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ENVISION STOCKTON 2040 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE - LAND USE ALTERNATIVE REVIEW/DIRECTION
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
Review and provide direction regarding General Plan land use alternatives.
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Summary
The General Plan affects the fiscal health of a community through the implementation of policies that set service levels and infrastructure priorities. Since the approval of the current General Plan in 2007, significant socioeconomic changes have occurred, prompting the City to re-visit the current Plan.
The process to update a General Plan involves several major steps, including: public outreach, development of background information, developing a vision statement, preparation of land use alternatives, and preparation of goals policies and actions. During the last year, six public workshops were hosted by the City and attended by hundreds of citizens who provided valuable input to formulate the Plan.
During the Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan revision process, staff will update the Council on the status of the project and will ask for direction on key questions that will help shape the draft plan. Staff are engaging community members in a public outreach process to ensure that the plan reflects the community’s priorities. To date, the background information has been prepared, a vision statement has been drafted and extensive public outreach has been conducted.
The current phase of the work is on the land use alternatives. These alternatives present different ways the city can grow, and will affect land at the edges of the city and in the city core in differing ways. Staff is requesting direction on the alternatives. The City Council can consider any of the alternatives, modification of a particular alternative, and/or consider a combination of the proposed alternatives. After this study session is completed, a draft “preferred land use alternative” will be prepared based on Council’s direction.
Following the land use alternatives phase, staff will prepare draft goals and policies for public review, Planning Commission review, and Council direction. Staff will then prepare a draft general plan incorporating the preferred land use alternative and updated goals and policies with emphasis on that particular land use alternative.
At the conclusion of the update process, the Council will be asked to adopt the updated General Plan in its entirety and find that its environmental impacts have been adequately addressed in an environmental impact report (EIR).
Based on community input to date, most participants believe:
• The City should grow inward rather than outward.
• A moderate amount of growth should be accommodated.
• New growth at the city’s edges should mostly be located within the existing city limits, and infill development is strongly supported Downtown and along major corridors like Wilson Way, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Airport Way.
• Mixed-use infill development and jobs and housing located close together in walkable areas well served by public transit will best improve the surrounding neighborhoods.
At this point in the General Plan update process, staff is seeking direction and input from the City Council. Some key questions for this study session include:
• Where should the City grow?
• How much growth should be accommodated?
• What is the right balance between new growth at the city’s edges and infill development in older neighborhoods?
• What kind of infill development will best improve the surrounding neighborhoods?
DISCUSSION
Overview of General Plans
State law requires that each city and county have an adopted General Plan. Land use decisions such as where to grow, how much to grow, and what type of development is desired is strategically guided through the General Plan for a certain time horizon. The General Plan affects the fiscal health of the community through the implementation of policies that set service levels for facilities and services such as roadways and other public infrastructure, parkland, public safety staffing, and additional community services such as libraries and community centers. These service levels affect the annual budget and capital improvement and maintenance costs. The General Plan also promotes the health of the community by regulating the design of new development to be walkable, bike-friendly, flood-safe, and protected from excessive noise (Attachment A - General Plan Overview).
Background
Since the current General Plan was adopted in 2007, significant economic and demographic changes have occurred, prompting the City to update its growth and development assumptions. The City is committed to updating the General Plan in a fiscally sustainable manner which has been a core principle throughout this update effort.
The City’s update process also considers the settlement agreement between the Sierra Club, the California Attorney General, and the City to resolve litigation on the current adopted 2007-2035 General Plan. The Sierra Club expressed concerns about the amount of outward expansion proposed in the 2007-2035 General Plan, and the impact of that growth on greenhouse gas emissions.
The settlement agreement was enacted to ensure future growth outlined in the 2035 General Plan, addresses greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement called for the City to include policies and programs in the plan to support the development of 18,400 new housing units within the 2008 city limit, with at least 4,400 of those residences located in the greater Downtown area.
The current general plan update effort is entitled “The Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan Update.” The update officially began in March 2016 when the City entered an agreement with consultant Placeworks to support staff (Attachment B - Scope of Work Overview).
General Plan Update Process
The public process to update the General Plan includes the following major steps: development of background information; conducting public outreach; developing a vision statement; preparation of land use alternatives; development of goals, policies, and objectives or actions to implement the Plan; environmental review; public workshops and meetings; consideration/recommendation by the Planning Commission; and final approval by the City Council (Attachment C - General Plan Update Schedule; and Attachment D - Public Outreach Summary). A Briefing Book, prepared at the beginning of the General Plan update process, provides a visual and descriptive snapshot of the Stockton community in 2016 - how land is used, local economic conditions, community services, mobility, environmental hazards, and cultural resources (Attachment E - Briefing Book).
Visioning Workshops and Vision Statement
During 2016, the City hosted a series of workshops for community members to learn about the General Plan update process, review existing conditions, discuss their visions for the future of Stockton, identify areas of the city where positive change might most likely occur, and discuss key land use and related issues that should be addressed through the General Plan update. Participants offered input through small group discussions, responding to questions aimed at identifying a community vision to guide the 2040 General Plan (Attachment F - Visioning Workshop Summary; and Attachment G - Vision Statement).
Land Use Alternative Workshops
During late 2016 and early 2017, the City held three workshops for the public to learn about what basic land use alternatives should be addressed through the General Plan update. Participants offered input through their review of the Land Use Workbook (Attachment H - Land Use Workbook) and a small group exercise (Attachment I - Small Group Exercise) responding to questions aimed at ranking preferred outcomes for; city boundaries, type of development, public safety and services, fiscal health, transportation, and rate of growth, among other issues.
Present Situation
The current phase of the General Plan Update is a key decision point for the City. Determining how to best arrange new land uses and accommodate growth that will affect Stocktonians for generations to come.
Based on community input to date, most participants believe:
• The City should grow inward rather than outward.
• A moderate amount of growth should be accommodated.
• New growth at the city’s edges should mostly be located within the existing city limits, and infill development is strongly supported Downtown and along major corridors like Wilson Way, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Airport Way.
• Mixed-use infill development and jobs and housing located close together in walkable areas well served by public transit will best improve the surrounding neighborhoods.
At this point in the General Plan update process, staff is seeking direction and input from the City Council. Some key questions for this study session include:
• Where should the City grow?
• How much growth should be accommodated?
• What is the right balance between new growth at the city’s edges and infill development in older neighborhoods?
• What kind of infill development will best improve the surrounding neighborhoods?
Additional community input includes two letters received from Campaign for Common Ground and the Building Industry Association (Attachment J - Campaign for Common Ground Letter January 2017; and Attachment K - Building Industry Association Letter March 2017).
Next steps after this study session include community workshops on goals and policies, followed by preparation of the draft general plan and environmental impact report which will be reviewed at additional public workshops. After public outreach has been completed, the Planning Commission and City Council will hold public hearings to adopt the new General Plan.
Financial Summary
There is no financial impact to the City because of the study session.
The Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan Update webpage can be accessed by using the following link: <http://www.stocktongov.com/government/departments/communityDevelop/cdPlanGenDocs.html>
Attachment A - General Plan Overview
Attachment B - Scope of Work Overview
Attachment C - General Plan Update Schedule
Attachment D - Public Outreach Summary
Attachment E - Briefing Book
Attachment F - 2016 Visioning Workshops Summary
Attachment G - Vision Statement
Attachment H - Land Use Workbook
Attachment I - Small Group Exercise
Attachment J - Campaign for Common Ground Letter
Attachment K - Building Industry Association Letter