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CC - 1) Update on the General Plan Update (GPU) Project; 2) Direction on General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) Vacancies; and 3) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: June 14, 2021
Contact Person/Dept: Ashley Hefner Hoang/CDD
Lauren Marsiglia/CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5744
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (06/09/2021); Stay Informed - General Plan Update (06/07/2021)
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (06/07/2021)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) receive an update on the General Plan Update (GPU) project; (2) provide direction on General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) vacancies; and (3) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
In April, 2021, City Council directed staff to present a status update on the General Plan Update (GPU) project. The last time the City Council received a status update on the GPU was at their July 13, 2020 meeting. This report provides an overview of changes to the project over time and the GPU outreach activities and deliverables completed to date, in process, and upcoming.
DISCUSSION
The GPU project is a multi-year comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan, which started in September 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in Fall 2022. The GPU team (City staff and consultants) maintains a dynamic work plan to ensure milestones are met and strategize on upcoming engagement and deliverables, as shown in Attachment 1. This version of the work plan shows the last couple of months and is detailed through the end of 2021. As 2022 approaches, the team will update the work plan to detail the schedule for 2022.
The team has adjusted the work plan and scope in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts and switching to virtual engagement, community feedback on process and methods, and City Council direction over the last year. It has been critical for the team to be flexible and responsive, ensuring the process remains equitable. The following is a summary of work added to the scope to date:
• August 2020: New task to provide support for the City Manager’s Office public safety review process, including the creation, distribution, analysis, and summary of a public safety and policing survey and a presentation of findings to City Council.
• September 2020: The City received a grant to cover a portion of the Housing Element costs and reallocated the equivalent encumbered General Fund monies to add more General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings and add new tasks including housing and policing and public safety TACs, topic-specific videos and surveys for the existing conditions information, an online story bank, a volunteer communications network, and economic recovery and resiliency strategies analysis and recommendations.
• April 2021: The City received a grant to study housing production along Sepulveda Boulevard, including a retail demand model, property assessment, concept design studies, development feasibility analysis, and incentive and standards to increase housing production.
In Fall 2019, the initially anticipated adoption date was Spring 2022 and is now anticipated for Fall 2022. The shift is mainly due to the pandemic's impacts and related to the added work outlined above. The project timeline below is updated to reflect the above changes and is broken down into phases tied to community engagement activities.
1. Kick-off: Meet with staff, City Council, project expectations, draft work plan (Summer 2019)
2. Existing conditions: Review existing policies and reports, identify issues and opportunities, meet with stakeholders, draft existing conditions reports (Fall 2019 - Summer 2020)
3. Listening and visioning: Develop a long-term vision and guiding principles for the general plan (Fall 2020 - Winter 2021)
4. Plan alternatives: Create and refine land use and mobility alternatives (Winter - Summer 2021
5. Policy and plan development: Develop policy solutions to address a range of topics (Spring - Fall 2021)
6. Review and adopt: Public and decision-makers to review and adopt the GPU (Summer - Fall 2022)
In Winter-Spring 2021, the GPU’s community engagement process has focused on developing land use and mobility alternatives for change as part of the listening and visioning phase, presenting them at GPAC and TAC meetings and community workshops, and fine-tuning based on input received along the way. The alternatives define different paths forward to achieve the community's vision for Culver City over the next 25 years to 2045. The City Council and Planning Commission will consider the draft alternatives at an upcoming June 23, 2021 joint session and Council will provide direction on the preferred land use alternative. At the same meeting, per City Council’s direction, there will be a discussion in response to public comment on single-family zoning and addressing exclusionary practices that will take place before the alternatives are considered.
The preferred land use alternative is needed to start the Housing Element sites inventory analysis, which will be presented in its draft form to the GPAC on July 22, 2021, and the Planning Commission on July 28, 2021, for input before the GPU team submits it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for required review. On April 12, 2021, the City Council adopted Housing Element Guiding Principles with the intent to reinforce and exceed State requirements to ensure the City produces housing needed to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). At the July 28th Planning Commission meeting, staff will update the Planning Commission on the status of the Guiding Principles along with the draft Housing Element review.
To summarize, the GPU team has timely produced all required deliverables and organized and facilitated numerous in-person and virtual community engagement events and activities to ensure an equitable process. These and all upcoming engagement events and deliverables through completion of the project are detailed in Attachment 2.
GPAC Vacancy
Jeanne Min resigned from the GPAC on May 20, 2021. Andrew Weissman resigned from the GPAC on June 7, 2021. Former Member Min was appointed by Former Council Member Jim Clarke and Former Member Weissman was appointed by Former Council Member Jeff Cooper.
City Council may choose to appoint new Members for the four remaining GPAC meetings. Based on Council direction at the March 3, 2021, City Council meeting regarding future vacancies, Council Member Vera would recommend the first appointment for City Council’s consideration. Council direction would be needed on which Council Member would recommend the second. Staff is seeking confirmation at this time as to whether to proceed in this manner or City Council may provide alternate direction.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact associated with the discussion of this item.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2021-06-14_ATT_GPU Work Plan
2. 2021-06-14_ATT_GPU Deliverables and Engagement Summary
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Receive an update on the General Plan Update (GPU) project;
2. Provide direction on General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) vacancies; and
3. Provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.