Notice of Preparation - Visalia General Plan Update

5. PROJECT SPONSOR'S NAME AND ADDRESS:
City of Visalia
Community Development Department
315 E. Acequia Avenue
Visalia, CA 93291
6. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:
The current City of Visalia General Plan was last comprehensively updated in
1991. Although some of the policies in this document are still relevant, much
has changed since its adoption. Since 2000, the City’s population increased by
35 percent, while employment increased by 12 percent. While unemployment
has risen since the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, the Tulare County
Association of Governments (TCAG) projections that the City will add some
25,000 new jobs by 2030. TCAG also expects population to increase to a
projected 207,600 by 2030—an increase of 46 percent over the next 20 years.
The General Plan Update provides the community with an opportunity to clarify
its vision for future development patterns, transportation systems, economic
development opportunities, and sustainable growth. The General Plan will have
a horizon year of 2030.
The General Plan Update will likely address the following topics, which will be
combined into an integrated Plan:
Land Use;
Circulation;
City Design;
Open Space, Parks, and Recreation;
Noise;
Safety;
Community Facilities and Public Services; and
Conservation, Air Quality, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
In order to meet the deadlines of California’s Department of Housing and
Community Development (HCD), the update of the City’s Housing Element,
another required component of the General Plan, was completed in 2009. Upon
completion of the General Plan Update, the two documents will be reviewed for
internal consistency.
Work on the General Plan Update is in progress. The scope includes a review
of background material and preparation of an initial working paper: Existing
Conditions and Key Issues Report. This report will contain a description and
series of maps documenting existing land uses, public facilities, and
environmental conditions within the City of Visalia. Coinciding with the