HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2025-07-22_09m General Plan Update Progress ReportItem 9.m.
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Brian Pedrotti, Director of Community Development
BY: Andrew Perez, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: General Plan Update Progress Report – July 2025
DATE: July 22, 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:
Last month’s progress report was provided for the City Council on June 24, 20251. The
report described the initial efforts to update the Safety Element, including the preparation
of a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) and Emergency Evacuation
Analysis, and data collection to establish the baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory
for the Climate Action Plan (CAP).
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
The CCVA and Emergency Evacuation Analysis documents were finalized and will be
utilized to update Safety Element goals and policies. Understanding the city’s
vulnerabilities to climate change will allow for the development of Safety Element goals,
policies, and implementation programs to increase the City’s resilience to climate change.
Likewise, the analysis of the City’s evacuation capacity will result in policies in both the
Safety Element and Circulation Element to improve evacuation capacity and emergency
preparedness.
Staff also contemplated updates to Circulation Element maps, factoring in the adoption
of the preferred land use scenarios that identify the North Fair Oaks and Frederick’s
Specific Plan areas and infrastructure improvements identified in the Active
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Item 9.m.
City Council
General Plan Update Progress Report – July 2025
July 22, 2025
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Transportation Plan. Given the fact that General Plans are intended to be holistic and
general in nature, the Circulation Element map will acknowledge that infrastructure
improvements will be required to accommodate development within the specific plan
areas without identifying the specific improvements. The respective specific plans will
focus on precise improvements and alterations to enable each of these developments.
Additionally, the staff and consultants are moving forward with policy development for the
other elements based on previous direction from Council and the advisory bodies,
community feedback, and State law mandates.
The City’s consultant is using the GHG data to establish the baseline inventory for the
CAP, a process that is expected to conclude in October. The baseline inventory will be
used to forecast future GHG emissions based on projected gro wth and land use patterns.
This step is important because it identifies the source of emissions, how they are expected
to change, and sets measurable goals that are aligned with State mandates. Following
the establishment of the baseline inventory and futu re forecast, the team will engage with
the community and decision makers to develop implementation measures. Specific
information about community engagement opportunities for the CAP will be provided in
future progress reports.
Schedule and Timeline Progress
Staff review of the draft elements is anticipated to begin in mid -August and last through
November. A public hearing with the Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled for
December 3, 2025. The Council’s review will occur in January 2026; however, that timing
is dependent on the direction from the Planning Commission. A short-term project
schedule that shows tasks through the end of the calendar year is provided as Attachment
1. The overall project remains on schedule with the timeline2 provided to the City Council
as an attachment to the February 2025 progress report. As shown in the simplified
schedule table below, the project is on schedule, with Phase 6: General Plan, Phase 10:
Economic Development Tools , and Phase 11: Climate Action Plan Update currently in
process. Phases 1 through 5 have been completed .
Phase Status Completion Expected
1: Project Initiation Complete N/A
2: Public Outreach Strategy Complete N/A
3: Gather and Analyze Data Complete N/A
4: Visioning and Guiding Principles Complete N/A
5: Land Use Scenarios Complete N/A
6: General Plan In Process December 2025
7: Program EIR Not started August 2026
8: Public Review and Adoption Not started November 2026
9: Comprehensive Dev Code Not started March 2027
10:Economic Development Tasks In Process – draft analysis November 2025
11:Climate Action Plan Update In Process – draft analysis January 2027
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Item 9.m.
City Council
General Plan Update Progress Report – July 2025
July 22, 2025
Page 3
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.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. General Plan Update Short Term Schedule
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ATTACHMENT 1
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