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The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation from staff to initiate discussion on the County’s General Plan and the need, scope, extent and timeline of a potential update
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Published Notice Required? Yes __ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes __ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation from staff to initiate discussion on the County’s General Plan and the need, scope, extent and timeline of a potential update.
SUMMARY:
A general plan under California Law is a comprehensive policy document that provides the vision for how a community will grow, generally over a 20-year time period. A general plan is a requirement under State law for every city and county in California and sets goals, policies and identifies objectives that address immediate and long term needs within the jurisdiction. Solano County’s current General Plan was last comprehensively updated in August 2008 and at this time, staff is seeking Board discussion and feedback relating to developing a scope and defining the scale of the next General Plan update with an aim to be completed by fall of 2028 to coincide with the expiration of Measure T. Measure T, known as the Orderly Growth Initiative, continued policies toward city-centered growth within Solano County to protect agricultural lands through Ordinance No. 2008-01, known as the “Orderly Growth Ordinance” that was originally approved by the voters of Solano County in 1984 as Proposition A.
Staff is currently evaluating parameters for a Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a planning consultant to assist with the General Plan update, and discussion from the Board will help inform the scope of work for this effort. Attachment A provides a framework of considerations and issues that are intended to be built upon and evaluated as the County continues to develop the scope of the RFP. Considerations and issues identified in the Attachment have been discussed in various settings, including Board priority setting, and we fully expect other considerations to be brought up as the Board embarks in this discussion and hones in on the scope of the general plan update. Another topic to be addressed in the RFP is the nature and extent of public outreach. Initial feedback from the Board on public outreach is helpful and the expectation is that the RFP will be flexible enough for the selected consultant to provide recommendations for a specific process within general parameters identified in the RFP. Today’s discussion is intended to be an introductory session on the General Plan update. Further discussions before the Board are anticipated before the scope of an RFP is finalized.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2024/25 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
State planning and zoning law (California Government Code §65000 et seq.) requires all counties and cities prepare and maintain a general plan for the long-term growth, development, and management of the land within the jurisdiction’s planning boundaries. The general plan acts as a “constitution” for development and is the jurisdiction’s lead legal document in relation to growth, development, and resource management issues. Development regulations (i.e. zoning and subdivision standards) are required by law to be consistent with the general plan.
General plans must address a broad range of topics, including, at a minimum, the following mandatory seven elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, safety. While all general plans are required to address each mandatory element, there is no required format or structure. At the discretion of each jurisdiction, the general plan may combine these elements and may add optional elements relevant to each individual jurisdiction. In 2008, Solano County’s General Plan update combined the elements into chapters. The new update may require additional language to address new statutes which will be addressed throughout the update process.
Background
The County’s current growth management policies began in 1980 when a comprehensive update to the General Plan occurred. These growth policies focused on city-centered development and the preservation of agricultural and natural resource lands. In 1984, a measure (Proposition A) was passed by the voters of Solano County. Proposition A re-affirmed General Plan policies and imposed strict limitations on the County’s ability to allow new residential, commercial, or industrial development in agricultural and open space areas. Notably, the limitation included the requirement that any re-designation of land identified as Agriculture, Watershed, Marsh, or Park and Recreation to another land use would require a ballot measure be approved.
In 1994, a proposed extension of Proposition A, known as the Orderly Growth Initiative (OGI) was brought forward to extend the provisions of Proposition A through December 2010. The Board adopted the initiative by resolution in lieu of placing the measure on a ballot.
In 2008, the OGI was extended with the passage of Measure T, extending the provisions of the OGI through December 2028 to coincide with the current General Plan. In addition to the extension of the OGI, Measure T also included and approved a certain amount of agriculturally designated lands be re-designated to other land uses. Examples of this includes the Middle Green Valley special study area, which proposed residential and neighborhood commercial uses and lands in the English Hills area that were determined to be better suited for rural residential development rather than for agriculture.
2008 General Plan
While the County has amended its General Plan chapters from time to time, the last comprehensive update to the General Plan was in 2008, which updated the 1980 General Plan. The 2008 General Plan is divided into chapters, consisting of:
1. Introduction
2. Land Use
3. Agriculture
4. Resources
5. Public Health and Safety
6. Economic Development
7. Transportation and Circulation
8. Public Facilities and Services
9. Housing Element
10. Park and Recreation
11. Tri City and County Cooperative Plan for Agriculture and Open Space Preservation
The 2008 General Plan can be found online at:
<https://solanocounty.com/depts/rm/planning/general_plan.asp>
The 2008 General Plan also includes four Special Study Areas (SSA): Middle Green Valley, Suisun Valley, Collinsville, and Old Town Cordelia. Middle Green Valley and Suisun Valley SSAs have been completed, while Collinsville and Old Town Cordelia have not. The upcoming General Plan update should evaluate if these existing SSAs should be removed or if any new SSAs should be added.
Objectives of Updated General Plan
While there may be additional objectives that may result from the General Plan update process, a few of the more notable objectives include:
- Prepare a legally adequate, internally consistent General Plan update that expresses and effectively implements community values and ideals.
- Revise to ensure the General Plan fully complies with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with a legally defensible Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
- Attract and sustain community participation throughout the update process.
- Define the role of the County and its cities in urban development and resource management.
- Complete a timely update.
Alignment with City General Plans
Cities within Solano County are exploring potential expansions of their respective spheres of influence (SOI), which impacts the County’s General Plan and the update effort as well as impacts the unincorporated county’s ability to explore economic potential. The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is the agency which reviews both SOI amendments and annexation requests made by cities. Any update to the General Plan would need to include more substantial evaluation of countywide expansions of city SOIs, both as adopted within their general plans as well as those under consideration, since the 2008 adoption of the County’s General Plan. This provides the ability to address effects and consequences of urban expansion, agricultural and habitat land preservation and potential opportunities for the County to address needs in economic development and housing.
Board Guidance and Direction
Staff is seeking Board direction as to the extent and nature of the upcoming General Plan update. At a minimum, staff anticipates a review and analysis of each chapter to determine if goals and policies should be deleted, revised or added. The land use map will require further evaluation in response to Board established priorities in housing and economic development. Goals and policy changes may be needed to reflect the community’s vision, statutory requirements, or simply best practices in growth management. There have also been several revisions to State law that will need to be addressed in the General Plan update.
It is also important to note that the General Plan update process is iterative in nature. The General Plan update will likely evolve throughout the process to best incorporate input from the community.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to receive a presentation or not to provide direction to staff at this time. Staff does not recommend this alternative, however, since the General Plan is set to be updated with a goal of accomplishing this prior to the expiration of Measure T in late 2028 and Board direction on the anticipated scope and scale of the update will better inform the upcoming RFP process.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION