2014-03-06HEARINGTRANSCRIPT-PD INITIATED CHAPTER 16 GENERAL PLAN

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So, in simplest terms, all the Director is proposing here is a change in the timeframe for the comprehensive review and update of the General Plan. As it currently stands, the update is to be completed up to the point where recommended updates to the Plan are presented to the Council within ten years of the date of adoption of the last General Plan, which would be February 2015, less than a year from now. What the Director is proposing is that the language be returned to how it was originally in 2005 which is to initiate the process by then. Here it is in Ramseyer format so you see the simple language change that is being proposed. Just so you understand how long the process took last time this was done, here’s a brief overview of that process. It started in 1998 and after some initial studies and analysis including economic development, land use, infrastructure, and many other issues that are addressed in the General Plan, amendments, proposed amendments were drafted. Those went before the Planning Commission, and then by mid-2002, approximately four years from initiation, it got to Council. So, we did also is take a look at as currently articulated in the Charter, the General Plan, Chapter 16, and the Planning Department and Planning Commission rules, we’re summarizing here, the process that we will have to follow for this next comprehensive update. And, again, we anticipate it’ll take about 3.5, 3-1/2 years or so from initiation to get to the point where we can present it to Council. Let me just walk you briefly through each of those key steps. The first is the formal initiation by the Planning Director of the comprehensive update, and that involves notice to you, to Council, to the members, to the public, and then following that is 45 days for the public to provide any input or comments on the, any, what the members of the public may consider necessary on changes to the GP. We’ll also invite the action committees of the community development plans to provide comment and input. And Council itself has a 120 days minimum to comment and provide suggestions for amendments to the General Plan, so that process we estimate would take up to six months or so. The next step would then be for Planning Department staff and consultants to review the input received during that initial 6-month phase, and then conduct appropriate analysis and based on past precedent, this often involves studies related to community development plans that have been adopted since the last GP update, related plans and strategies from other agencies—County, State, Federal—that may relate to General Plan topics, population analysis, land use analysis, natural cultural resource management analysis, infrastructure, a whole range of topics. As you know, there’s many. It’s very comprehensive, the General Plan, so with that during this phase, the Planning Department and consultants will look at all relevant issues that may need attention and maybe consideration during the comprehensive review. At the end of that process, which we’re just guesstimating based on the past, the last process, could take up to two years. At the end of that, the Planning Director will propose amendments to the General Plan. That then is followed again by public notice of those proposed amendments, a series of public workshops, and then the public has an opportunity to then comment at that stage in the process. And that step then is followed by formal review by the Planning Commissions and associated hearings. And as, again, currently, as currently written in the General Plan in Chapter 16, that the Planning Commissions will have to have reviewed that, held their hearings and made their recommendations and formal submittal to Council, currently all by February of 2015. But, 2 EXHIBIT D