General Plan Implementation Projects

Zoning Text Amendments and Zone Reclassifications to Implement the General Plan

This is the first General Plan implementation project and proposes to add new Zoning Districts to the Inland Zoning Regulations and amend the Zoning Map to be consistent with the 2017 Humboldt County General Plan. 

Board of Supervisors Approved Zoning Actions

• Ordinance No. 2635 (PDF) and Resolution 19-86 (PDF) adding a TE – Timberland Exclusive Principal Zone, MU1 – Mixed Use (Urban) Principal Zone, a MU2 – Mixed Use (Rural) Principal Zone, and a PRD – Planned Rural Development Combing Zone; and amending Section 314-7.1 AE - Agriculture Exclusive Zone; Section 314-7.4 TPZ - Timberland Production Zone, and Section 314-17.1 B-1– Special Building Site Combining Zone.
• Ordinance No. 2629 (PDF) and Resolution 19-51 (PDF) adding a PR – Public Resource and Recreation Zone; a TL – Tribal Land Zone; a MR – Mineral Resources Combining Zone; a RR – Railroad Combining Zone; and amending the F – Flood Hazard Areas Combining Zone; Streamside Management Areas and Wetlands Regulations; and Zoning Regulations, and Chapter 2, Open Space Consistency Findings (312-17.1, Required Findings for all Permits and 312-2.1, Zoning Clearance Certificate Procedures)

This project includes the following:

• Adopt new zones and edits to existing zones 
  (see "Board of Supervisors Approved Zoning Actions" above.)
• Adopt Amendments to the Zoning Map (for areas outside the Blue Lake, Fieldbrook-Glendale, and Willow Creek Community Planning Areas and the McKinleyville Town Center Area)
  • Mixed Use Zones applied to areas with MU - Mixed Use, VC - Village Center, or RCC - Rural Community Center General Plan designations;
  • “TL - Tribal Land” Zone will be applied to the areas with a “TTL - Tribal Trust Lands” or a “TL - Tribal Lands” Land Use designation that are not zoned "TPZ"; and
  • “WR - Streamside Management Areas and Wetlands” Combining Zone will be applied to properties designated by the General Plan as Streamside Management Areas and/or Wetlands;
  • “RR - Railroad” Combining Zone applied to railroad rights of way held by the North Coast Railroad Authority, and those along the former Annie and Mary Railroad rail corridor between Arcata and Blue Lake,
  • “MR - Mineral Resources” Combining Zone will be applied to parcels with permitted surface mining operations; and
  • Specific zones are proposed to be assigned to all areas currently zoned “U - Unclassified” and other changes to the Zoning Maps are also proposed to provide consistency with the General Plan where the General Plan Land Use was changed and the existing Zone is inconsistent or where there was already an inconsistency between the General Plan & Zone.
• View the Zoning Map Amendments
  • Online WebGIS mapping showing the most current Zoning recommendations. Humboldt County WebGIS, select "Jurisdictional Boundaries and Land Use > Planning Layers > Draft GPU Zones" from the "Layer List."
• Community Planning
  Following the adoption of the Amendments to the Zoning Map identified above, the Board directed Planning staff to: 
  • Conduct planning and public engagement to implement the policies of the McKinleyville Community Plan that call for a “Town Center Area ordinance” that identifies permitted land uses (including higher density urban housing, retail, commercial, public facility, and open spaces; and
  • Engage the public and conduct community planning in the Blue Lake, Fieldbrook-Glendale, and Willow Creek community areas to prepare or update, as appropriate, community plans and amend the Zoning Maps to implement the General Plan.