Eureka certifies Marina Center EIR after lengthy discussion

About Time wrote:

I sincerely hope some big box stores come in and hurt local businesses who have been holding us hostage to their overpriced goods for years. I'm tired of local businesses concerned only about their bottom line having a stranglehold on our right to chose where we shop. I have been spending money out of the area, or online for years just to maintain my right to chose.
Furthermore, why is there concern about urban decay? Have these morons looked around? Everything in Eureka is in decay, including the Bayshore Maul. These politicians are a joke.

you are obviously a caring person, hurt the local businesses!! You think Home Depot is not worried about their bottom line? It is not always about low prices, what about service?

Next thing you know, someone will want to grab land at the end of Wabash and just cap it and put a Costco in! Just think of the traffic that would cause! And the environmental damage! We would not be able to survive!

(Where were all the Progs when this BIGBOX came to town?)

Humbuggy wrote:

Next thing you know, someone will want to grab land at the end of Wabash and just cap it and put a Costco in! Just think of the traffic that would cause! And the environmental damage! We would not be able to survive!
(Where were all the Progs when this BIGBOX came to town?)

Costco is for businesses and wealthier individuals with immense faith that paying $50 or more in membership fees each year actually saves them money, it doesn't, the prices are not worth it. Businesses that "believe" and spend thousands of dollars there can get their membership fees reimbursed, but individuals must be prolific drivers before they save $50 in fuel costs, few in this county commute that much.

They also pay their employees much higher than other big box stores.

Somebodys Mom wrote:

"The Eureka City Council was offered money from the Headwaters Fund for a study of the best uses of the Balloon Tract due to its public-use zoning and obvious potential for this community. But Arkley was "outed" for making calls to each council member to reverse their support..."
I'm pretty tired of the studies. We already have shelves full of studies going back to the 1970's about the highest and best use of this Bay including the Balloon Track. IF Rob made calls, I would think it understandable because he had a project and "The Money" to get something started instead of talking this past death.
We are at the place now where cleanup can be started-its a Start, ok?
When will you wake up to the Reality that no one had the money to buy this parcel AND clean it up before now?
The next little piece of info to wrap your mind around is that we've been having meetings and studies and consultants talking about light industry for the last 30+ years and Who has come up with Light Industry businesses-like in a list form... so we could start picking them apart and interviewing them and beating each other up about the best ones to locate in our community?
Before you have the debate you have to have the concrete ideas.
Before we could be where we are now we had to have an investor with Money and I know that's a really hateful word to some people. Time to get over it, start making lists to Build instead of break down.
Am I the only person who can see the big picture, I dont think so.

No, rural cities across America have already experienced the "big picture" of blight that follows big-box developments.

There are not "shelves" full of economic studies on the Balloon Tract, I doubt there are 2 studies total. If there was one in 1970, a few things have changes. I won't call you a liar, you just don't know what you're writing about. G.W. Bush didn't like studies either and he hired his own goons to rewrite science.

Economics is science.

Wake up??

It's the property owner that decided to hold the cleanup hostage to his big box bonanza. What billionaire wouldn't want 2 billion?(PLEASE don't tell me you thought it was about providing jobs for the community!). This property owner could clean up this property immediately if he "cared".

Your "reality" about development is also flawed. You seem to know nothing about similar rural communities that took the LONG TERM alternative to expand locally-owned businesses and manufacturing instead of more cheap crap that can already be purchased elsewhere in Eureka. Eureka already lost two of its ONLY locally-owned light manufacturers to Arcata, because they have an industrial park! The reality is that Old Town was also labeled blight and a hopeless wasteland, local big-wigs demanded its demolition. It took decades of vision and individual's investments to turn it around.

Obviously, you had no idea that a local architect voluntarily drew another vision of the Balloon Tract, and you WILL NOT know about any other possibilities because this city never held public workshops, never asked for your input, never called for an outside economic study, didn't consult other cities with successful alternatives, and never will. This is because, for the last 50+ years, people like you keep voting for good old boys and girls that do what the highest bidder dictates.

The REALITY is that you will not get your Home Depot, it will be Wal-Mart, and all the other project "niceties" will diminish or disappear once that zoning is changed.

Bait and Switch... I feel sorry for you putting that much effort into refuting me when there have been at least three big studies going back thirty years on Humboldt Bay that include the Balloon Track.
I heard Mrs Arkey and Mr Gans say this is phase One and there will be plenty of opportunity for public input on the development phase. I have to say its harder to hear one another when there's animosity and the appearance of hatred.
Rather than spend a lot of time thinking about what you dont want on the BT imagine what you do want and make that list of light industrial businesses that would be happy as tenants. Id prefer Wing Inflatables but maybe they're looking for land to purchase instead. Someone mentioned local eateries... but why would Mike's want to be a tenant when he probably owns the place he has already?
Everyone who has sat down before couldn't come up with a list of light industry to invite to move here can you?
and last, remember that game from elementary school which picture doesnt belong in the group?: Waterfront Boardwalk, Zoo, Ballet School, Starbuck's, Walmart... I dont think the Arkleys shop at Walmart but I could be wrong.
rent this movie:'The Secret' The answer is in there.

Wow, what happened to the "shelves" of studies?
I believe all but 1 of the 3 you guessed about are environmental, and not economic.

I guess I should be the one feeling sorry for you.

I don't! You are needed downtown!

In order to "sit down" at Eureka's table you have to DEMAND it!

Eureka has ALWAYS been a tight-knit group of Rotary/Chamber/Ingomar/Catholi c Church. It's not unusual in a tiny town of frightened citizens for half to be registered to vote, half of the registered voters make it to the polls, and half of that elect the victor. But they, and you, need to let the democrats have a go at it for a change. After 50 years these good old boys and girls screwed it up pretty good. Did you know that millions of gallons of raw sewage run down the Eureka wetlands during heavy rains and crab season, JUST LIKE 1930's MISSISSIPPI, that it costs $40 million to update the system, and that the good old boys want to build thousands more units in Cutten?

You don't have to rent a movie.

Read your newspaper and discover how the Humboldt Bay Municipal water District has held 3 public workshops last week with MANY more to follow. Inviting the public, agencies and elected officials to repeatedly brainstorm together creates solutions that all can live with, with less lawsuits, contention, and delays. Oh yes, the HBMWD board finally got a liberal elected that's taking the trouble to be an actual LEADER, and involve the public...

THIS IS HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE. IT'S HOW THE PUBLIC DISCOVERS THE BREADTH OF THE PROBLEM AND THE WEALTH OF SOLUTIONS IN OTHER CITIES.

Unfortunately, Eureka's highest bidders still call the shots, and public involvement hardly suits their style.

LEARN ABOUT YOUR CITY!
AND VOTE!

you people do realize that home depot will destroy just as many jobs as it creates,it will reduce tax revenue in the long run,it will have a major impact on the old town area.but we will have alot of cheap chinese cr@p to buy

Dear Bait and Switch.. since this has devolved into a debate between the two us I can only say I dont know you-you definitely don't know me. Im a Democrat but I dont fit the mold. Ive been to meetings sat on committees debated some of the best and giving them good information went nowhere oftentimes but I didn't give up trying to give it to them and now I see some things changed because of my involvement (eventually... it took three years for a big change I wanted).

I spoke to the city council, wrote letters to the paper and made calls and I have to say it was worth the effort but I wouldn't have known when I started that anything I did mattered.

I can see that nothing I say here can convince you to be part of the process by changing your tactic just a little. I firmly believe that if you keep repeating the same message over and over (like a mantra) you defeat your purpose hence suggesting 'The Secret' but if you arent open to new information... well...I can't see how you give anyone else room to be open to change either.

Maybe my idea is too Zen for you I don't know, but I'm going back under my rock now and you can be King of the Hill, King of the Blogs all by yourself. I hope it all works out the way its supposed to.

Somebodys Mom wrote:

Dear Bait and Switch.. since this has devolved into a debate between the two us I can only say I dont know you-you definitely don't know me. Im a Democrat but I dont fit the mold. Ive been to meetings sat on committees debated some of the best and giving them good information went nowhere oftentimes but I didn't give up trying to give it to them and now I see some things changed because of my involvement (eventually... it took three years for a big change I wanted).
I spoke to the city council, wrote letters to the paper and made calls and I have to say it was worth the effort but I wouldn't have known when I started that anything I did mattered.
I can see that nothing I say here can convince you to be part of the process by changing your tactic just a little. I firmly believe that if you keep repeating the same message over and over (like a mantra) you defeat your purpose hence suggesting 'The Secret' but if you arent open to new information... well...I can't see how you give anyone else room to be open to change either.
Maybe my idea is too Zen for you I don't know, but I'm going back under my rock now and you can be King of the Hill, King of the Blogs all by yourself. I hope it all works out the way its supposed to.

Wrong again.

It's about everyone, not just you and me, look at the post above yours and the dozens of others...

Whenever blogger's identity becomes an issue I have to question the intent.

Galileo repeated his facts his entire life it cost his freedom at one point.

First, you claim there's "new" information but you don't apprise me of what that is!!!! Then you accuse me of not giving you room to change!!!???

This is incoherent!

No wonder you have no comment on the lack of leadership at city hall.

People are sounding shrill and negative on the Marina Center issue because the economic facts of big-box developments and the concerns published in the EIR are not reported routinely in the media. The TS has covered only 4 concerns to date, out of hundreds submitted by fed/state and county agencies alone.

I would love to see this site cleaned up, and after that it is up to the city council. Personally I don't want another box store, but do what you want. The proposed clean up plan is not a clean up! It really just moves some contaminates from one location to another and then covers up the other contaminates with worse ones. They plan to dredge the slough right near the balloon track and use the soil dredged to cover up the polluted ground on site, but the soil dredged has significant amounts of particulates in it, and is just as contaminated if not more than the site getting cleaned up. I hope that the coastal commission will be able to fix this problem and hold someone accountable and get the site truly cleaned up!