On April 6, 2023, Citizens for a Better Eureka filed a lawsuit against The City of Eureka.
The lawsuit is focused on the City’s adoption of its General Plan Housing Element Update, which identified a number of additional parking lots that the City intends to redevelop into residences. The lawsuit is not focused on any one particular parking lot.
CEQA requires government agencies to consider the environmental consequences of their actions before approving plans and policies or committing to a course of action on a project. The City did not analyze the potential environmental impacts of its decision to redevelop numerous parking lots, as it was required to do under CEQA. CEQA provides a process for the petitioners and other interested parties to question the city’s decision and require more thorough studies be conducted before moving forward.
The petitioners understand the city is under significant pressure to comply with state regional housing allocation requirements and support the development of housing that is accessible to City residents at all income levels. But the impacts to existing businesses and residents must also be considered.
Business owners have met with the city and offered alternative locations to the needed parking lots downtown, but the council has chosen to move forward with the parking lot locations. The petitioners want the city to work with them and all business owners and residents on a sustainable solution to meeting the housing needs.
Read the full press release here.
On May 4, 2023, Citizens for a Better Eureka filed a second lawsuit against the City of Eureka.
Like the initial suit filed April 6, 2023, in California Superior Court, the petitioners are asking the court to stop the city from further actions on the public parking lot located at 5th and D, in Eureka. The city approved moving forward with seeking proposals from interested companies to develop the public parking lot into low- and very-low-income apartments at their meeting April 4. 2023. Read the full press release here.