Letter to the Editor: Ukiah City Council ignores its own general plans — and decades of advocacy

Dear Editor:

At a recent Ukiah City Council meeting, our public representatives once again ignored the public’s interest and input by eviscerating the hard-worked-for Downtown Zoning Code (DZC), dealing a further blow to Ukiah ever becoming a walkable city.

The DZC was achieved with input from multiple stakeholders between 2006 and 2012. The code sets standards for business development and emphasizes the value of our urban waterways, especially Gibson Creek, a vital stream flowing from the Western Hills through downtown, crossing Perkins Street on its way towards the Russian River. 

Now the council approved unanimously to eliminate all mention of Gibson Creek in the Perkins Street corridor and to allow more drive-thrus.

The code changes are in conflict with the city’s General Plan (GP). Both the GP 2010 and the GP 2040 have an abundance of language stating policies for protecting waterways. Back in 2000, a study by the city-contracted LSA Associates found multiple — and many easy ways — to enhance Gibson Creek as an attractive downtown corridor that would benefit both people and fish.

Twenty-six years later nothing has been implemented. The current GP 2040 states, “the city shall establish a creek and stream restoration master plan for each creek flowing through the city limits.”  The city has already pushed back any work on the master plans to 2030, again showing its disregard for any environmental enhancement of downtown. 

The Environmental Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration of June 2012 for the DZC states, “future development projects and construction activities near the Gibson Creek Corridor include a 50-feet building setback from the edge of the Gibson Creek riparian corridor.” The city wishes to eliminate this requirement.

Over the years, many people have spoken up and worked hard for creek protection, not only during the DZC process, but also during the planning for the new courthouse on Perkins Street near Gibson Creek. To mention only a few: the late Bill Townsend and other Ukiah Rod and Gun Club members; the late, longtime council member Phil Baldwin; the late Bill Randolph, the Mendocino Fisheries Program; the Friends of Gibson Creek; and the former City of Ukiah’s Paths, Open Space and Creeks Commission. And yet, for the courthouse, the city was eager to build a bridge across Gibson Creek, rather than considering other alternatives for access to the site.

The recent City Council vote also allows more drive-thrus on Perkins Street. This is bad public policy that was debated and dismissed  during the DZC creation. The auto-centric model of drive-thrus is not compatible with a walkable city. The combination of tight spaces, queues, distracted drivers converging onto public streets leads to frequent fender-benders, sideswipes, and pedestrian accidents. Additionally, drive-thrus economically impact and degrade historic downtowns because they disrupt pedestrian flow and stifle surrounding foot traffic.

None of the code changes were part of a larger public discussion but were maneuvered through an unaccountable “ad hoc” committee and an underrepresented Planning Commission. One has to  wonder whom our public officials serve — certainly not the common good and future generations.