June 05, 2008 Citizens Advisory Committee Special Meeting

Short Summary | Detailed Meeting Summary

The June 05, 2008 Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting was attended by 15 Citizens Advisory Committee members and approximately 23 members of the public.  The meeting started with Director of Development Services Tim Snellings providing a meeting overview and introducing the structure of Butte County General Plan 2030 - General Plan, Possible Grouping of Elements, Elements, Policies, Programs/Actions.  Chuck Thistlethwaite, Planning Manager, provided a review of 3 different General Plan formats (Shasta, Inyo and Marin Counties) and demonstrating how they structured their documents.  This was followed by a Panel Discussion moderated by Assistant Director Pete Calarco.  The panel included an overview of the CA Office of Planning & Research General Plan Guidelines perspective on General Plan Elements presented by Scott Morgan, Senior Planner with the Governor's Office of Planning & Research.  He pointed out that 'there's not a right way or a wrong way to organize a General Plan.  Each county should decide what's appropriate for them...it is a local decision.'  This was followed by a report by Bob Geiser, Planner with Sonoma County.  He reviewed Sonoma's experience with a recent General Plan Update which included the addition of a Water Element.  Joanna Jansen, Senior Associate with the County's lead General Plan consulting firm DC&E provided a consultant's perspective of General Plan formats/outlines and their pros/cons.  This was followed by questions from the CAC and the public of the panel.

After the break, the meeting continued with a discussion by the CAC regarding optional elements.  This was facilitated by Joanna.  She discussed the DRAFT outline for a General Plan that was provided as part of their contract with Butte County.  This led to a discussion about specific elements, both consolidation strategies and optional elements.  In the end, the CAC voted to do the following:

• Highlight Community Character, Youth Development and Sustainability in the Vision

• Add an optional Water Element

• Add an optional Economic Development Element

• As included in the DRAFT, keep an optional Agricultural Element

• As included in the DRAFT, keep an optional Community Character Element

• Combine the Safety & Noise Elements into a Health & Safety Element

• As included in the DRAFT, combine the Conservation, Open Space and Recreation Elements into one Element

To clarify, here's what the FINAL DRAFT outline looks like as recommended by the CAC (though we did not discuss the order yet...that will be part of the discussion in Workshop Series #5):

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction & Overview

3. Land Use Element

4. Housing Element

5. Economic Development Element

6. Agricultural Element

7. Water Element

8. Circulation Element

9. County Character Element

10. Conservation, Open Space & Recreation Element

11. Health & Safety Element (which includes the required Noise Element)

12. Public Facilities & Services Element

13. Action Plan

As a side note to the discussion about Elements, it was felt by members of the CAC that by using Symbols (Inyo County tool) and other cross referencing strategies, though Policies would be spread throughout the document, the connection of topics could be made in a manner to alert the reader of related policies.  Also, it was pointed out that the new General Plan will be a web document as well with a variety of methods to search, query and sort Goals, Policies and Programs/Actions. 

Next Steps:  This recommendation will be forwarded to the Planning Commission at one of their upcoming regular meetings for their review and input.  From there, it will move forward to the Board of Supervisors during a regular Board meeting as a part of the Department of Development Services General Plan report.  During Workshop Series #5, this set of Elements will serve as the container for Goals & Policies development.  Also, during Workshop Series #5, we will explore logical groupings of the various Elements in an effort to provide more clarity in our new General Plan.  Our goal is that Butte County General Plan 2030 will be a legally strong, clear and easy to read Policy Level document.

To keep current with Butte County General Plan 2030, please visit us at http://www.buttegeneralplan.net .  A more detailed summary of this meeting will be posted soon.