Blue Lake's boundaries burgeoning By Matt Kapko Eye Reporter The Arcata Eye March 4, 2003 Annexation plans for areas adjacent to Blue Lake are beginning to take shape. Two meetings were held last week to examine the city’s progress in its preparation for annexation. The Blue Lake Planning Commission met on Feb. 24 to evaluate its pre-zoning plans. A joint meeting was held the following night, Feb. 25, between the City Council and Planning Commission to better evaluate the process and determine the next step. At the commission’s meeting, it decided that the opportunity to expand annexation to areas north of State Route 299 is too great a chance to miss. It also wants to expand the city’s sphere of influence to more geographically represent the “cultural and community boundaries of Blue Lake.” The commission presented these issues and more to the council for consideration. Planning Commission Chair Terrence Gray explained, “Right now there’s a political will to do long-term planning. “I hope to see a good plan for this valley on my time on the Planning Commission.” As a large development is already looming just outside city limits, City Attorney Richard Platz explained that in such a case the developer could construct a water/sewer system and essentially cut off Blue Lake from any influence in land use. Planning Commissioner John Bartholomew remarked that he finds any foreseeable loss of city influence as a major argument for annexing areas north of SR 299. As Gray presented the commission’s recommendations to the council he met some initial opposition. City Councilmember Adelene Jones explained that the council thought that areas south of SR 299 had a better chance of voter approval. “Elections shouldn’t be done deals,” she said, but in a way the council still wants to make sure that annexation is desirable. Gray added, “You should think of gerrymandering to some extent – to make sure it’s gonna fly.” He explained that many residents in areas adjacent to Blue Lake have made clear that they consider themselves a part of the Blue Lake community. “We might be surprised, pleasantly,” after asking how residents north of SR 299 (within the sphere of influence) feel about annexation, Gray said. City Councilmember Brian Julian said, although the city wants something more manageable in scope, it should look into these areas now, considering how long the process takes. “I’m afraid it could take forever if we look at too big of a zone,” Julian added. The commission has been efficient so far, said City Councilmember Marlene Smith. She foresaw no reason why that won’t continue to be the case if areas are added to consideration. The council was soon convinced and instructed the commission to spend three additional meetings on adding areas north of SR 299 to the process. Satisfied with the council’s decision, Gray pushed ahead, stating the commission’s case for expanding Blue Lake’s sphere of influence. “There’s a larger Blue Lake community that doesn’t coincide with municipal boundaries. There are adjustments made with political boundaries all the time,” he said. Noting the likely difficulty, City Manager Wiley Buck explained that water/sewer services (within the areas Gray proposed) are currently provided by another community services district – making it very difficult, if not impossible, to annex. Amid concerns that too much annexation would lead to growth, Jones voiced her strong opposition to the idea. Platz offered a moment of clarity in explaining the state’s definition of a sphere of influence: areas that the city plans to provide services to and annex to the city. Gray concluded, “Most planning commission’s react, we try to be pro-active.” After annexation was put to a temporary rest, Buck presented the council with the city’s long-overdue budget. On that note, Julian said, “It’s not optimal to adopt the budget four months before the term is up.” He hopes the next budget will arrive more timely, but acknowledged the substantial changes at city hall as an understandable explanation for the delay. The budget was approved after minimal discussion. Wiley remarked, “It’s not set in stone.” In staying with the economic issues facing Blue Lake, the council discussed the state’s proposed closure of the Mad River Fish Hatchery. The council chose to voice its opposition to the closure in a letter sent to Gov. Gray Davis, state Sen. Wes Chesbro, state Assemblymember Patty Berg and the Department of Fish and Game. The hatchery has a “major positive influence on the local economy” and provides a “source for a number of recreational opportunities,” City Councilmember Sherman Schapiro said. “It’s just cuz we’re nowhere that they can get away with this stuff.” Home