Billboard and gravel mine issues back up at bat
Staff Report
Humboldt Sentinel
The Humboldt County Planning Commission could be looking at new leadership in 2012 as its final permits hearing of the year approaches on Thursday.
Mary Gearheart, who took over the Chair position from Jeffrey C. Smith upon his retirement from the commission late last year, will quite possibly face a challenger — since three of the seven commissioners only joined up this year. While neither Linda Disiere, Susan Masten or David Edmonds have publicly announced their intentions, the three have formed a pro-developer voting block on several key issues in the General Plan update process.
The Vice Chair spot will also be up for a vote — this position has been held for the last year by former Coastal Commission staff attorney Ralph Faust of Arcata, the most vocal advocate of environmentally-minded planning decisions on the commission.
Two contentious issues will also get a re-hearing by the Planning Commission on Dec. 1. The proposal to re-build two billboards on Highway 101 south of Fortuna by Stott Outdoor Advertising will get a re-hash due to a case of procedural confusion by the Planning Commission. A rare tie vote on Oct. 6, created by the absence of three commissioners, resulted in a defacto denial of their permit that didn’t specify the reasons for commissioners to reject the application. Some commissioners were dead-set against allowing billboards on what they described as a scenic highway, while others noted the requests of businesses such as Eel River Brewing Company for the restoration of the advertising signs they previously purchased the use of.
The case of Eureka Ready Mix’s application to continue using the Hauck Gravel Bar on the Eel River to mine gravel is also back up for another chew. While the operations of the mine didn’t attract public scorn at the prior Planning Commission hearing, river access, or the lack thereof, by local fishermen and ecotourists alike spurred the concern of commissioners.
The Planning Commission hearing will start at 6 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors Chambers in the Humboldt County Courthouse. For more information, visit http://co.humboldt.ca.us/planning/commission/.
