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Why the Southern Humboldt Community Park is Requesting a Change in Land Use Designation & Rezoning for 96 Acres

Part I
SHCP's Land Use Designation Must Change If Park is to Remain Open to the Public

Part II
SHCP Must Rezone Park Areas Designated for Gatherings

Part III
SHCP Seeks to Serve and Accommodate Diverse Community Groups

Part IV
SHCP Looks to a Sustainable Future

Articles written by Southern Humboldt Community Park Board and published in The Independent & The Redwood Times, September 28, October 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2010.

Part I

Community Park's Land Use Designation Must Change If Park is to Remain Open to the Public

A change in the Zoning and Land Use Designation is necessary for the Southern Humboldt Community Park to continue as a park. Without zoning and land use changes these lands cannot continue to be open to the public for any uses other than farming, ranching and timber production. Since Tooby Park is part of the same parcel of Community Park property, a zoning and land use designation change is necessary for this acreage too.
Four hundred acres of Southern Humboldt Community Park (SHCP) land is zoned Agricultural Exclusive (AE) with a Land Use Designation of Agricultural Residential 5-20 and Agricultural Lands 20. An additional 33 acres of Park ownership, the location of Randall Sand and Gravel, is zoned Heavy Industrial.

Agricultural Exclusive (AE) zoning means that the land can only be used for those activities that are directly related to agriculture such as farming, ranching and timber production.

Currently the Park has a temporary compliance agreement with the Humboldt County Community Development Services. The agreement allows daily public access for low-impact activities - such as walking, biking, equestrian riding and, with special permission, an occasional organized activity - until the rezoning and change of land designation process is complete.

The current land use designation for all Park property, except for the gravel operation, allows for the land to be divided into a minimum of 5 acre agricultural parcels on some of the acreage and 20 acre parcels on other parts. The term often used for this type of development is ranchettes. The Park is asking for an amendment to the current General Plan that would change the land use designation of Agricultural Residential 5-20 and Agricultural Lands 20 to "Public Recreation". No longer would ranchette development be on the table. The land would remain intact and be protected from future subdivisions.

A Public Recreation land use designation overlay on the AE zoned lands would allow low-impact activities such as walking, biking and equestrian riding on the land reserved for agriculture.

The County Planning staff recommended Public Recreation as the best fit for the proposed public uses of the Community Park land. The PR land designation is a good choice because watershed management and the protection of valuable resource lands and wildlife habitat is a strong element in this land use classification.

Michael Richardson, Humboldt County Senior Planner, is taking comments on the Park's application until October 28, 2010. Evidence based comments that refer to positive or negative environmental impacts of the land use designation change are most helpful. He can be reached at 707-268-3723 or mrichardson@co.humboldt.ca.us

Part II

Southern Humboldt Community Park Must Rezone
Park Areas Designated for Gatherings

Southern Humboldt Community Park (SHCP) is a unique and complex undertaking. From the outset the vision was to create a non-profit organization that will provide oversight for the development and operation of a self-sustaining, multi-use park that includes areas hosting a community organic farm, areas of preservation for natural habitat, and areas for the public to gather. In order to fulfill this vision the Park is asking for a General Plan Amendment that would rezone a 96 acre crescent of park land from Agricultural Exclusive to Public Facilities, suggested as a best fit by County Planners. Over 300 acres would remain in Agricultural Exclusive Zoning, reserved for agriculture and habitat preservation. The rezoning is necessary in order for the Park to better serve the community as a venue for any events where people come together, from small celebrations to fundraisers to weddings. Although the zoning would change, much of this acreage could still be farmed seasonally, habitat restoration could continue, woodlands would have little disturbance, and Tooby Park and the historic farm building area would remain the same.

Curfews and Limits on the Size and Number of Mid-size Events & One Festival

At several public meetings data documented significant positive support for events at the park, as long as there were conditions that took into consideration the Park neighbors and the environment. The Park's GPA application has limited mid-size events (500-1200 attendees, including staff and volunteers) to five (5) per calendar year. Events of this size would be like the Hospice Barnyard Brew, The Hoedown, and the Mountain Bike confab – non-profit fundraising events that the park has comfortably hosted in the past. The Park is asking permission to hold annually one (1) festival event, like the Summer Arts & Music Festival. The size is limited to 4000 ticket holders who attend at different times on different days plus 1000 vendors, staff and volunteers. All events would have a curfew: 9PM Sunday-Thursday nights; Midnight on a Friday or Saturday night. Maximum decibel levels will be set and state-of-the-art sound engineering configurations will be required and monitored at amplified events. (More on this in Part III, next week.)

Rezoning is required even for smaller events (5-500 people) like birthday parties, outdoor education programs, classical concerts, weddings, memorials, workshops, theatre productions, or Walk-in-the-Park. The Park Board is asking the County to not set a limit on the number of such small events, but of course limits would be set by the Park scheduler on a day-to-day basis. The same curfews would apply.

Rezoning Will Allow Public Use Areas

The Park's application has specified the following future uses within the Public Crescent. The areas are spread out with connecting trails. Approximately 66 acres of the 96 will remain in its natural or historic state.

• Tooby Memorial Park: This 7 acre area on the north side of Sprowel Creek Road will remain a public park with river access and a playground. With the Public Facilities zoning it will come into compliance.
• Historic Farm Area: The Public Crescent crosses the road to include the historic farm buildings, the current skate ramp and the labyrinth. With the Public Facilities zoning this area could also have a Park Welcome Center, office and conference center. This area could host a public gathering such as a conference, skaters meet, a memorial, a horse show, or an event like the Hospice Barnyard Brew.
• Picnic Area: Two to three acres directly south of the park entrance road is designated for a picnic area with Bar-B-Q, pavilion, and restrooms. Parking would also be developed in this area.
• Recreational Facilities: Connected to picnic area is an area reserved for Recreational Facilities. An imaginative conceptual drawing paid for and presented to the Park board by community enthusiast Jim Truitt at the open board meeting in March 2010, created interest. This design featured athletic fields, a field house, pool and two parking areas all connected by 60 foot wide pedestrian orchard corridors, creating a 240 tree orchard.
• Multi-Use Area: To the south of the sports facility, moving just around the curve of the crescent, is an area mostly in the woods with some meadow edges. This area features the disc golf course, the wedding grove or memorial grove, and an open area suitable for small or mid-size events like a symphony or opera performance, the Hoedown or Mountain Bike confab. It is also an area suitable for a small festival or an emergency/disaster center.
• Environmental Specialty Camp: The last area tucked into the woods in the middle of the park is designated for a specialty camp. The Park is not asking to be permitted for a public campground. With low-impact infrastructure, like tent platforms and basics for a seasonal camp kitchen, the campground could serve schools for outdoor education, as staff accommodations for a small festival, and could serve environmental workshops or temporary land restoration crews like Nick's Interns.

Part III

Community Park Seeks to Serve and Accommodate Diverse Community Groups

Southern Humboldt Community Park policy is guided by its mission statement:

We believe the inherent beauty and value of the natural landscape is tied to our cultural history and weaves vitality and meaning into the fabric of our daily lives. We have acquired 430 acres of meadow, forest and historic ranch structures alongside the Eel River to establish a regional park. Our goal is to create opportunities for recreation, culture, agriculture, education and celebration and to ensure the enjoyment of this rich, diverse land for generations to come and to conserve the Park's scenic, historic and natural resources.

The Park has proposed the land use designation and zoning recommended by County Planning as the best fit. The creation of the public crescent, by rezoning 96 acres to Public Facilities, allows for broader community participation in the Park. Continuation of Agricultural Exclusive (AE) zoning on all 400 acres would continue to exclude any public gatherings regardless of size. The Public Facilities zoning enables the Park to fulfill its goal of "creating opportunities for recreation, culture, education and celebration."

In the General Plan Amendment (GPA) the Park Board addresses concerns about the proposed change in land use and activities on these 96 acres of the park. These concerns were brought forward at several public meetings and through written communications as part of the public process before applying for a General Plan Amendment (GPA), and at the scoping session on the GPA application on September 9th. The GPA outlines a number of mitigations and restrictions to this Public Facilities area that the Park would be willing and obligated to put in place.

It is important to the Park Board that the community understands that certain activities, such as motorized recreation or a public tent/RV campground, are not compatible with our conservation goals and therefore are not listed uses the Park seeks in the GPA. Secondly, many of the streams and drainages in the public crescent were heavily degraded by cattle and sheep grazing combined with the effects of the 1955 and 1964 floods. The Park secured funding for a multi-year restoration project in 2004 that continues through 2011. Hopefully the Park will be able to secure additional funding so that the restoration work will continue into this decade.

Mitigations Listed in the GPA

Limiting the size of the Public Area
The GPA asks that 96 of the 400 acres currently zoned Agricultural Exclusive be rezoned Public Facilities (PF). Concentrating the areas of highest human impact to the public crescent and restricting human uses to low-impact activities on the remaining 300+ acres will ensure the protection of open space and forestland. Within the 96 acres, public assembly areas will be spread out so that no one area will be overused; in this way the environment and wildlife will be protected from excessive impact. The Park Board will continue to work with farming interests and wildlife habitat preservationists to balance and integrate use in the 304 acres that will remain in AE, as well as in the low-impact areas in the public crescent. An analysis of projected use inside the 96 acres indicates that much of the area will have little disturbance, except for continued haying or grazing in some of the fields.

Inside the 96 acres:

• Limits have been set - No more than 5 mid-size events and 1 festival: To address the concern about cumulative human impact in a designated area and concerns about the noise from amplified music, the GPA asks that each calendar year the Park be permitted no more than 5 mid-size events (500-1200 including volunteers and staff) and 1 small two day festival that would have a maximum of 1000 vendors, staff and volunteers and 4000 ticket holders. Volunteers and ticket holders come and go at a festival. Never are the permitted maximum present at the same time. There will be no public camping at these events.
• Curfews: The GPA sets curfews on all reserved gatherings at the Park for 9PM on a week night and 12 Midnight on Friday and Saturday night. For ordinary individual or family use, the Park closes at sunset.
• Vegetation: In the current conceptual design for the recreational facilities, the area that would have the most permanent changes, a 240 tree orchard in the pedestrian corridors between playing fields, parking lots and buildings is included. This innovative thinking continues the current uses of ag lands for haying or grazing and allows for different ag uses that are more compatible with human recreational use. Orchards attract wildlife, especially birds and insects. Similar ag and wildlife habitat considerations will be required in the design of the picnic area, and privacy landscaping for the park residences.
• Limiting Noise: The GPA narrative notes that sound from events will be mitigated by the location of the event in the east corner of the Park along the edge of the mature hardwood forest; the stage will be located facing the hill to absorb the sound; and decibel levels will be set at the Humboldt County Land Use – Noise Level Compatibility Standards and the Park's own sound engineering.
• Parking & Traffic Flow: Traffic flow on Sprowel Creek Road and parking for small and mid-size events went smoothly when the Park held such size events in the past. Established parking spaces near the picnic area and on two sides of the recreational facilities area should be sufficient. For the festival a shuttle system would be used to keep traffic and parking diverted from Sprowel Creek Road. A detailed plan of traffic flow for the 1 festival is detailed in the GPA. This plan was conceived with the guidance of Humboldt County Department of Public Works.
• Water: The Park has installed a 50,000 gallon water tank that is spring fed during the winter months in order to reduce our water footprint. With filtration and chlorination this water can be used during summer events for hand and dish washing and as drinking water.

Modifications to the Original GPA – Additional Mitigations

Since the September 9th scoping session, the Park Board has been working to further address the concerns of noise; traffic and parking; and environment, habitat, wildlife and river protection.

1. Sound: A professional sound engineering firm has been contracted to provide the park with plans for the construction of permanent physical mitigations and designs that will assist in the containment and control of sound and noise levels. The main purpose is to enable the Park to set requirements for the type of sound equipment, its settings and configurations, plus staging configurations so that the amplified sound of an event will be minimal beyond the event area. This company has experience in designing sound systems for outdoor venues in residential areas in Napa County. The end result is to mitigate amplified music and announcements so that neighbors and wildlife will be comfortable.
2. Kimtu Road: The plan to use Kimtu Road for a holding pattern in an emergency situation will be modified. Turn around will be in the Park's south parking lot. It will also be clarified that this plan is only operable if a third lane, a holding lane, has been established.
3. Traffic: The Park Board is revisiting the traffic flow plan for a festival with the local traffic safety agencies. In meetings with the agencies the Board wants to address the concerns about the use of Kimtu Road, condition of Sprowel Creek Road, exits and entrances on 101, traffic flow through Garberville and safety issues for pedestrians and bicyclists.
4. Sprowel Creek Road - Motorized Traffic: The Park is searching for additional off-site parking in Redway, Garberville, and Benbow in order to shuttle more people to the Park which in turn would decrease traffic on Sprowel Creek Road and reduce the need for additional parking fields on Park grounds.
5. Sprowel Creek Road Pedestrian/Bicycle traffic: The Park has spearheaded a grant project administered through Humboldt County Rural Transportation & Access (RCAA) and the Department of Public Works that would develop a safe pathway from the center of Garberville to the junction of Kimtu and Sprowel Creek Road. Community surveys conducted by RCAA indicated that this is a high priority project. Ideally, the Sprowel Creek road bed would be improved and widened and where possible a pedestrian/ bicycle lane created; otherwise the pedestrian/bicycle path could be constructed off-road.
6. Water: The Park Board is seeking funding to purchase and install additional water storage. These will be a resource for the park during low flow season on the Eel, plus a community water supply for fire suppression or other community disaster.

The Park Board views the public process pertaining to this GPA as a positive step for community groups that have vested interest in the Park to come together to work on solutions that meet the needs and address the concerns of all the various groups. Through positive problem solving, this process will demonstrate that, with a little give and take on all sides, a community can come together to create a multi-use environment-friendly park.

Michael Richardson, Humboldt County Senior Planner, was taking comments on the Park's application through October 2010. The next step in the process will be review by the County Planning Commission at a public meeting to be announced. The Commission's recommendation will then come before the county Board of Supervisors. Evidence based comments that refer to positive or negative environmental impacts of the land use designation change or rezoning of the 96 acres are most helpful when communicating with these government entities.

Part IV

Southern Humboldt Community Park Looks to a Sustainable Future

Creating the Southern Humboldt Community Park is a bold undertaking for a community the size of Southern Humboldt. It was extraordinary and inspiring that community individuals would donate up-front or loan the vast sum needed to purchase this desirable piece of property for a multi-purpose regional park. In just ten years, the Park property is very close to 90% paid for. Secondly, forward thinking has laid the groundwork for the non-profit organization to oversee park activities, operations, conservation and maintenance without depending on unreliable state, county or other tax dollars. (In 1995 Humboldt County declared that it could no longer budget any funds to maintain Tooby Park. First Rotary, and later in 2005 SHCP, took over the responsibility of restoring, maintaining, and improving the playground and park.) Several components of the GPA will assist the Park in reaching its goal to be self-sustaining.

Fees from public events and gatherings will help to off-set the expenses of keeping a park open to the public free of charge for walking, jogging, bike riding, birding, horseback riding, meditation, berry picking, and playground and picnic use.

Currently, while waiting for the GPA process to be completed, the Park is on a subsistence budget, and relying on the good will and continued support of donors, fundraising events, and many volunteer hours.

Today the Park's budget is funded by monthly payments from the gravel bar operation, farm leases and rentals, a percentage of hay sales, and donations. This basic budget pays a part-time executive director salary, bookkeeping services, utilities, garbage collection, insurance, supplies, and small monthly payments on outstanding loans and professional fees. Maintenance projects have been completed with the help of volunteer board members and many generous community volunteers. Tooby Park has a small separate maintenance budget garnered from the Walk in the Park. Tooby caretaker, Steve Landry, and the Park caretakers, John Finley and Lisa Solaris, volunteer many hours over their commitment to keep the Park mowed, clean, and secure.

Once the new zoning is in place revenue from user-fees for small events, five mid-size events and one festival will generate additional revenue the Park needs to increase staffing, maintain and improve the Park infrastructure, and pay off the remaining loans and professional fees. At the same time it will meet the needs of community groups who have requested the use of the Park for these kinds of activities. In addition the Park will be well positioned to be competitive for grants. Grantors have been impressed with the concept of a Park that is not reliant on shaky government funding, but self-sustaining, and they have indicated they would be willing to invest in restoration of degraded areas, installation of proper restrooms and trail development. The Park's proposal was among the finalists in a very competitive grant pool submitted statewide to the State Resources Agency for Prop 84 funds. This July the grantors told the Park that regretfully it did not receive the award of $515,436 for the Park's South Fork Eel River Parkway Project. SHCP was not "project ready" since the current AE zoning does not allow for improvement or development of a park and our GPA is not yet complete.

The GPA requests 3-5 acres of Park land be rezoned to Multi-Family Housing. This piece is close to Sprowel Creek Road, just before the entrance to the ranch houses, and set behind a line of trees. The exact plan for the clustered housing has not been drawn, and therefore before housing is permitted the consortium that comes together to design the housing cluster will be required to have further county review and public process. As noted in the current county plan for the Garberville area, housing needs are critical, workforce and senior housing in particular. The goal of the Park is to put the zoning in place at this time so that in the future, with a community partner, housing could be created that would both fill a community need and at the same time give the Park a substantial, reliable income stream.

While we have made substantial progress over the past decade, these are difficult financial times for non-profits nationwide and the Park has added challenges in the short term. Until the GPA process is complete, the Park's ability to raise money from projects that occur on the site is limited by the zoning issues. Until the GPA is complete, there is difficulty obtaining certain types of grant funding due to the zoning issues. While the Community Park is engaged in the GPA process, thousands of dollars in costs are being incurred. Now, more than ever, the Park is depending on the financial support of those who use the park, those who support the creation of a multi-use park for all age groups, and those who have given so generously in the past.

With the GPA in place, the Southern Humboldt community – many groups and individuals from farmers, children, sports leagues, families, non-profits, businesses, schools, seniors, recreationists, to naturalists – can look forward to enjoying into perpetuity a self-sustaining multi-use park in the heart of their region.