Coast district manager Bob Merrill noted that the coastal commission had considered an amendment to the local coastal plan to rezone the site “in a way that that could accommodate this anticipated project” last October.
“Visual resource concerns were addressed by the commission at that time,” he said. “The area of the project is only a 0.8 acre portion of a larger six-acre parcel….As the site is inland of the coastal trail we think that the visual resources will actually be protected and mitigated.”
Commissioner and 3rd District Humboldt County Supervisor Mike Wilson expressed his gratitude to the appellants for working to protect and preserve environmental resources but offered his continued support for the housing project.
“As you all know, I’ve been a strong and dedicated advocate for those resources as well, especially the Humboldt Bay Trail,” he said. “I do believe that we did communicate this through the (local coastal plan) amendments that we did already and so I feel like some of this is a readjudication of that. I also want to say that I do believe that from the perspective of this project site that 13% of it is to be developed in a way that is able to be removed if necessary.”
Wilson followed with a motion to deny the appeal which was seconded by commissioner Katie Rice. The commission unanimously approved the motion in an 8-0 vote.
“I am overjoyed,” Betty Chinn told the TimesStandard Monday. “It’s been four years now and we finally get to move forward. This is great news for people who need housing because we are in such a crisis for housing everywhere. I really appreciate everybody, the city has been so good to me. The mayor, the city council and our board. I am absolutely overjoyed.”
Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery told the Times-Standard he is eager to see the project move forward.
“This project has been a tremendous effort by city staff, representatives of the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services who is funding this project, as well as local contractors to make this come to life and I think it’s going to be a huge benefit to our community,” he said. “It’s going to provide a step up from Betty’s Blue Angel Village and will provide very low income housing…It’ll definitely help out some of our community members and allow them to gradually get back to the workforce and get back to housing.”
Slattery noted the city has had concerns with past homeless housing projects through the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation but said, “They have always turned out to be successful.”
“Betty runs a very good operation and has helped out a lot of our community members,” he said. “…The more options we have, the better. We want to make sure that we have adequate housing for everybody in our community.”
Regarding next steps, Slattery said Eureka Public Works will work with Mercer Fraser Co. to rehab the trailers and install necessary utilities at the project site. Chinn said she will meet with city officials next week to firm up plans. It remains to be seen when the housing project will begin accepting tenants.