Topic
Recent housing coverage from Humboldt County, including local decisions, public meetings, and civic updates.
The May 21 agenda asks commissioners to recommend a mixed-residential-density ordinance that would allow up to 25 units per acre in select residential zones inside designated Housing Opportunity Zones.
After an update on the city’s Residential Rental Inspection Program, the council directed staff to return with ordinance language reflecting proposed changes.
Supporters from housing, land-use and local government groups said the bill would help fill an affordable-housing financing gap and could fit into a broader state bond strategy.
Police said this year’s homeless survey drew 239 responses, up from 221 in 2024, as council members heard about slower access to treatment and service gaps.
The board unanimously rejected Eureka’s Cycle 7 appeal and directed staff to finalize the draft Regional Housing Needs Plan.
Council gave conceptual support to a new local effort focused on downtown vitality, housing, business support and city services after presenters said Fortuna needs a fresh economic vision.
City staff are recommending a professional services agreement with Placeworks for housing and safety element updates, including CEQA review.
Sen. Grayson’s bill would require local jurisdictions to credit prior site uses when redevelopment or adaptive-reuse projects are charged mitigation fees.
Council signaled support for a per-unit fee structure and simpler renewals for the residential rental inspection program, which staff said costs about $115,000 a year but brings in only about $31,000.
At an Assembly hearing on the SB 254 report, wildfire survivors urged faster compensation and emergency housing relief financed by utilities rather than taxpayers.
AB 2038 moved on the Assembly floor May 11, extending post-wildfire insurance protections for homeowners facing cancellation pressure after a disaster.
The council adopted an urgency ordinance creating new rent rules for mobile home parks, including a 5% cap on CPI-based increases, after a 4-1 vote and a split public hearing.
The City Council approved emergency rent stabilization rules for mobile home parks and moved a local sales tax measure onto the November ballot.
The April 21 meeting also updated tax and animal ordinances, while a salary charter amendment heads toward a May 26 hearing.
The measure cleared the Housing and Community Development Committee after testimony on Santa Clara County's prevention system and a broader debate over prevention versus shelter costs.
Assembly subcommittee members held open a proposal to move staff and General Fund resources from HCD to HDFC, while housing groups pressed for changes to the transfer date, tax-credit oversight and bond-cap allocation.
The committee approved the bill after testimony that 32 of 157 associations reviewed would face special assessments in 2025.
