In addition to the Background Report, the County prepared several additional documents throughout the 2040 General Plan Update process.
Assets, Issues, and Opportunities Summary Report
The County published the Assets, Issues, and Opportunities Summary Report in March 2017. This report documents public input received during the first phase of the 2040 General Plan Update project and identifies issues and opportunities to be addressed during the next phases of the project. This report consists of three parts: a comprehensive summary of community input; a discussion of issues and opportunities that emerged from that input; and appendices that include all public input. This report does not draw conclusions or suggest how the County should proceed in the development of the General Plan goals, policies, and implementation programs. Rather, it provides a summary of public input to facilitate discussion on important topics.
General Plan Update Public Opinion Survey Summary Report
The County published the General Plan Update Survey Summary Report on October 30, 2017. This report provides an overview of the purpose of the public opinion survey, methodology, and key findings. The County conducted the survey to provide objective, statistically reliable measures of residents’ opinions on key issues to be addressed in the 2040 General Plan.
Vision and Guiding Principles
The County published the draft Vision and Guiding Principles in January 2018, which the Board of Supervisors reviewed during its January 23, 2018 meeting. Based on public input, the County refined the draft statements and published the next draft on May 5, 2018.
Alternatives Concept Report
The County published the Alternatives Concept Report on April 17, 2018 as the first step in the evaluation of alternatives. The report was designed to provide community members, stakeholders, and decision-makers with an annotated outline of the topics to be covered as part of the full Alternatives Report. The report also provided an opportunity to gain public input and direction from the Board of Supervisors regarding the scope and analysis to be conducted as part of the alternatives’ evaluation.
Alternatives Report
The County published Chapters 1 to 6 of the Alternatives Report in July 2018, and Chapters 7 to 9 in November 2018. This report is the culmination of the Alternatives Phase of the General Plan Update project, which develops and explores different options for how the county could grow in the future and how the General Plan Update project could address major policy issues. This phase included discussions with community members, stakeholders, and decision-makers about General Plan organization, population projections, land use capacity assessment and alternatives, and policy options. This process provided the community with an opportunity to discuss pros and cons of different growth alternatives, ways to achieve the vision, and build consensus for a Preferred Alternative. The Preferred Alternative provided the framework for future growth and resource protection and established the basis for the updated goals, policies, and implementation programs that comprehensively address land use, mobility, public facilities, environmental quality, water conservation, agricultural resources, and healthy communities.