Category Archives: Economy

Articles, Crescent City, Economy

Crescent City, Chamber and Visitors Bureau Formalize Their Relationship For First Time In Decades

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Thumbnail photo: Among its contribution to the chamber this year was an extra $5,000 to help pay for the July 4th fireworks. | Photo courtesy of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce

Two days after the local chamber of commerce and visitors bureau brought 300 classic cars to Del Norte County, the Crescent City Council approved the first formal agreement the two agencies have had in decades.

The memorandum of agreement between the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce and the city formalizes its $107,000 total contribution to the chamber. 

But councilors weren’t sure they could swing an additional $3,000 allocation for the visitors center even after Chamber Executive Director Cindy Vosburg said that hasn’t increased in about 11 years.

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Articles, Business, Crescent City, Economy, Housing, Infrastructure, Local Government

Workshops Delve Into Potential Architectural Styles For Downtown Crescent City

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Thumbnail image courtesy of ccdowntownplan.com.

Before launching into a presentation of the different architectural styles that would preserve Downtown Crescent City’s small-town character, Don Arambula mentioned the opposition some have to the city’s plans.

Arambula, principal planner and urban designer for Portland-based Crandall Arambula PC, spoke at a workshop Wednesday for business owners, nonprofit and other government representatives — members of a steering committee driving the development of Crescent City’s Downtown Specific Plan.

During the workshop, Arambula urged steering committee members to think about context. The city’s architectural guidelines and standards need to reflect its “Redwoods to the Sea” motto, he said.

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Articles, Community News, Economy, Education, Health, Tribal Affairs, Youth

Klamath Promise Neighborhood Brought $30 Million to Del Norte and Tribal Lands, But Also Had Its Challenges

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Team TACOCAT, a collaboration between Rx Safe Del Norte and KFUG Community Radio, was one of the local programs that received Klamath Promise Neighborhood support. | Photo courtesy of KFUG Community Radio

Editor’s Note: KFUG Community Radio and Redwood Voice Community News are recipients of Klamath Promise Neighborhood funding. Redwood Voice also has its origins through Building Healthy Communities.

Achieving Promise Neighborhood status for Klamath was a long shot in 2021.

Alison Ramsay and Kevin Malone had to find, and convince, a local agency to take the lead, get partners together to sign memorandums of understanding and write a proposal. 

Ramsay knew what she was getting into — she wrote two successful Promise Neighborhood grants in San Diego. Normally organizations get four to five months, she said. 

Two years after relocating to Del Norte at the invitation of Terry Supahan, executive director of True North Organizing Network, Ramsay and Malone said they noticed that the community lacked a comprehensive youth-serving organization. 

Continue reading Klamath Promise Neighborhood Brought $30 Million to Del Norte and Tribal Lands, But Also Had Its Challenges →
Articles, Crescent City, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government

Contractors Selected For City’s RV Park Revamp; Coastal Conservancy-Funded Project Includes Two Cabins, Renovated Apartment

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City is using a California Coastal Conservancy grant to install two ADA-compliant cabins at its Lighthouse Cove RV Park. | Photo courtesy of the City of Crescent City

After they weren’t able to reach a consensus on vacation rental regulations, Crescent City councilors last week approved contracts to install cabins and renovate an apartment for rent at the city-owned RV park.

Paid for through a $835,000 California Coastal Conservancy Explore the Coast Overnight grant, the project isn’t meant to compete with locals who own Airbnbs or VRBOs, Public Works Director David Yeager said at the Council’s Sept. 8 meeting. 

Though the rates have yet to be set, Yeager described renting the cabins and apartment as a “lower cost opportunity” than booking a privately-owned vacation rental.

Continue reading Contractors Selected For City’s RV Park Revamp; Coastal Conservancy-Funded Project Includes Two Cabins, Renovated Apartment →
Articles, Crescent City, Economy, Local Government

Crescent City Council Fails To Agree On Vacation Rental Ordinance

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Though he shared Candace Tinkler’s sentiments concerning vacation rentals, Crescent City Councilman Steve Shamblin couldn’t convince his colleagues that ensuring “everyone’s paying their fair share” was common sense.

Shamblin, and Tinkler, the city’s mayor pro tem, argued for an ordinance that would capture the addresses of Airbnbs, VRBOs and other short-term rentals operating within city limits. But after the city manager and finance director on Tuesday concluded that short-term rentals make up about 2.8% of Crescent City’s overall housing stock, councilors Jason Greenough and Ray Altman said enacting stronger regulations was a waste of time.

“The city should mind its own business and leave property owners alone,” Altman said, repeating a statement he made about two months ago. “Staff should be working on stuff that’s way more important.”

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Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Transportation

Starkey, Howard Urge Local Advocacy As Last Chance Grade Project Enters Design Phase; ‘Real Hurdle’ Is Finding $2-Plus Billion For Construction, Starkey Says

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Thumbnail image: Conceptual art of the 1.1 mile-long tunnel that will allow U.S. 101 to avoid the Last Chance Grade landslide area south of Crescent City | Image courtesy of Caltrans District 1

Efforts to re-route U.S. 101 around Last Chance Grade reached a milestone on Friday after the California Transportation Commission approved funding for the project’s design and engineering phase.

But Del Norte County supervisors Chris Howard and Valerie Starkey, who attended the commission’s meeting in San Diego, say local advocacy at the state and federal level is imperative for the 6,000-foot tunnel project to continue to advance toward construction.

“What was interesting about the CTC meeting was when they got to the funding portion of it, the staff member from CTC (said) we’re supporting this, but this is the largest chunk of money we put out for one specific project,” Starkey told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. “They said we never awarded this much money. We’ve never supported this much money going to just one project, but we understand the importance of it.”

Continue reading Starkey, Howard Urge Local Advocacy As Last Chance Grade Project Enters Design Phase; ‘Real Hurdle’ Is Finding $2-Plus Billion For Construction, Starkey Says →
Articles, Economy, Local Government

New Economic Development Services Manager Will Fill ‘A Void Since The Tri Agency,’ Del Norte Supervisors Say

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Supervisors Chris Howard and Dean Wilson lauded the hiring of an economic development services manager with Howard calling Tuesday a “great day for Del Norte County.”

“I really felt there’s been a void since the Tri Agency and our ability to address economic development concerns here in the county has been kind of lax,” the District 3 supervisor said, referring to the now-dissolved Tri Agency Economic Development Agency. “This puts us in a forward position based on our strategic planning.”

At a meeting that was over after about 31 minutes, four members of the Board of Supervisors approved hiring the new economic development services manager at Step 3 on the salary schedule. District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey was absent.

Continue reading New Economic Development Services Manager Will Fill ‘A Void Since The Tri Agency,’ Del Norte Supervisors Say →
Articles, CC Harbor, Economy

Schmidt, Nehmer object to doing business with LLC created to manage Harbor District RV parks

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park at the Crescent City Harbor is one of two that a new limited liability company, Crescent City Beach Village LLC, will redevelop and manage. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

A nine-month long courtship between the Crescent City Harbor District and BSD Property Management was nearly derailed over what the investment manager said is standard procedure for a new business.

But after CCHD commissioners Dan Schmidt and Annie Nehmer balked at entering into a lease agreement with Crescent City Beach Village LLC, the limited liability company created to operate the harbor’s RV parks, Daniel Dahan said without trust, the relationship was doomed.

“If you always have to come back and say, ‘Why did you do this? Why is this? Why is that?’ not as an interest, but as a fear, that’s not a good relationship,” he said Wednesday. “That’s not a healthy marriage.”

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Articles, Community News, Economy, Local Government

Though most opposed stricter regulations, Crescent City Councilors call for audit to make sure vacation rental owners are paying their taxes

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Though the city planner said most of Crescent City’s vacation rentals were concentrated on Pebble Beach Drive, Candace Tinkler brought up Gainard Street to illustrate the need for stricter regulations.

According to the mayor pro tem, “every single house that has gone up for sale is flipped” into a short-term rental and there are only “one or maybe two long-term neighbors.” 

But her argument that vacation rentals are changing the character of Crescent City’s neighborhoods didn’t land with her colleagues Monday. One, Councilor Jason Greenough, said there are already laws on the books that address many of her concerns. He also disputed her statement regarding Gainard Street.

Continue reading Though most opposed stricter regulations, Crescent City Councilors call for audit to make sure vacation rental owners are paying their taxes →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Economy, Housing, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Starts Public Outreach On Second Phase Of Downtown Plan Next Week

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Thumbnail photo: Early concept art of the Redwood Downtown, a mixed-use building that includes residential units planned for 3rd and J streets in Downtown Crescent City. Housing is one of the key components of the city’s Downtown Specific Plan. | Image Courtesy of the City of Crescent City

Don Arambula thinks of Whitefish, Montana as an example of the downtown Crescent City could have in about 20 years.

The Rocky Mountain community, population 7,751 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, is about the same size as Crescent City. It’s isolated, a gateway to a national park and, similar to Crescent City, was “kind of struggling.” 

Arambula, principal planner and urban designer for Portland-based Crandall Arambula PC, said the downtown masterplan his firm developed for Whitefish is comparable to Crescent City’s Downtown Specific Masterplan. 

Continue reading Crescent City Starts Public Outreach On Second Phase Of Downtown Plan Next Week →