Agenda Item Wording:
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General Plan Annual Progress Report - Receive and accept the City of Visalia General Plan Annual Progress Report for 2023 and authorize staff to submit to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
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Deadline for Action: 4/15/2024
Submitting Department: Community Development
Contact Name and Phone Number: Josh Dan, Senior Planner, josh.dan@visalia.city <mailto:josh.dan@visalia.city>, (559) 713-4003
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, paul.bernal@visalia.city <mailto:paul.bernal@visalia.city>, (559) 713-4025
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive and accept the City of Visalia 2023 General Plan Annual Progress Report and authorize staff to submit the report to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
Background Discussion:
Government Code Section 65400 requires the City of Visalia (City) to prepare and submit an Annual Progress Report (APR) on the entire General Plan (Attachment 1). The Government Code requires the APR to be “considered at an annual public meeting before the legislative body where members of the public shall be allowed to provide oral testimony and written comments,” and then submitted to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).
Summary:
California Government Code Section 65400 mandates that cities and counties submit an annual progress report (APR) each year on the General Plan and progress on its implementation to the legislative body, (in this case the City Council), followed by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). The four basic purposes of the annual report are as follows:
• To provide information to assess progress on implementation of the General Plan in accordance with the stated goals, policies, and implementation measures.
• To provide information to identify necessary course adjustments or modifications to the General Plan as a means to improve implementation.
• To provide a clear correlation between land use decisions made during the reporting period, and the goals, policies, and implementation measures in the General Plan.
• To provide information regarding local agency progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs and local efforts to remove governmental constraints to the development of housing.
This year will be the City of Visalia’s first APR regarding the 2030 General Plan. The APR covers the period of the previous calendar year, 2023. The APR for the General Plan and for the Housing Element of the General Plan have separate reporting requirements and forms, and as such have been prepared as two separate documents. Please note the information provided in the Attachment 1 is a reporting document. The material and information provided does not create or alter policy. Content provided within this document is provided for informational purposes only.
A few key highlighted elements as noted in the attached report include the following:
• Adoption of an Agricultural Land Preservation Program. The City Council directed staff to prepare an agricultural preservation ordinance to implement General Plan Policy LU-P-34, which required the establishment of an Agricultural Mitigation Program. The adoption of the Agricultural Land Preservation Ordinance (APO) was a necessary step for projects in the Tier II and Tier III growth boundaries to move forward. Based on direction received from the City Council at their March 6, 2023, and December 5, 2022, Work Sessions staff, along with the City’s consultant, prepared a draft APO. The item was presented to Council at a publicly noticed meeting on May 1, 2023. The second reading was held and Ordinance 2023-02 was adopted on May 15, 2023. The ordinance became enacted 30-days later on June 14, 2023.
• 8th Cycle Housing Element update - The City of Visalia began preliminary work on the update during the summer of 2022. This included securing a Regional Local Early Action Planning (REAP) grant and the Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) grant from the State. The City expended a tremendous amount of time and effort in updating its Housing Element with assistance from Mintier Harnish consultants to meet all of the new requirements. The Update was completed and adopted by City Council and submitted to the State Housing and Community Development Department in December 2023.
• Environmental Justice Element - The City began preliminary work on the proposed Environment Justice Element of the General Plan in 2022 to meet the requirements set out by the Department of Housing and Community Development when certifying the City’s sixth cycle of the Housing Element Update. Staff is working with a consultant to finalize the draft element. Staff plans to take the Environmental Justice Element to Planning Commission in the summer of 2024 and if recommended for approval by the Planning Commission, the Environmental Justice Element will be presented to the City Council for approval in the summer of 2024.
• Senate Bill 2 (SB-2) Planning Grant for Affordable Housing & Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - SB2 was adopted by the State Legislature in 2017 to provide a permanent source of funding to help local jurisdictions provide affordable housing. In 2019, funding was directed at planning assistance that helps to achieve affordable housing goals. The city used this funding to hire a local licensed design firm to produce “Permit Ready” ADU plans for residents within the City. To date, twenty (20) plan sets have been provided to residents upon request, eleven (11) of which were in 2023.
• Specific Plans - In 2023 the City approved the Carleton Acres and Pratt Family Ranch Specific Plans. These entitlements include an approximate total land area of 563.86-acres and a total housing unit potential of 3,415 units across two development growth boundaries. Entitlements for housing subdivisions were approved as part of the specific plan approval and housing production is anticipated to begin in late 2024.
In addition to the items noted above, the Planning Division also processed a variety of land use permits during 2023, including but not limited to conditional use permits, variances, subdivisions, and associated environmental reviews. During the past year, the Planning Commission agendas included the following application types:
• 42 Conditional Use Permits
• 9 Tentative Parcel Maps
• 3 General Plan Amendment
• 3 Variances
• 3 Annexations
• 2 Tentative Subdivision Maps
• 2 Zoning Text Amendments
• 2 Specific Plans
The attached report to be submitted to OPR provides a full comprehensive review of these items as noted above in addition to other items not specifically listed in the City Council staff report.
Fiscal Impact:
None.
Prior Council Action: None.
Other: A copy of the report was provided to the Planning Commission on April 8, 2024.
Alternatives: Direct revisions to the report and report back to the City Council with additional information as directed.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to approve the General Plan Annual Progress Report and direct staff to submit the document to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
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Environmental Assessment Status: This document is a reporting document. The material and information provided within does not create or alter policy. Content provided within this document is provided for informational purposes only and is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
CEQA Review: The requested action is considered exempt under Section 15306, which exempts data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource.
Attachments:
• Attachment 1 - City of Visalia 2023 GP APR