Port District Considers Issuing Permit to Repair (Rebuild?) Billboard That Fell in Humboldt Bay Tides | Lost Coast Outpost

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At a special meeting tonight, the Humboldt Bay Harbor District Board of Commissioners will consider issuing a permit to re-erect a billboard that was damaged in January storms and has been lying face down in the mud flats of Humboldt Bay for months.

The sign in question, located on the west side of Highway 101 just across from Indianola Boulevard, has never received a permit. It was first erected in 1961, a dozen years before the Port District was created, and it stands (or rather stood) on land currently owned by Humboldt County.

Harbor District staff say the “repair project,” which would involve replacing damaged posts and installing a dozen new posts using pile driving techniques, qualifies for a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption because the new structure would be located on the same site and have the same purpose and capacity as the one being replaced.

Rob Holmlund, the port district’s director of development, told the Outpost by email, there doesn’t appear to be any relevant official distinction between the terms “repair” and “rebuild,” but regardless, the sign was indeed acquired. “From the Harbor District’s perspective, the billboard is ‘legally non-compliant,'” he said.

If the permit is approved, it would allow the billboard’s owner, outdoor advertising giant OutFront Media, to continue operating the billboard for five more years, after which it would be removed, according to a staff report.

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But environmental advocates and government agencies are urging the Harbor District to deny the permit, citing potential impacts to sensitive environmental habitat, scenic overlooks and the Humboldt Bay Trail, which remains in the final phase of construction to connect the cities of Arcata and Eureka.

In a letter to the Harbor District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife noted that the sign is located in sensitive and ecologically important wetland habitats.

“Installing a billboard at this location is inconsistent with the ecological functions and values ​​of these habitats and may result in short- and long-term impacts to native plants, shorebird roosts, and potentially increased erosion potential of the marsh,” the agency’s letter states.

Additionally, the site is being considered for a marsh restoration project associated with resilience to sea level rise.

The state agency recommends that the Harbor District “take this opportunity to phase out a land use activity that is not compatible with the ecosystem functions of the site” by denying the permit.

Jennifer Kalt, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Humboldt Waterkeeper, agrees with that recommendation.

“The harbor district was created by voters in 1973 to protect the bay and public wetlands for the benefit of all of us,” she said. “Rebuilding this billboard in the wetlands is contrary to protecting the environment, the scenic views we all enjoy, and the use of the Bay Trail we have worked to protect for decades.”

Humboldt County Public Works Director Tom Mattson said his department’s main concerns revolve around the ongoing trail construction project.

“We want to make sure they are fully aware of the coordination that would be required if they get all the permits (necessary),” he said.

That remains a big “if.” This morning, Mattson sent the Harbor District a letter stating that, from the county’s perspective, this project would qualify as construction of a new sign and as such, a county building permit would be required, along with engineering plans demonstrating that the design complies with state building codes.

The letter also states that the applicant is proposing to access the billboard site via “railroad tracks,” but the rails and ties in the area have been removed and the county’s construction project is happening right there. And once the work is complete, the public will be able to travel along that road.

The applicant – Allpoints Signs owner Geoff Wills, on behalf of OutFront Media – would also need to obtain a coastal development permit or exemption from the California Coastal Commission.

“We have not yet received such a request,” Joshua Smith, public information officer for the Coastal Commission, told reporters. Outpost “We issued an emergency permit to repair the billboard earlier this year. However, that was before the structure completely collapsed into the bay.”

The proposed reconstruction of the billboard would require an excavator to drive a dozen 6-by-12-inch wooden posts 10 feet into the ground. Vertical support posts (also 6-by-12 inches) and horizontal stringers would support the half-inch plywood sign, with wooden walkways and supports built underneath.

The Humboldt Bay Port District will meet at 6 p.m., following a closed hearing, in the meeting room at Woodley Island Marina, 601 Startare Drive, Eureka, CA 95501.

Members of the public can attend the meeting in person or watch it on Zoom at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6917934402

Meeting ID: 691 793 4402

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