AgdaPkt 2000-01-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ranking Area PléUL- 7 Port of Redwood City 8 West of EI Camino Real (2 blocks west bordered by Jefferson Avenue, Oak, Clinton, and EI Camino) 9 Canyon Shopping Center (Canyon Road/Oakknoll) 10 Bair Island Road 11 Industrial Road (north of Whipple) As indicated in the survey, the downtown area immediately around the theatre site was the highest priority, followed closely by the expanded downtown area. Clearly it seems that both the Planning Commission and City Council believes that the downtown should get most of the "planning attention" during the General Plan update. The preparation of a downtown area plan can also address the issue of providing more housing in the downtown. As indicated in a corresponding City Council report on downtown hQ.4sing, the City may start on the area plan immediately to examine housing and other land use issues. ",. "; .. An area plan, normally takes about 4 - 6 months to prepare and may cost approximately $60,000 to $80,000. Staff is recommending that the Council direct staff to begin work on the downtown area plan, including any other areas it deems appropriate. Clearly, staff can't do all of the plans due to budget and staff constraints, but the top two or top four plans (Downtown and EI Camino Real areas) may be appropriate. 2) Public Review Process A General Plan update needs to include a well-designed public participation program. State law specifies that during the preparation of the general plan, the planning agency shall provide opportunities for the involvement of citizens, public agencies, community groups, and other segments of the community through public hearings and any other means the planning agency deems appropriate. A well-designed public participation program should do the following: ¡J Inform the public of the ongoing general plan preparation ¡J Obtain input regarding major issues, community objectives, and visions ¡J Provide the public with opportunities to evaluate alternative plans and to participate in choosing the preferred alternative ¡J Inform decision makers of public opinion ¡J Work towards community consensus There are several alternatives that Redwood City may want to undertake. Besides the public review by the Planning Commission and City Council, the Council may want to establish a steering committee, advisory committee, or combination steering/advisory committee approach. These options are discussed in the following sections along with the pros and con of each. a) Steering Committee One simple approach is to establish a steering committee made up of a small number of City