Citizens for a Better Eureka Files Lawsuits Over Loss of Two Parking Lots in Downtown Eureka

EUREKA, Calif., October 4, 2023 – The Citizens for a Better Eureka coalition filed two lawsuits against the City of Eureka today to stop the city from taking away two public parking lots at Eighth and G streets and Sixth and M streets. These suits follow two others filed by the Citizens for a Better Eureka against the city in California Superior Court in April and May of this year.

The more than 50 coalition members claim the city failed to meet the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements to properly assess the environmental impacts of replacing the lots with housing developments. It is the city’s responsibility to comply with CEQA and analyze appropriately the effects on pedestrian and public safety, air quality, neighborhood compatibility, and traffic. The coalition believes the city did not do its due diligence in assessing these impacts when the city council voted to exempt these properties from CEQA.

Citizens for a Better Eureka supports housing development but not at the expense of local businesses. The city’s plan to add hundreds of new residents while taking away more than 600 current public parking spaces will be catastrophic for downtown.

The coalition requests that city officials work collaboratively with business owners, special interest groups, and residents on a sustainable downtown redevelopment plan to preserve the badly needed parking and accommodate the growth of downtown developments.

Copies of the suits can be found below.

2023-10-4_1

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2023-10-4-2

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