Placer Planning Commission recommends 2050 vision statement, guiding principles

The Placer County Planning Commission voted June 19 to recommend a resolution to approve the Placer 2050 Vision Statement and Guiding Principles to the Board of Supervisors. The last comprehensive update to the General Plan was 30 years ago in 1994, was envisioned as a 10- to 20-year plan and included projects such as Bickford Ranch, Placer Vineyards and the Placer County Conservation Program. The current update is proposed as a three- to five-year work program with the assistance of consultant PlaceWorks, Inc., and will serve as Placer's vision for the future through 2050 in areas such as land use, housing, conservation and open space. Jennifer Byous, principal planner for the county, advised Placer is not even halfway through the update process and has completed the visioning stage where data is collected to define how the community sees the county in 2050. "The vision statement is a forward-looking narrative for what the county's desires are for the future," Byous told the commission. "And the guiding principles are their foundational themes that will inform as we develop or change or modify any policies, implementing programs or actions in the General Plan. Together, these elements will ensure that the General Plan reflects the shared community values." The visioning process included obtaining community input from February to April and the release of the draft vision and guiding principles for review at the beginning of June. Byous confirmed top priorities received from the community included preparing for wildfires, flooding and other emergencies; preserving natural open space, habitat and natural resources and improving the transportation system and reducing traffic congestion. Within the five-paragraph vision statement, Byous noted staff recommended changing the mention of "distinct rural communities" to "distinct communities," as the word rural has several meanings for different people. No changes were noted to the 11 guiding principles, which include economic vitality and innovation, range of housing options, place-based identity and balancing growth and vibrant communities. Commissioner Mark Watts noted he was not sure if "vibrant communities" within the vision statement was an accurate descriptor for Placer's communities as well. Commissioner Robyn Dahlgren agreed the commission could spend all day attempting to "wordsmith" the vision statement and proposed having staff continue to work on the vision statement before it is presented to the board. The commission received five comments, with four noting the difficulty of getting neighborhood ideas across with how crowded the vision meetings were and there appearing to be a disconnect between the general plan implementation and compatibility community plans. Dahlgren made a motion to recommend the approval of the resolution to the board, with the inclusion of the continuation of vision statement drafting by staff, with Watts seconding, saying he was going to suggest the same. The commission approved the motion in a 6-0 vote, as Commissioner Amber Beckler was absent. According to Byous, the approval of the Board of Supervisors is targeted for Aug. 19.