Published March 4th, 2020
Initial discussion on General Plan update
By Pippa Fisher
Lafayette moved another small step closer to the update of its General Plan at the city council meeting Feb. 24. City staff was seeking council feedback and recommendations on the formation of a General Plan Advisory Committee; specifically, who should be included, how to recruit, the goals of the GPAC and a meeting schedule.
Last updated in Lafayette in 2002, a general plan is the city's guiding document for land use matters required by state law. This will be the third time in the city's history that a comprehensive update will have been done. Staff hopes to have it completed within four years. It is a long-range document that will last thru 2040.
According to staff, the reasons for doing the update now include compliance with the city council's strategic goal No. 2, established in 2019 with the intention to explore community values, and compliance with changing state laws and regional plans.
Discussion focused on who should be appointed to a GPAC, with Mayor Mike Anderson suggesting somehow incorporating a lottery-based system similar to the method used in selecting a panel for the city manager hiring last year, along with representatives of several different groups from around the city who would act as a referral body to the Planning Commission.
Planning and Building Director Greg Wolff said staff was eager to get going and suggested PC liaisons Anderson and Council Member Steven Bliss form a subcommittee, with the PC chair and vice chair to conduct interviews and appointments.
Anderson said it was premature to set a meeting schedule at this point. "We will do that as we see how things work," he said.

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