7/15/2011 General Plan Update Project - Land Use Alternatives and Key Policy Issues Report

The City of Pacifica is in the process of undertaking a comprehensive update of its General Plan, the guiding document for development and public improvements over a 20 to 30-year period. The General Plan is a plan that will provide guidance as people propose projects, and help the City make informed decisions. The plan will provide a vision and policies for land use, economic development, environmental protection, and infrastructure investment through 2030. The General Plan update process began with two community workshops in the spring of 2009, and extensive research on existing conditions culminating in the Existing Conditions and Key Issues report in July 2010.

Currently, we have just released the Land Use Alternatives and Key Policy Issues Report. This is a stage in the process of updating the General Plan and Local Coastal Plan. It will inform land use designations and policies that will apply citywide.

In this phase, alternative land use scenarios are evaluated and approaches to key policy issues are considered, based on community priorities expressed in the preceding workshops and on findings of the background research. The report presents land use scenarios that highlights issues related to commercial development, future residential development, and land conservation. It presents approaches to sustainable development, adaptation to sea level rise, open space preservation, and development of the parks and trails system.

A successful General Plan reflects the goals and values of the community. Public input is sought at key stages of the update process, ensuring that community members can take an active role in shaping the city's future. The land use alternatives and policy approaches discussed here were the subject of the third community forum, held at Pacifica's Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School on January 29, 2011. 

On August 15, we will be holding a public hearing of the Planning Commission, during which a presentation on the Land Use Alternatives and Key Policy Issues will be given by the General Plan Consultant team. At this meeting, the public will have an opportunity to comment on this document.  A subsequent City Council meeting will be held to further discuss the document some time in the early fall.

For More information, contact Elizabeth Claycomb, Management Analyst and Project Manager at 650-738-7361 or via email at: claycombe@ci.pacifica.ca.us .

Posted by Steve Sinai