The Best-Laid Plan
By and large, the City’s general plan reflects and promotes “the Clovis way of life.” This comprehensive policy defines the type, amount, and location of future growth and development within Clovis, and forms the basis for the City’s planning activities and its decisions regarding development proposals. The general plan is the blueprint for the direction our town takes in managing its future based on a shared vision for the community. California law requires each local government to adopt a general plan that contains seven mandatory chapters called “elements.” These elements include a series of goals, policies and implementation actions designed to achieve that vision. In addition, the Clovis general plan contains an air quality element that connects land-use decisions with state and federal standards. The general plan update involves refreshing and revising goals, policies and programs through a collaborative process by the City, its planning consultant, residents, and public agencies like Clovis Unified School District and the County of Fresno. It is important for these parties to work together to create a place where people enjoy living, learning, working, playing and spending time now and in the future. Why update the general plan? The current general plan was adopted in 1993, but not comprehensively updated since. Though more than 100 plan amendments have been approved, they were mostly landuse changes limited to single parcels. A complete update is needed to reflect current conditions and the community’s vision for development during the next 20 to 50 years. As Clovis continues to grow, it will need new data, analyses, and policies that reflect current and future City conditions and priorities. The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) is composed of community members including residents, business leaders and other stakeholders. The GPAC meets to provide input and feedback throughout the update process.
Beginning this year, the 24- to 36-month process will include the following steps: ? ? Step 2: Conduct a visioning process. In early 2008, the City Council found the general plan’s vision and community values sound and appropriate for Clovis’ growth. However, it recognized that the City has nearly doubled in size in 15 years, meaning half of Clovis’ residents weren’t here when those values were first affirmed. Now the community must renew its vision and values. The visioning process will re-establish the vision statement, which will guide preparation of the updated general plan. GPAC will confirm the vision statement after discussion and input from the public. ? Step 3: Develop a land-use plan. A new land-use map is prepared based on information from a technical background report plus the community visioning process. Developing a landuse plan includes four key steps: Identify growth and land-use development trends and options; test impacts and acceptability; select a preferred growth-anddevelopment scenario; and formulate policies and programs that address community development, infrastructure and services; social, environmental, public health and safety issues; and values. Identifying development options means pinpointing areas where land uses are preserved and new development is targeted. In areas marked for new development, the map will specify what types of land uses are appropriate, including their density and character. These scenarios are tested to determine their impacts and acceptability to the community, and the preferred scenario is selected. Once a preferred land-use map is selected, goals, objectives, policies and programs are formulated for each chapter of the general plan. They reflect the community’s shared issues, vision and planning principles, and represent the public’s input. The planning commission and City Council will review and confirm these preliminary policies. ? Step 4: Prepare the updated general plan. Based on feedback from the previous step, a draft general plan is prepared for public review and comment. The public can review this and all other general plan reports and documents on the City’s Web site when they are available.
? Step 6: Conduct public hearings. After the draft EIR andthe proposed general plan are circulated for comment, these documents will be reviewed, first by the planning commission and then by the City Council. At the conclusion of these hearings, and after comment by the public, the Council will decide whether the plan will advance and protect the “Clovis way of life” into the 21st century.
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