Frequently Asked Questions

The Eureka Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative (designated as Measure F on the November 5, 2024 ballot) is about providing affordable housing for Eureka’s working families; protecting the economic vitality of Eureka’s small businesses; and providing a better alternative for Eureka’s needed housing in the vacant former Jacobs Middle School site.

The initiative is a comprehensive update to the Housing Element of the City of Eureka’s General Plan. It addresses critical needs for the future of our city by the following:

1. Enables hundreds of badly needed housing units to be built in Eureka – triple that of the current city plan.
2. Creates a new, safe, environmentally friendly, family neighborhood on the abandoned former Jacobs school site
3. Protects and improves the economic vitality of Eureka’s Historic Downtown by maintaining the infrastructure essential to support our small businesses

The initiative is a comprehensive program that will increase the housing supply in Eureka, both downtown and in surrounding neighborhoods, with options for all, including working and middle-income families who desperately need it.

The initiative paves the way for housing development on the former Jacobs Middle School site and the housing the city has planned downtown.

Finally, the initiative preserves more infrastructure downtown that is essential to the economic vitality of our small businesses and our Historic City Center.  It assures visitors, customers, downtown businesses, and their employees have a place to park and that downtown shops, restaurants, and visitor attractions remain vital.

The former Jacobs Middle School site has sat unused and vacant for years but has the potential for triple the housing creating a new, safe, environmentally friendly, family neighborhood.  The site is within safe walking distance of public transportation, schools, grocery stores, medical services, and shopping malls. It offers the opportunity to develop community housing with open spaces for children to play safely, and new homes built here would not be heavily reliant on cars.  Development of much needed housing at the Jacobs site will provide for increased property values and safer neighborhoods by providing stable housing for working and middle-income families – a much-better alternative to the current plan.

After the Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative qualified for the ballot, a buyer came forward and offered $6 million to buy and develop the site.  The community has rallied to the idea. The initiative will ensure the Jacobs site will be developed to further enhance and support the future of a vital and vibrant Eureka.

The list of supporters for the Eureka Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative grows daily, and includes local small businesses, local leaders, and a broad coalition focused on the future of Eureka.  If you would like to join this growing list of supporters, please fill out this form.

The city’s plan is so harmful to our downtown small shops and restaurants that more than 40 local businesses are suing the city over their plan. The city’s politicians and bureaucrats are relying on a flawed study to make a major change in downtown that would harm Eureka’s historic downtown for generations: concentrating 300 low- and very low-income housing units downtown and removing the vital infrastructure and parking businesses need to attract visitors and keep their doors open. 

The vacant former Jacobs Middle School site is a much better place for desperately needed affordable housing for working and middle-income families. The Eureka Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative rejects the city’s risky plan, protects our local shops, restaurants, and small businesses and provides a much better alternative for affordable housing at the vacant former Jacobs Middle School site.   

The initiative will continue the construction of housing in downtown Eureka. The initiative is about bringing housing to downtown and identifying other properties that will provide Eureka with needed housing to help alleviate the current housing and homeless crisis.

Hundreds of new housing units are expected to be built downtown, but there needs to be a reasonable plan to providing the infrastructure for these new residents and ensure our small businesses can thrive – two pieces essential to a vibrant downtown.

No. The initiative does not affect the city’s funding for affordable housing or any other purpose. In fact, the city does not seek grant funding from the State for affordable housing construction—it is up to housing developers to seek grant funds.

Yes. The initiative helps the city meet its requirement by providing additional property for housing.

No. This initiative provides a much better option for many parts of Eureka. Protecting infrastructure important to our local economy is just one piece.  The initiative also provides for triple the housing than is currently planned – and includes much-needed housing options for working and middle-income families.  By providing a clear option at the currently vacant Jacobs Middle School site, this initiative creates a new, safe, environmentally friendly, family neighborhood on the acreage which is currently sitting abandoned and unused.

If passed, the initiative will give city voters a say in changing parking requirements for downtown housing developments. The initiative improves the city’s plan to provide housing downtown by requiring developers to preserve existing parking and to provide additional parking for new residents to make living downtown more attractive for families while protecting downtown businesses.