HomeMy WebLinkAboutGeneral Plan Status CITY OF PALM DESERT
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Philip Drell, Director of Community Development
DATE: February 24, 2000
SUBJECT: General Plan Status
I. OVERVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
The City of Palm Desert's current General Plan was originally approved in 1980. The
Housing Element was updated in 1984, 1989 and 1992. The Land Use and
Circulation Elements were updated in 1993. Five Area Specific Plans have been
approved including West Hills (1983), Palma Village (1984), Commercial Core Area
(1987), North Sphere (1989) and Project Area 4 (1997).
The remaining elements (Urban Design/Scenic Highways, Public Facilities, Public
Safety, Conservation/Open Space/Recreation/Energy, Noise and Seismic Safety) have
not been updated since 1980.
The question has been asked whether a General Plan update or a "new" General Plan
should be initiated and if it is to be revised, should a consultant be retained.
The answer is a qualified "yes."
The General Plan contained a great deal of factual information about the city, broad
philosophical policies guiding both public and private development, specific goals,
objectives and programs. The elements which most directly and often come into play
are the Land Use Element which through the Land Use Map and text define the basic
urban form, organization of uses, and the Circulation Element which describes the
transportation network.
Clearly those elements which have not been updated since 1980 need to be revised
to reflect current factual conditions. Goals or objectives which have been achieved
need to be replaced by new initiatives including those within the 2010 plan.
The broad development policies need to be reviewed to determine their continued
effectiveness in achieving our current goals.
STAFF REPORT
GENERAL PLAN STATUS
FEBRUARY 24, 2000
In general it is staff's belief that the plan's fundamental philosophical urban design
policies which have guided our decisions over the past 20 years are still valid. More
significantly, the Land Use and Circulation Elements have been substantially
implemented through private development, active entitlements and public works.
Although vacant areas exist along the 1-10 corridor, the opportunities to dramatically
reshape our urban form within the current corporate boundaries are relatively limited.
When cities begin to approach buildout, they typically shift to an emphasis on
redevelopment planning to correct past mistakes or replace obsolete developments.
Redevelopment issues are directly addressed in our area specific plans which also act
as project area redevelopment plans.
The Palma Village, Core Commercial, and Project Area 4 Plans contain significant
redevelopment objectives which have already been successfully implemented. (Street
and sewer construction, senior housing, Fred Waring and Monterey office
development, El Paseo improvements, Hovley and Fred Waring improvements,
frontage road redesign, and Highway 111 gateways). Plans to redevelopment the
north side of Highway 111 have only just begun to be implemented. These programs
should be reexamined to assess their continued validity or to reaffirm a commitment
to implementation.
Do we need an update or "new General Plan?" If our expectation of what we define
as a new General Plan is a dramatic new vision for the future, the answer is no. If
we consider a new General Plan to be a comprehensive review and update of our
existing documents with a re-articulation of the basic values which have guided the
city since incorporation, the answer is yes.
Should we hire a consultant? Yes. Our existing General Plan was originally drafted
by a single planner working exclusively on the plan for over a year. Our current
workload would make it very difficult to dedicate a planner exclusively to the task.
A local planning consultant should be retained to redraft and update this plan under
the direction of staff and a review committee made up of representatives of city
commissions and committees, the business and development community and the
general public.
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STAFF REPORT
GENERAL PLAN STATUS
FEBRUARY 24, 2000
II. ELEMENT REVIEW COMMENTS:
A. LAND USE
This element needs to be updated to include Palm Desert Country Club
annexation, Project Area 4 Specific Plan policies and development over the
past seven years.
B. CIRCULATION
The system is substantially completed with the exception of widening. We are
currently drafting an expanded bike/golf cart plan. There are also opportunities
for exploring public transit improvements.
C. URBAN DESIGN/SCENIC HIGHWAYS
This is a philosophical section which should be reviewed and updated to reflect
current conditions and policies.
D. PUBLIC FACILITIES
This element needs to be revised to reflect current conditions and will provide
the opportunity to describe our new cooperative relationship with the school
district and Cal State.
E. HOUSING ELEMENT
By law this element must be revised this year to assess our progress in
meeting past goals and establish our program for the next five years.
F. POPULATION/ECONOMIC ELEMENT
The element presently contains data from the 1980 census. The update
should wait until 2002, when 2000 census data will be available. This
element would provide the appropriate venue for articulation of an economic
development policy.
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STAFF REPORT
GENERAL PLAN STATUS
FEBRUARY 24, 2000
G. SAFETY ELEMENT
This element should be reviewed by the Public Safety Commission.
H. CONSERVATION/OPEN SPACE/RECREATION
Major recreational improvements over the past 20 years need to be
incorporated, including our new initiatives in the area of natural open space
recreation, neighborhood and regional parks.
I. ENERGY/NOISE AND SEISMIC SAFETY
These technical elements need to be updated to incorporate new information
and technical advances occurring over the past 20 years.
PREPARED BY: REVIEW AND CONCUR:
PHILIP DRELL f( MON A. DIAZ
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CITY MANAGER
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CITY COUNCIL ACTION: DENIED
APPROVED OTHER
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VERIFIED BY: with Ci Clerk' s
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