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General Plan Update

The City of Marysville is in the process of updating its General Plan, preparing a Downtown Specific Plan and Zoning Ordinance Update.

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What is a General Plan?

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The State of California requires cities to create and adopt a General Plan. The General Plan sets the long-range vision for the City and must include certain mandatory topics, and contains a declaration of goals, objectives, and programs that guide and establish the future physical form and development of the City. 

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The General Plan provides guidance on where and how the City responds to and prepares for change. It is the foundation City departments and the City Council use to determine policy priorities and make informed decisions on projects and City investments.

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This is the first comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan since 1985.  This update will cover the timeframe to the year 2050.

 

What topics will the General Plan Update Cover?

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The 2050 General Plan update will cover a wide range of topics that are important to the community. State law requires jurisdictions to cover eight “elements” or topics including: land use, housing, conservation, open space, safety, noise, environmental justice and mobility. This update is focused on land use promoting (infill development and potential expansion of the city limits or annexation), transportation, noise, economic development, and parks and recreation.

 

It will not include updates to the Housing Element (2021-2029) or Safety Element because those were updated in 2021. State law requires those elements to be updated on an eight-year cycle.

 

What is the relationship between the General Plan, Specific Plans, and the Zoning Code?

 

The City’s General Plan provides the structure for all planning and land use activities in the City. It articulates the City’s vision and goals in the broadest terms. A Specific Plan is an area plan that provides more specifics in order to implement the direction set by the General Plan. The City is concurrently preparing a Downtown Specific Plan that covers the Downtown commercial area, Medical Arts District, Ellis Lake, and the E Street Corridor. It will identify additional potential housing and economic development opportunities.

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The Zoning Code translates the policies set in the General into specific rules and regulations, which are applied to every plot of land in the city. The City will be preparing a comprehensive Zoning Code Update to be consistent with recent state law changes including provisions to streamline housing, and to implement the updated General Plan.

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General Plan, Downtown Specific Plan, and Zoning Code Update Schedule

 

The General Plan update, Downtown Specific Plan, and Zoning Code update are all very complex initiatives, requiring a multiyear process.  The City will be preparing a draft General Plan, draft Downtown Specific Plan, and draft updated Zoning Code document over the next year, with potential public hearings starting in spring of 2024.

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What is CEQA and how does it relate to the General Plan?

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The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) helps cities determine if a project will adversely affect the environment and defines procedures required for each project to complete the CEQA process. The General Plan update will undergo CEQA analysis before its adoption including preparation of an Environment Impact Report (EIR). This document will be available for public review for a 45-day period once the draft is available.

In December 2022, the City issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) soliciting input on topics to be addressed in the EIR. A copy of the document can be found here.

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Get involved!  How can I participate in the Process?

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The goal is to reach out to the entire community.  The best way to learn about the process is to sign up for email updates or checking the website.  As information becomes available it will be posted here.

Throughout the process, the City will host a variety of community engagement activities including:

  • A General Plan Advisory Committee was formed that will meet periodically to provide input.

  • Online surveys

  • Citywide mailer sent out in December 2022 

  • Meetings with stakeholder groups

  • Newsletter updates

  • City Council and Planning Commission study sessions/workshops

  • Planning Commission and City Council Public hearings.

 

Contact Dan Flores, Community Development Director at dflores@marysville.ca.us or at (530) 749-3902 to be added to the mailing list. 

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Public Feedback - Community Survey

 

Resource links:

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