Thousands of rural landowners will soon receive a letter in the mail with details regarding their specific land parcels and how they will be designated in Humboldt County’s proposed General Plan Update (GPU).

The first mailing is being sent to over 4,000 land owners whose right to build a home on their legal parcels will be severely curtailed if not eliminated outright, by proposed new restrictions on rural home building.

The letters, which draw their information from current County databases, inform rural landowners of possible changes to their land use designations and what that may mean for their future plans. They stress that even if a parcel’s designation remains the same or similar, they may be forced to merge contiguous parcels. And the rules governing home ownership, lot line adjustments and parcel size are likely to change dramatically if County Commissioners and Supervisors move forward with a plan that would drastically alter Humboldt’s rural way of life.

Simply put, the data in these letters and a close reading of the proposed re-vamp of the General Plan spells out in very clear terms that building a home on one’s own legal property, will be a dream denied to many if proposed changes go through.

“This is a wake up call for rural landowners,” said Estelle Fennell, Executive Director of HumCPR, “We’re very grateful to all the supporters who volunteered time and resources to get this project in the mail so that those who cherish the rural lifestyle will have a clearer understanding of just what’s at stake for them in the GPU”.

Commenting on the fact that, despite repeated requests, the County has failed to send out notifications of the proposed changes to Humboldt County’s resource landowners, Lee Ulansey, founder and chair of HumCPR’s Board of Directors said, “HumCPR has accomplished what the County has not. We saw the need, we did the research and got the job done.” “We hope this information will prove a valuable tool for county landowners and we encourage all to become involved”.

HumCPR hopes to continue with this project as resources allow. In the meantime, we encourage those who do not receive a letter but would like to know their status to give us a call at 707-268-8773 or email us. We’ll help if we can.

HumCPR ran ads on the General Plan Update (GPU) for several weeks in local newspapers. This is that collection.

GPU Quote of the Week Ad Campaign

Humboldt Property Rights Group Video Reveals Concern with General Plan Update Process

EUREKA, Calif. — A video by the Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights examines how Humboldt County’s General Plan Update process has been manipulated.

The video reveals how the planning department ignored the directions of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, disregarded environmental laws and subverted the General Plan Update process by drafting an ordinance to prohibit building on Timber Production Zone parcels.

"The Humboldt County Planning Department has abused its power," said Lee Ulansey, a Eureka artist and woodworker who is chairman of the 700 plus member HumCPR. "We are asking the Humboldt County Planning Commission to make major changes to the General Plan Update process that will restore the public trust."

The 10 minute video, "Examining the Public Process: The TPZ Issue in Humboldt County" can be viewed directly on YouTube:

Examining the Public Process: The TPZ Issue in Humboldt County”

Or you can watch the video right here:

A limited number of DVD copies are available by contacting HumCPR.

Ulansey said the process, which has been going on for nearly a decade at a cost of over $10 million of public funds, has been mismanaged to the extent that even other public entities have found it to be unworkable. "We need real accountability, trustworthy information and a viable plan for our County’s future," he said.

Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights is dedicated to preserving the rural lifestyle that has been the historic tradition of Humboldt County. We will aggressively pursue the right to allow all members of our community a broad choice of alternatives for living, working and recreating. HumCPR will actively monitor and oppose actions that erode property rights or diminish the economic viability of our community. For more information call HumCPR at (707) 268-8773 or e-mail to staff@humcpr.org.