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About

The General Plan is a planning document that guides future growth and development of the city. The direction of the plan is based on community engagement, data-based planning best practices, and state planning mandates. Community engagement events and tools like surveys will collect valuable public input that will inform the update. The 2017 Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) General Plan Guidelines summarize state requirements of the General Plan.

Plan Elements

The Plan is divided into chapters, referred to as Elements, which discuss specific planning topics. The state mandated Elements are:

  1. Land Use – establishes land use designations with types and intensities of land use, policies, and programs regarding annexation, development, and design.
  2. Circulation – includes programs and standards for transportation, with an emphasis on multi-modal, utilities, energy, and telecommunication systems.
  3. Natural Resources– coordinates with the Open Space Element to protect the City’s natural resources and sensitive resource areas.
  4. Open Space – provides policies and programs related to parks and recreation
  5. Housing – aims to meet the housing needs of all levels of incomes and household types.
  6. Safety – aims to reduce the risk of injury, loss of life, and property damage resulting from natural disasters and hazardous conditions.
  7. Noise – contains a wide-wide noise contour and policies to reduce the community’s exposure to excessive noise.
  8. Environmental Justice – includes policies and programs that ensure all types of people and households are protected from hazardous conditions and thrive in the community.
  9. Public Services and Facilities – includes policies and programs to ensure continuation of city services concerning public safety, fire, and public works.

Each Element contains goals, policies, and programs. Goals are broad expressions of community values and direction. which express a desired outcome. Policies are specific statements that guide decision-making and help implement goals and the plan vision. Programs are specific actions, procedures, implementation measures, or techniques that carries out goals and policies.