The General Plan must cover the following elements (or topics): land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety.  In addition, local agencies may cover other topics of local concern.  These can be included in specific elements (termed “optional elements” in State law) or may be addressed in other ways within required elements of the general plan.  General plans are also required to be fully integrated and in conformance with the State’s climate action planning requirements.  

Much of the existing Martinez General Plan was adopted in 1973.  After almost four decades of use, it is appropriate to re-evaluate the scope and content of the City’s General Plan.  State standards, legal requirements, and professional practices for preparing general plans have evolved over the past decades and conditions have changed significantly, both locally and within the region.  Also, with more limited City resources, service level decisions have become more challenging than ever.  For these reasons alone, there is a need to evaluate and update the City’s existing General Plan policies and programs.

A Task Force, similar to the one assembled for the recent update to the City’s Housing Element, was formed to oversee the development of a new General Plan.  Task Force members play a key role in the process and provide a valuable service to the community.  The members represent the different interests and geographic areas of the City.  The Task Force meets regularly and will do so until the draft updated General Plan is completed. 

The first meeting of the Task Force provided an opportunity for Task Force members to get to know one another and to receive information about general plans and the Update process and schedule.  The second meeting included a tour of the City and a debriefing of the Task Force of opportunities and challenges that might be addressed in the General Plan Update.  The third meeting focused on preparing for the initial community outreach. 

In the fall of 2010, City staff and the Task Force conducted the initial community outreach, including a series of workshops.  Four workshops were conducted during late November and early December and were held at various public schools throughout the City.  The primary purposes of this phase of the Update were to identify what the community values and likes about Martinez, what the community would like to see improved or changed, and to develop a working VISION (how the community sees itself in the future) for the updated General Plan.  There will be other opportunities later on in the process to provide comments on possible strategies and important choices on how what the community values about Martinez can be maintained and enhanced, and how the VISION for the community’s future can be achieved.

At the fourth meeting of the Task Force, City staff presented an overview of the current General Plan, the Downtown Specific Plan, and the major projects (public and private) currently under review or in progress in the City.  The meeting included a review of the results of the community outreach and draft working VISION.  The results of the community outreach and the draft working VISION were then presented to the City Council and the Planning Commission for their review at a joint meeting, held March 16, 2011. 

At the Task Force’s March meeting, held the 23^rd, the Task Force reviewed the comments made by the City Council and Planning Commission at the joint meeting, and reviewed and confirmed a working set of topics and schedule for the next segment of the Update.  Beginning with the Task Force meeting in April, the Task Force began considering the key policy issues that were identified through the community outreach.  Examples of these include:

·         Improved public access to Alhambra Creek;

·         Bicycle and pedestrian connections throughout the community; and

·         Strengthened and improved connection between the waterfront and Downtown.

The Task Force has been evaluating alternative policy strategies for addressing policy issues such as these and will ultimately confirm specific policy directions and alternatives for all of the key policy issues identified. 

At the Task Force’s October meeting, held the 26^th, the Task Force received a presentation on the Downtown Matters! workshops and tours series.  They also received the results of the interactive exercise conducted as part of the final workshop entitled “Making It Happen: New Opportunities for Downtown Martinez.”  Through the interactive exercise a list of strategic action items was formulated to assist the City and its citizens, property and business owners, and other stakeholders with Making it Happen! Making it Real! 

With the meetings beginning in December, the Task Force started its review of the preliminary draft updated General Plan.  The first piece to be presented to the Task Force was the Land Use Element, which includes the land use categories, designations, and policies.  During the months of February, March, and April, the Task Force will review and discuss the other preliminary draft elements.  The next meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for Wednesday, February 8^th at 6:30 pm at the Martinez Senior Community Center, 818 Green Street, Martinez, CA. 

The City and the Task Force encourage you to check this webpage regularly to stay abreast of the latest Update activities.  For more information about the update to the City’s General Plan contact the Planning Manager, Terry Blount, AICP, at 925.372.3534 or email him at tblount@cityofmartinez.org.