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Saratoga holds study session to discuss General Plan update

By Shannon Burkey

The Saratoga Planning Commission will hold a study session on Oct. 10 to discuss updating portions of the city's General Plan that have been long outdated.

The General Plan is a comprehensive general policy guideline, mandated by the state of California, for all cities in the state to follow. Each city is responsible for writing its own General Plan and updating it when necessary.

"The state requires cities to have a General Plan, and throughout the years it needs to be updated as more rules are made," said Saratoga community development director John Livingstone. "Being a small and busy city, we haven't tackled keeping it up to date."

The General Plan consists of seven key elements, and some of Saratoga's have not been updated since the 1980s, according to Livingstone. The city is currently looking to update three of the elements to satisfy the state's requirements.

"Since the '80s all these new laws have come into place, and we are supposed to keep it up to date," Livingstone said.

The elements being considered by the city for updating at this time are the Land Use Element, the Open Space Element and the Conservation Element.

The Land Use Element deals with items such as the structuring of zoning and subdivision controls, urban renewal and the location of public facilities and open space. The Open Space Element shows an inventory of privately and publicly owned open-space lands, policies and implementation programs for the preservation, protection and management of open space lands. And the Conservation Element contains goals and policies for the implementation of programs dealing with conservation, development and the use of natural resources.

Updating these three elements at the moment will meet the state's requirements and bring the Saratoga General Plan up to date, according to Livingstone.

However, Livingstone said many residents want to see the entire General Plan updated at once.

"To do that would be a much bigger project that could go on for years," Livingstone said. "We decided to get something going now, then look at the bigger picture next--as sort of a phase 2. Some cities will update the whole thing at once, but it is very expensive. So we are doing three right now."

Saratoga resident Cheriel Jensen said before any of the changes can be made to the three elements that the city is looking at, an environmental impact report must be done.

"Through the years, the city has been adding pieces here and there to the Land Use Element," Jensen said,"but you have to write an EIR when you update these types of elements."

Jensen also said the General Plan Guidelines specify public participation in the updating process and that is not happening in this case.

A General Plan Land Use Element Advisory Committee was convened and met for two years to discuss the changes to the Land Use Element, and in the end the committee advised against the proposed changes prepared by consultants, which are now being brought to the planning commission, according to Jensen.

Livingstone and the planning commission urge the public to participate in the upcoming study session and are looking for the public's input on the changes to the General Plan.

"I am optimistic that there can be a compromise so that we can get this updated," Livingstone said.

The study session to discuss the General Plan will take place on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. at 19655 Allendale Ave., Saratoga.