"A Yes vote on Measure F would prevent an Old Town Ghost Town"

 

Measure F just issued a lengthy press release.  Former failed Eureka City Council candidate Joe Bonino and local real estate owner and developer Kelly Martin are some of the new names with quotes in this recent press release.

Measure F press release:

A recent review of recorded testimony over several years showed that desperate Downtown Eureka small business owners, patrons, and planners went before city leaders to urge public discussion on how to meet state low-income housing requirements and prevent a future ghost town in Old Town. 

Their words are haunting. 

Plea after plea, members of the public warned council members that the city’s quick-fix housing plan would have a detrimental impact on the city and would harm small businesses. Yet – their minds made up in private and seemingly unwilling to do a bit more work on finding a workable solution for all Eurekans – the city council voted publicly to ignore them and take a state grant for a short-cut housing plan that eliminates needed parking. Because the council didn’t listen or engage, it was clear to many that the only way to get public input was to take it to a vote of the people. 

The pro-housing, pro-small business Yes on Measure F campaign compiled the testimony from various city council meetings and a planning commission meeting where then-chair Jeff Ragan lambasted the council’s haste and lack of public engagement, resigning his position during the meeting. The recording of his comments on April 12, 2021, included his impassioned remark, “I cannot in good conscience participate in a government that claims to represent those people and sidelines them with minimized processes and minimal efforts at public outreach.”

Here is a compilation of compelling public testimony at Eureka City Council meetings from community leaders, downtown merchants, property owners, and members of the public asking elected leaders for help and requesting to be part of a public discussion process:

On Nov. 5, Eureka voters will decide on the two important things Measure F does for Eureka: 

§  Measure F rezones and opens the vacant Jacobs site for desperately needed residential housing. 

§  Measure F saves our Downtown shops, restaurants, and small businesses by ensuring they have the accessible parking they need to keep their doors open.

Two former Eureka mayors, Nancy Flemming (1990 – 2002) and Frank Jager (2010-2018), are among the high-profile endorsers of Measure F. 

According to a poll of Eureka voters last summer, 60% of respondents believe Jacobs should become housing, while just 22% favor the state building.  There is also significant support – 62%- for keeping Downtown Eureka vibrant as a center of tourism, arts, and cultural events by maintaining accessible parking.