Former Eureka Mayors Flemming and Jager Endorse Housing for All Initiative

EUREKA, Calif. - Aug. 16, 2023 - PRLog -- Two former mayors of the City of Eureka, Nancy Flemming and Frank Jager, have endorsed the Housing for All and Downtown Vitality ballot initiative. This initiative seeks to give voters a say in a comprehensive update to the Housing Element of the City's General Plan.

"The Housing for All Initiative has my endorsement," Frank Jager said. "It addresses two critical needs of our community — housing and parking. The Initiative is about making a better plan for Eureka — one where businesses can thrive, and housing can be built to address the desperate housing needs," he said.

According to Jager, the City's current plan to decrease parking in the downtown corridor will create a huge problem impacting local businesses, future downtown residents, and visitors. First, the City is eliminating more than 600 parking spaces downtown, currently used by visitors, workers, and local businesses. Second, the City plans to allow housing to be built on those lots without providing parking for the new residents. As a result, visitors will have no place to park, and small businesses downtown will be forced to leave. The result will cripple the economic vitality of historic downtown Eureka.

If passed, the Housing for All Initiative will let voters have a say in changing parking requirements for housing developments. The initiative improves the City's plan to provide housing downtown by requiring parking to make living downtown more attractive for families while protecting downtown businesses.

"I have faced the challenges of creating three different downtown businesses," Nancy Flemming said. "I depended on abundant parking to survive. This initiative will preserve the parking necessary to keep our local businesses open."

"As a former mayor of Eureka and old town merchant, I am personally aware of the needs of our community," Flemming said. "The Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative is a win-win for the City, its residents, and businesses."

In addition, to help alleviate the severe housing shortage in Eureka and throughout the region, the Housing for All Initiative also includes rezoning 8.5 acres of the former Jacobs Middle School property to enable Eureka to provide hundreds of badly needed housing units for working-and-middle-income families.

Approximately 1,600 valid voter signatures are needed to place the measure on the ballot. To read the initiative and learn more about signing the initiative, visit www.eurekahousingforall2024.org.