2/16/16
Humboldt County’s currently idle coastal properties along Humboldt Bay could be opened up to fresh set of industries under a new proposal.
Once reserved only for coastal-dependent industries like fishing, the proposal would allow anything from retail outlets to medical marijuana grows to utilize the coasts on a short-term basis.
Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass said the county has been assessing whether to change some coastal zones permanently due to the underutilization.
“In the meantime, are there interim uses that are appropriate?” she asked.
Currently, the county’s Humboldt Bay Area Plan only allows businesses or industries that rely on the coastal location — such as fishing or surface mining — to use these coastal-dependent lands.
“Planning for coastaldependent industrial uses was done in the 1970s, when demand for land to accommodate these types of uses was much higher than it is today,” a county Administrative Of f ice news release states.
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conser vation District’s 4th Division Commissioner Richard Marks said the district’s coastal property at the Samoa pulp mill site has been eyed by a variety of businesses including Chevron and a vineyard stake plant over the last few years. While Marks said that some of these projects never made it through due factors like funding, he said the coastal land use restrictions have also resulted in lost opportunities.
“A lot of the people were just tire kickers and once they see that there are any obstacles, they basically had stopped,” Marks said.
County Planning and Building Department staff were unavailable for comment on Monday due to the Presidents’ Day holiday.
Marks said the county oversees about 1,300 acres of land around Humboldt Bay that is currently zoned for coastal-dependent industrial uses. Unless a coastal-dependent business comes along in the near future, Marks said this land is virtually “unusable.”
The county is now considering whether to change its Humboldt Bay Area Plan in order to provide more flexibility for industry growth on these coastal lands. If implemented, other industrial uses such as warehousing, timber processing, research and retail services would be able to operate on these parcels.
The county is scheduled to hold a public workshop on Feb. 23 at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka to provide information on the proposed changes.
If the changes are adopted by the county board of supervisors, businesses would be able to apply for an interim permit, which if approved would be effective for five years, or up 10 years in some cases. Permits would not be extended, though applicants could reapply for a new permit, according to the county.
Marks said the harbor district is hoping the county will increase the longevity of the permits.
“We’re looking for a compromise,” Marks said. “Five years seems too soon for us.”
Any of the new uses would require a conditional use permit from the county, which in turn requires a public hearing before the county planning commission or zoning administrator. Applicants would also have to create a site restoration plan and would require approval by the California Coastal Commission, according to the county.
“Upon permit expiration, the site must be returned to its original condition, or to a condition that would preserve or enhance the project site for future coastal-dependent industrial use,” the county news release states.
While there had been some discussion last year of medical marijuana businesses eyeing the harbor district’s Samoa pulp mill site, Marks said that prospect is no longer looking like a possibility.
The harbor district is currently in the final stages of obtaining about $3 million of new market tax credits from the federal government to help renovate the aging buildings at the pulp mill.
But as the federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act, using these federal dollars to help house marijuana would raise issues.
“The banks said, ‘Since you’re using this federal money, you can’t use it for projects with cannabis,’” Marks said.
What: Public Workshop to Consider Allowing Fleixble Uses in Coastal-Dependent Industrial Zone on the Samoa Peninsula
When: Feb. 23 at 6 pm
Where: Wharfinger Building, 1 Marina Way, Eureka
For more info: http://humboldtgov.org/civicalerts.aspx?AID=745
