City of Arcata Press Release

CITY OF ARCATA UPDATE: MCKINLEY STATUE NEXT STEPS

Arcata, CA, March 30, 2018 –The City of Arcata has initiated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review as approved by the City Council for the removal of the McKinley statue.

The current scope of the project determined by the Arcata City Council vote on Wednesday, February 21 is to remove and store the statue and amend the City’s General Plan, which identifies the McKinley statue as a part of the Plaza Historic District. At the City Council meeting on Wednesday, March 21, Councilmembers discussed alternatives to determine where the statue would be relocated following removal, which will be taken into consideration during this process.

The McKinley statue is identified as a historic feature of the Plaza in the City’s guiding document called the General Plan, and this designation requires the City to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prior to taking further action. The intent of environmental review under CEQA is to describe the potential impacts of removing McKinley to city officials and the public prior to removing the statue.

The City of Arcata Community Development Department is currently finalizing a full project summary and will consider the impacts of alternative options for the relocation such as placing the statue in storage, relocating the statue within Arcata, relocating the statue regionally or relocating the statue outside of the region.

In addition, Community Development Department staff is compiling a list of verified alternatives for statue placement following removal, and any interested community members are encouraged to come forward with offers and suggestions to be reviewed and considered.

The EIR process will be initiated by a public scoping meeting, which is estimated to take place at the end of April or early May. Following the meeting, the City will complete a Draft EIR and circulate it for 30 days, which is estimated to take place in June or July. The public and other agencies will have the opportunity to comment during this period.

Next, the Community Development Department will respond to input on the Draft EIR and prepare its findings. The findings will then be brought to the Planning Commission, who will make a recommendation to the City Council. These actions will be made at public hearings, currently estimated to take place in late summer through October.