Affordable Housing

By Michael Winkler

Michael Winkler's approach for promoting affordable housing in Arcata

I have been a member of the Planning Commission for the past 8 years. There are a number of actions that we on the Planning Commission have been doing to provide more housing opportunities for residents of Arcata and mitigate the impact of state and national factors. In each major development, we require affordable units both for purchase and rental. Some examples of this are: the Sorenson/Janes Creek Meadow project near Spear and West End Road; Phase II of the Windsong complex in the southwest corner of Arcata; and Plum Village, northwest of Alliance Road.

We have required that new commercial and industrial buildings include apartments, such as the building across from the Hotel Arcata on H Street and a new office building in Valley West. We also reviewed larger low-income housing projects.

In spite of the expensive housing market in Arcata, I will continue to work to provide housing opportunities for people of all incomes.

Housing is:

• One of the most basic human needs
• Difficult for Arcata citizens to find affordable housing
• Difficult for new families to buy first home
• Explosion in housing prices in past 8 years
• Prices have more than doubled
• Major rent increases
• Subsidized housing in high demand with long waiting lists and stringent requirements
• Hard to come up with 1st and last month's rent and security deposit
• Problems with prompt return of security deposits
• Much housing unsafe and substandard
• Hard for homeless to get back into system and find permanent housing
• Special needs of expanding senior population
• Expansion of HSU threatens existing housing

• Require significant number of units in all new housing developments be available for sale and rental to moderate and low income citizens
• Encourage construction of secondary units ("mother-in-law units") on existing property and in new construction
• Require new buildings in Arcata Plaza and throughout city include residential units
• Zone for smaller lots to allow construction of more residential units per acre to meet needs of smaller families and moderate income citizens
• Redevelop degraded industrial areas for mixed use including light industrial, commercial and residential
• Encourage development of artists' live/work studios
• Develop program to inspect and upgrade substandard housing
• Support Arcata first-time home buyers program
• Support transitional housing, such as Arcata House, as step to get homeless into permanent housing
• Support senior housing in walking distance of downtown and near public transportation
• Keep HSU within existing boundaries