HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2026-03-24_09g General Plan Progress Report March 2026Item 9.g.
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Bill Robeson, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works
BY: Andrew Perez, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: General Plan Update Progress Report – March 2026
DATE: March 24, 2026
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 last progress report was provided for the City Council on January 27, 20261.
Subsequently, a study session was held on February 24, 20262, as an opportunity for the
City Council to comment and provide direction for revisions to the Preliminary Public Draft
General Plan3 (Preliminary Draft).
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
Staff and the consultant are actively working on revisions to the Preliminary Draft in
response to Council's direction on February 24, 2026. These revisions include text
amendments, revisions to the proposed policies and implementation programs, and
writing new policies and programs where necessary. The incorporation of these revisions
will result in the Public Draft General Plan (Public Draf t). The Public Draft will be published
with the intention of gathering additional comments from the public and outside agencies
during a 45-day review period, in accordance with Government Code Section 65352. The
outside agencies include neighboring cities, San Luis Obispo County, Caltrans, Lucia Mar
1https://pub-arroyogrande.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=b0e57ebf -a6f0-427b-b090-
fa1bdfeff273&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=42&Tab=attachments
2https://pub-arroyogrande.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=661c1650-22a5-4167-91df-
42e815675b95&lang=English&Agenda=Agenda&Item=35&Tab=attachments
3https://planarroyogrande.com/images/AGGPU_Prelim%20PRD_Full_reduced_2025%2011%2020%20M
G.pdf
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Item 9.g.
City Council
General Plan Update Progress Report – March 2026
March 24, 2026
Page 2
Unified School District, and the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments. A study session
with Council will be scheduled during the 45-day review period to discuss the revisions
that were made in response to the direction provided at the February 24, 2026, meeting.
Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
The City is required to conduct an environmental analysis of potential impacts associated
with the comprehensive update of the General Plan. That analysis is done through the
preparation of an EIR, which describes and analyzes the significant environmental effects
of the update and discusses ways to mitigate or avoid those effects to the extent feasible.
State law establishes a number of mandatory steps that both guid e the scope and
preparation of the EIR, and timeframes for public review and comment. The first of those
steps is the preparation and publication of a Notice of Preparation (NOP). The NOP
notifies the public and other agencies of the City’s intent to prepare an EIR and to solicit
guidance about the scope and content of the EIR. There is a 30 -day public comment
period after the NOP is published, which occurred on March 20, 2026.
Further, the City will schedule a public scoping meeting to invite members of the public
and agencies to provide comments on the appropriate scope and content of the EIR. In
addition to the NOP, pursuant to Senate Bill 18, the City is required to notify appropriate
Native American tribes of the opportunity to conduct consultations for the purpose of
preserving, or mitigating impacts to, cultural places located on land within the City’s
jurisdiction that may be affected by the adoption of the General Plan. Twelve notices were
mailed to tribes on March 5, 2026. The tribes then have 90 days from the date on which
they receive notification to request consultation . Separately, pursuant to Assembly Bill
(AB) 52, the City is required to give notice to Native American tribes that have submitted
a written request for notice and are traditionally and culturally affiliated with the
geographic area of the project before the EIR is released. The letters mailed on March 5,
2026, also provided formal AB 52 notice to the tribes. The tribes then have 30 days from
the date on which they receive notification to request consultation.
Climate Action Plan (CAP)
Two reports that will inform the Climate Action Plan have been finalized. The Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory Report (Inventory Report) was prepared to assess
emissions within city limits and serves as the foundation for forecasting and setting
reduction targets in the updated CAP. The GHG Emissions Forecast and Targets Report
(Forecast Report) forecasts future GHG emissions for 2030, 2035, 2040, and 2045 based
on the Inventory Report. The Forecast Report provides a projection of how GHG
emissions are expected to change within the city, based on changes in population,
housing, and employment, as well as under existing State and federal legislation aimed
at reducing GHG emissions through 2045. Both reports will be used to develop draft GHG
reduction measures for inclusion in the CAP. Development of a community outreach
strategy is also underway. Community engagement events will be held to determine
which GHG reduction measures will be supported by the community and most likely to
achieve the desired outcome of reducing GHG.
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Item 9.g.
City Council
General Plan Update Progress Report – March 2026
March 24, 2026
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.
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