To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Michael Walker, Senior Planner
TITLE:
Title
General Plan Update
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Receive a report on the progress of the General Plan Update.
Body
DISCUSSION:
This report provides an overview of the General Plan Update progress to date, including the Draft Land Use Plan, Element Framework Documents, and upcoming community outreach. As a reminder, the General Plan work plan is divided into three phases:
Phase 1: Project Initiation, Visioning, and Issue Identification - Tasks include:
1. Project Initiation;
2. Issue Identification and Key Strategies; and
3. Existing Conditions, Trends, and Opportunities Assessment (completed January 2019)
Phase 2: Options and Strategies - Tasks include:
4. Alternatives; and
5. Draft Land Use Plan and Key Goals (in progress - anticipated completion in April 2021)
Phase 3: Draft and Final Documents - Tasks include:
6. Draft General Plan;
7. Draft and Final General Plan EIR; and
8. Hearings and Adoption
The City Council received progress reports on the General Plan Update at a joint meeting with the Planning Commission on April 30, 2019 as Phase 1 concluded, and, on August 4, 2020 to review the Draft Vision and Guiding Principles
The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) has held a total of 16 meetings since it was empaneled by the Council in December 2018. Over the past two years, the GPAC’s focus has been to establish the Draft Vision & Guiding Principles for the General Plan Update, guide the development of the Draft Land Use Plan, establish direction for the General Plan Element Frameworks, and set the stage for continuing community participation in the General Plan update.
Draft Vision & Guiding Principles
The Vision reflects the community’s aspirations for Napa’s future. It is a summary of the shared goals to be achieved by the General Plan. The Guiding Principles elaborate upon the Vision and will provide guidance to detailed policies. The Draft Vision & Guiding Principles document (see Attachment 1) are based on input from the community gained through community workshops and outreach, the initial online community survey, stakeholder interviews, and meetings of the GPAC. The Vision and Guiding Principles are intended to remain in “draft” form until the Preferred Plan and the General Plan policies are developed. The Vision and Guiding Principles will be finalized and included in the adopted General Plan.
Draft Land Use Plan
The Draft Land Use Plan, which includes land use classifications for all properties within the City and identification of key Focus Areas, was developed through mapping exercises and charrettes at GPAC meetings throughout the late summer and fall of 2019. The Draft Land Use Plan, Land Use Designations, Focus Areas, and Urban Design Strategies were introduced to the GPAC at their February 24, 2020 meeting. This meeting was intended to be the first of several meetings on Land Use and launching the next phase of Community Outreach and surveys. Shelter-in-place and other protocols related to the COVID-19 outbreak had major impacts on the General Plan Update process, shifting all meetings and outreach efforts to online and virtual formats.
Following two subsequent GPAC meetings, a virtual Land Use Community Workshop was held on July 22, 2020 with 95 participants. The primary focus of the Workshop was to share development and redevelopment opportunities on four corridors and Focus Areas identified in the Draft Land Use Plan and to obtain community feedback.
The GPAC held a subsequent virtual Workshop on the Draft Land Use Designations, draft Land Use Plan (“Preferred Plan”) and Focus Areas on August 31, 2020. The meeting was attended by over 100 participants via Zoom, with several participants speaking on topics covered in this report.
The Draft Land Use Plan, Designations, and Focus Areas were presented to the Planning Commission for consideration at their September 17, 2020 meeting. The Planning Commission requested that Staff and the Consultant Team provide additional information regarding the potential development of vacant lands within the Rural Urban Limit (RUL), the impact of proposed Land Use Designations on existing neighborhoods, and additional information on potential buildout data. The Commission also inquired about the rationale behind identifying the draft Land Use Plan as the “Preferred Plan” prior to receiving considerations from the Planning Commission and City Council.
A revised Draft Land Use Plan was reviewed by the GPAC at their January 11, 2021 meeting which included a summary of changes made to the Plan based on comments received from the public, GPAC, and Planning Commission. The revised Draft Land Use Plan will go before the Planning Commission in a two-meeting workshop held on February 18 and March 4, 2021. The revised Draft Land Use Plan and proposed Land Use Designations are scheduled to come before the City Council at the April 6, 2021 meeting.
General Plan Element Framework Documents
California law requires all General Plans to address seven mandated topics: Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety. In addition to the required Elements, the General Plan will also include a Historic Resources Element and an Economic Development Element. In response to overwhelming community input and direction from the GPAC for more focused attention on Climate Change and Health & Equity in All Policies, two additional elements have been included.
The General Plan Framework serves as a draft outline of the General Plan (see Attachment 2) and includes the following:
1. Vision and Planning Context
2. Land Use & Community Design Element*
3. Transportation*
4. Community Services, Parks, & Recreation Element*
5. Historic Resources Element
6. Climate Change & Sustainability Elementᶺ
7. Natural Resources Conservation Element*
8. Safety & Noise Element*
9. Public Health & Equityᶺ
10. Economic Development
11. Implementation
*Mandated Element
ᶺAdded based on community input
The framework documents are a high-level overview of each Element which are intended to guide discussion on key policies. The policies and strategies outlined in the Frameworks are considered draft outlines and are not exhaustive. Feedback was provided by the GPAC and the City’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) - a committee of key staff members from each Department. The feedback gained through this process will assist in drafting the complete Elements which will be included in the Public Review Draft General Plan anticipated for release in July 2021. Framework Documents reviewed by the GPAC and TAC included Land Use & Community Design; Transportation; Community Services; Parks & Recreation; Historic Resources; Climate Change & Sustainability; Natural Resources; Safety; Public Health & Equity; and Economic Development.
Upcoming Community Outreach
Community Outreach activities are being finalized for Spanish language Outreach and youth Outreach in late-February and early-March and an online Community Outreach open portal planned in April. The objective of these outreach activities is to solicit community input on the Element Frameworks and key strategies which will assist in formulating the General Plan polices included in the Public Review Draft of the General Plan.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
Separate from the General Plan Update, the City will soon be embarking on the Housing Element Update to implement the sixth cycle of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). The Association of Bay Area Governments has released preliminary housing numbers for Bay Area counties. The City of Napa and Napa County break down as follows:
|
|
Very Low |
Low Income |
Moderate |
Above Moderate |
Total |
|
City of Napa |
504 |
291 |
319 |
825 |
1,939 |
|
Napa County |
369 |
212 |
120 |
312 |
1,013 |
These numbers represent a significant increase from the City’s past RHNA. As part of the Napa Pipe Agreement with Napa County, the City is also responsible for 80% of the County’s RHNA allocation in the Sixth Cycle, increasing the City’s total housing allocation to 2,757. Staff anticipates launching initial background work on the Housing Element in summer 2021 in preparation for working on the Housing Element as a priority work project beginning in winter 2022 when the General Plan Update process is anticipated to conclude. The Council will review the City’s progress implementing the 5th cycle Housing Element at the April 20, 2021 Council meeting.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
Funds for the General Plan Update were budgeted through the normal process and this action simply utilizes already appropriated funds and will have no impact on budget or fund balance. The Capital Improvement Program budget for FY 2018-22, adopted June 20, 2017, included expenditure of $1,500,000 for the General Plan Update (MS18CD02) in 2018.
CEQA:
The Community Development Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Agenda Report is not a project (pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378) since it does not result in a physical change in the environment. However, the Recommended Action is part of a larger project that will be subject to environmental review in accordance with CEQA at the earliest feasible time prior to approval consistent with CEQA Guidelines Sections 15004 and 15352. The larger project is the General Plan Update for which an Environmental Impact Report would be prepared for certification prior to adoption of the General Plan.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Draft Vision and Guiding Principles
ATCH 2 - Draft General Plan Framework
NOTIFICATION:
None.