HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2025-06-24_09j General Plan Update Progress ReportItem 9.j.
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Brian Pedrotti, Director of Community Development
BY: Andrew Perez, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: General Plan Update Progress Report – June 2025
DATE: June 24, 2025
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file a progress report on the Comprehensive General Plan Update.
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES:
The financial and personnel impacts associated with this progress report are included in
the budget for the Comprehensive General Plan Update.
BACKGROUND:
The most recent progress report was provided for the City Council on May 27, 20251. The
report described staff’s audit of existing General Plan goals, policies, and implementation
measures. The policies identified to be carried forward will serve as the starting point for
developing policy for each individual element to be updated. The r eport also described
efforts to update the document template with regards to font, colors, style, and placement
of graphics and illustrations.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
City staff and its consultants have prepared administrative drafts of the Climate Change
Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) and Emergency Evacuation Analysis, both of which are
required to inform the update of the Safety Element pursuant to State law. The City is
also currently updating the local hazard mitigation plan in collaboration with the oth er San
Luis Obispo County cities and the County.
The CCVA identifies the risks climate change poses to the City and the specific
geographic areas at risk from climate change. Understanding the city’s vulnerabilities to
climate change provides a foundation upon which climate adaptation goals, policies, and
implementation programs can be developed for the Safety Element. The evacuation
1 https://pub-arroyogrande.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=14750
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Item 9.j.
City Council
General Plan Update Progress Report – June 2025
June 24, 2025
Page 2
analysis evaluates the transportation system’s capacity during a potential hazard scenario
that requires citywide evacuation. The hazard scenarios that will be evaluated include
inundation from a potential failure of the Lopez Reservoir dam , wildfires, and a major
earthquake. The results of this analysis will be used to develop goals, policies, and
implementation actions in the Safety Element update. These policies can also help
identify potential improvements in evacuation capacity and resilience throughout Arroyo
Grande.
In addition to the comprehensive General Plan Update, the Council also authorized staff
to update the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) as part of this project. The CAP is a long-
range plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from City government operations
and community activities and prepare for the anticipated effects of climate chang e. The
initial step in the update process involved obtaining data to complete a community GHG
emissions inventory update for the City. Data obtained from PG&E, SoCal Gas, the South
San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District, South County Sanitary Service, and the San
Luis Obispo Council of Governments will be used to establish a baseline GHG benchmark
by which future reduction targets will be measured against.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration:
1. Receive and file this progress report on the Comprehensive General Plan Update;
or
2. Provide other direction to staff
ADVANTAGES:
Regular updates to the City Council will inform decision -makers and the community on
the status of the project.
DISADVANTAGES:
None identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
No environmental review is required to receive and file this progress report on the General
Plan Update because it has no potential to result in either a direct, or reasonably
foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, Cal.
Code Regs., tit. 14, §§ 15060, subd. (c)(2)-(3), 15378.).
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted at City Hall and on the City’s website in accordance with
Government Code Section 54954.2.
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