PCD:AS:JL: F:\CityPlanning\Share\PC\STRPT\06\PC Goals &
Objectives.doc
Planning Commission Meeting: June 7,
2006
TO: Honorable Planning Commission
FROM: Planning Staff
SUBJECT: Land Use and Circulation Elements Draft
Goals and Objectives and Public Input
INTRODUCTION
This
report transmits Land Use and Circulation Element draft goals and objectives,
and comments received in response to public outreach on this topic.
BACKGROUND
The
City Council directed staff in January to draft Land Use and Circulation
Element goals and to conduct additional public outreach. The goals and
objectives developed from this process are included with this report as Attachment A. The attached Information Item (Attachment B) provides additional detail regarding
Council’s direction and staff’s approach on this effort. The Information Item also summarizes the
project’s multi-faceted community outreach components and how the information
gathered through this process formed the basis for key project work
products. An attachment included with
the Information Item also explains and illustrates the role and relationship of
goals, objectives and policies in a General Plan.
Notably,
goals are broad statements that set a general direction, or express an ideal
future end, and are rarely quantifiable or time-dependent. Objectives provide a
greater level of specificity and serve as an intermediate step toward attaining
a goal; objectives can be measured and achieved within a specific timeframe.
Policies are specific action statements that guide the decision-making process
and will be decided upon after a preferred plan is selected.
In
addition to framing the goals, preliminary objectives language was established
to further define and reinforce the intent of each goal. The objectives also serve as measurement tools
to evaluate the plan’s effectiveness in successfully accomplishing the
specified goal. The phrases and language used to develop initial draft goals
and objectives came from a variety of comments received from early public
outreach efforts. Initial draft goals were also included in the referenced
Information Item.
The
public has had four opportunities to respond to the draft goal language,
including, a public workshop held at
It
is anticipated that the Planning Commission will review the public input and
revised draft goal / objective language and offer suggestions to modify these
statements in order to better articulate the public’s sentiment and refine the
project’s direction. The Planning Commission may make a recommendation to the
City Council to affirm, or not affirm, the draft goal language.
DISCUSSION
The
initial draft goals have been revised based on public comments received through
the outreach efforts. As a result, new goals were created, related concepts
merged, and some goals were found to be applicable to both Land Use and
Circulation. The revised goals and objectives are presented in this report as
Attachment A.
Draft
Goals and Objectives
Each
goal has been reviewed in light of the public comments received. One draft goal
proposed in the Circulation Element was added to the Land Use Element set of
goals regarding environmental responsibility. Additionally, one new goal was
drafted for each element that promotes the underlying theme of all goals, which
is to care for and protect the quality of life in Santa Monica; this goal is entitled
Community Care. Two other goals from each element related to the regional setting
and design were merged into common goal language under the headings of Local
Identity/Regional Context and Urban Design. While the elements share four goals
that are similarly worded, the objectives used to achieve these goals are
plan-specific. Having similar goal language in each element reinforces the
interrelatedness of the documents.
The
Planning Commission’s review of the draft goals and objectives should consider
1) whether the goals accurately reflect public sentiment; 2) whether the
objective language begins to provide a greater understanding of the goals; and
3) whether additional language is appropriate at this time to measure future
plan alternatives. The objectives associated with the draft goals represent a
starting point. More objectives will be identified as the project continues;
the Planning Commission can also recommend other objectives be added. At later
project phases, policies will be considered to implement the goals and
objectives.
The
Planning Commission may also want to consider the similarity in goal language
between the two elements. Should the goal language be more distinct to each
element, or should an effort be made to match other related goals concepts?
Traffic
Methodology
There
has been recent discussion regarding the City’s traffic methodology and an
expressed interest to establish new methodology criteria in advance of
completing the Land Use and Circulation Element. While it has been envisioned
that a new traffic methodology would be established after the Elements had been
adopted, work has begun to advance this effort. Specifically, staff will lead a
seminar on the current project evaluation methodology, collect some baseline
data, and further identify and develop a means and method for evaluating
transportation system performance beyond peak-hour delays.
Next
Steps
Following
the Planning Commission’s review, the draft goal and objective language along
with the public input, will be forwarded to the City Council for its endorsement
of the project’s direction. Once received, staff and consultant will continue
efforts to develop a workbook that will analyze the goals to different plan
alternatives. The workbook will illustrate trade offs between certain policy
decisions and provide a forum for public dialogue that will begin to refine a
community vision of
Included
with the Information Item, in Attachment B, is
a short and long term project schedule. Given recent Council-level discussions
regarding state-wide initiatives and the potential need to conduct certain
analysis and prepare necessary reports and ordinances, this schedule may shift.
Prepared
by: Land Use and Circulation
Element Project Team
Planning and Community
Development Department
Attachments:
B.
City Council Information Item, dated March 2006
C.
Public Input from Four Outreach Events (Arranged by
Goal)
ATTACHMENT
A - DRAFT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Circulation
Goals & Objectives
Effective Transportation System: A balance of transportation choices for
residents, employees, and visitors to easily get around
Universal Safety: A secure environment for pedestrians, cyclists,
transit-riders and drivers
Urban
Design: Places, spaces and
activities that enhance the human experience
Local Identity/Regional Context: A distinct local community that is regionally
connected
Environmental Responsibility: A community in which human activity respects the
environment and protects it for future generations
Community Care: A community that is responsive to the diverse
interests and social needs of its residents, businesses and visitors
Land Use
Goals & Objectives
Balanced
Growth: A diverse and inclusive
community supported by balanced growth
Enjoyment of Resources: The continued enjoyment of and access to natural
and cultural assets
Connected Neighborhoods: A community of safe, secure, and connected
neighborhoods with quality public spaces and amenities
Urban
Design Places, spaces and
activities that enhance the human experience
Local Identity / Regional Context: A distinct local community that is regionally
connected
Environmental Responsibility: A community in which human activity respects the
environment and protects it for future generations
Community Care: A community that is responsive to the diverse
interests and social needs of its residents, businesses and visitors
ATTACHMENT B - CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION ITEM, DATED
MARCH 2006
INFORMATION ITEM
TO: Mayor
and Councilmembers
FROM: Andy
Agle, Interim Director, Planning and Community Development
SUBJECT: Land
Use and Circulation Elements Project Update
INTRODUCTION
This report responds to the Council’s direction to
establish goals to guide the Land Use and Circulation Elements (LUCE)
project. The report identifies draft
goals, based on public input and policy direction on the project to date, and
identifies a public process that will be used to refine and evaluate the draft
goals. Once refined and approved by the
Planning Commission and Council, the goals will provide a framework for
evaluation of project alternatives, trade-offs and implementation efforts.
BACKGROUND
The proposed process to establish goals builds on the
efforts completed in earlier phases of the project and supports and complements
upcoming phases of the project. The
first phase, Initial Outreach and Analysis, is complete and the second phase,
Alternatives and Trade-offs, will continue forward once initial goals have been
approved. Preliminary work has also
begun toward the task of rewriting the City’s Zoning Ordinance.
The initial phase of updating the LUCE involved a
comprehensive public outreach effort.
This community-engagement process generated a significant outpouring of
visions and ideas for what Santa Monica could look and feel like in 20 years
and how improvements could be made to the way people move around the city. This
feedback was received from several Citywide workshops, dozens of community
forums, telephone, internet and transportation surveys, and walking tour
guidebooks that over 900 people who live and work in Santa Monica completed and
mailed back to City Hall. This and other information was posted and remains
available on the project websites (www.shapethefuture2025.net
and http://motion.santa-monica.org).
The input from the initial outreach efforts was
documented in the April 2005 Emerging Themes Report (http://www.shapethefuture2025.net/pdf/EmergingThemesReport.pdf).
Following the initial outreach efforts, the Planning Commission and City
Council accepted twelve Emerging Themes (Attachment A) as a reflection of
public sentiment, understanding that ideas and concepts may be further refined
as the planning process progresses.
These twelve themes are similar to goals in that they express the
community’s vision for the future.
The July 2005 Opportunities and Challenges Report
followed the release of the Emerging Themes Report and concluded the project’s
first phase. Presenting and analyzing data and trends related to land use,
transportation, and environmental conditions, the report establishes a
framework for analysis and evaluation of community ideas and expectations in
relation to data and other information about the City and region. For example,
the report highlights the challenge of providing affordable work-force housing
in a community with high property values. The report also identifies well
established neighborhoods as an opportunity to maintain and further define
The community outreach and data analysis presented in
these reports set the stage for the second phase of the update process,
consideration of Alternatives and Trade-offs.
During this project phase, policy issues and land use distribution
concepts are analyzed to support public dialogue and debate about Santa
Monica’s future, such as integrated transportation systems, housing diversity
and sustainable economies, to name a few.
The second phase will be supported by an Alternatives
Workbook, which is intended to assist the community and decision-makers in
understanding the interrelationships, consequences and trade-offs of potential
policy decisions. Each planning
alternative will be evaluated against the goals and objectives confirmed
through the forthcoming outreach process, thereby providing a framework for
assessing the merits of different concepts and approaches.
Questions regarding how much new growth the City will
plan for, and where, will be illuminated through an active public discussion
based on analysis, understanding of consequences and trade-offs, and innovative
problem-solving. Understanding how changes in density or circulation policy can
strengthen or weaken the community is a significant component of the debate,
but not the only one. Also important is to understand how the plans can
preserve places that contribute to the cultural fabric, how design and
transportation solutions can reduce our dependence on limited resources, and
how we can provide more usable open space for passive and active recreational
use. These are just a few of the issues that will be explored in the workbook
and illustrated by example with three distinct land-use alternatives, so that
the impacts of certain policy decisions are better anticipated.
The Alternatives Workbook will be used in a series of
public outreach events designed to stimulate this public discussion and to
develop a consensus as to a preferred vision for
DISCUSSION
In many ways, project goals have been articulated
through the initial outreach effort and expressed in part through the Emerging
Themes. The list of twelve themes, however, is somewhat incomplete and
duplicative, and combines elements of goals, objectives, policies and
implementing programs. While it was originally envisioned that precise goals
would emerge after the community’s consideration of alternatives and
trade-offs, establishing preliminary goals at this stage is expected to help
narrow the range of options to study and better focus the discussion; it will
also help reduce some of the uncertainly about project direction.
The draft goals for the Land Use and Circulation Elements
(included as Attachment D) reflect a staff effort to distill the community
aspirations and policy direction expressed in the initial project effort into
statements of what the community would like to achieve through its land use and
circulation elements. Three months have
been programmed for the community to respond to and offer suggestions for
modifying, eliminating or adding to the draft LUCE goals. The proposed outreach effort includes a
Citywide workshop, an interactive display to be set up at the Main Library and
used at the Santa Monica Festival in May, and a feedback forum on the City’s
web site. Presentations will be made to
the Planning Commission before and after the outreach process and to City Council
after the outreach process.
In order to frame the discussion and support the
continued development of the plan, the outreach program will include a
discussion of the role of goals, objectives and policies within the context of
a General Plan. Attachment C explains
and illustrates these roles. The vast
amount of public input received during the initial project phase addresses not
only goals, but also objectives and policies.
To facilitate the establishment of goals, staff will not only present
draft goals, but also objectives and policies that might derive from the
goals. By seeing the goals in this
context, participants can better understand whether the goals support the kinds
of objectives, policies and programs that are important for
Project Timeline
The LUCE project was originally intended to be a
two-year effort which started in Fall 2004. Since project initiation,
additional time has been added to expand the opportunity for public input on
milestone work products, to create separate hearings for Planning Commission
and City Council (rather than joint hearings), to accommodate heavy Commission
and Council agendas, and to maximize public involvement. Most recently, the
time period during which the consideration of Alternatives and Trade-offs was
expected to occur is now being used for consideration of goals. Individually, these changes to the timeline
are relatively minor. Collectively,
however, they do effect the project’s completion date. Attached to this report
are two revised schedules; a short-term schedule for goal-setting and
consideration of alternatives and trade-offs (Attachment G), and an estimated
long-range schedule with a revised completion timeframe (Attachment H).
Next Steps
In April, the Planning Commission will consider the
specific elements of the outreach process for the LUCE goal-setting
effort. A goal-setting community
workshop is expected to occur in late April, followed by the Library, Internet,
and Santa Monica Festival feedback efforts.
Prepared
by: Andy Agle, Interim
Director
Ellen
Gelbard, Deputy Director
Gay Forbes,
Development Services Officer
Amanda
Schachter, Planning Manager
Jonathan
Lait, AICP, Principal Planner
Liz Bar-El,
AICP, Senior Planner
Tony Kim,
Associate Planner
Peter James,
Assistant Planner
Lucy Dyke,
Transportation Planning Manager
Beth
Rolandson, AICP, Senior Transportation Planner
Michelle
Glickert, Transportation Planning Associate
Planning and
Community Development Department
cc: Planning
Commission
Attachments:
A.
Emerging Themes
(Excerpted from the Emerging Themes Report)
B.
Policy Questions
(Excerpted from the Opportunities & Challenges Report)
C.
Role of Goals,
Objectives and Policies in a General Plan
D.
Draft Goals:
Land Use and Circulation Elements
E.
Draft Common
Elements and Common Options
F.
Land Use and
Circulation Elements: Process To Date
G.
Short Term
Project Schedule (Through Phase 2 – Alternatives)
H.
Attachment A
Emerging Themes
A unique city with a
strong sense of community.
A city rich in
amenities, within walking distance to shops and services from neighborhoods. While in its outlook and character
A diverse and inclusive
city.
well as places for
families and children. In terms of its physical character,
A community built at an
appropriate town-scale. Reinforcing
the theme of a small and unique town, the height and scale of new buildings
should complement the existing fabric
of neighborhoods and
commercial areas. Existing height limits should be maintained, and high rise
buildings are not appropriate in any part of
A city of strong
neighborhoods, protected from commercial and industrial uses. Neighborhoods should be protected from encroachment
of commercial and industrial uses, and have slow and safe traffic. New
development should be in keeping with the existing scale of neighborhoods.
A pedestrian and
bicycle-friendly place. Streets and
connections between various activity areas shall be improved to create
comfortable and safe environments for pedestrians. Development should be
friendly and engaging to pedestrians.
A city rich in its
array of transit offerings. The need
to support transit enjoys overwhelming community support. Santa Monicans want
to see high-quality regional transit services, such as light-rail and rapid
bus, at a level that offers advantages over private autos for regional trips,
as well as local services that are safe and fast and convenient enough to
compete with autos for local trips. Santa Monicans especially support
environmentally-friendly transit vehicles and continue to express specific
support for light rail (with a terminus in downtown and a route along
Exposition).
A city where traffic
and parking work. Automobile traffic
should flow smoothly, without disrupting neighborhood living. Park and ride
lots, shuttles, and free or permitted parking by residents should be explored
to facilitate easy movement. Transportation and land use patterns should be
designed to work synergistically.
A city of balanced
growth.
A city with attractive
boulevards. The city’s major boulevards
should be improved with increased landscaping, enhanced sidewalks, and
additional parking. Mixed-use centers combining shopping and new housing
replacing aging uses along the city’s major corridors may help meet multiple
objectives, including promoting neighborhood accessibility to shops and
services, housing affordability, aesthetic renewal, and jobs and homes in
proximity to transit. Residents would like to see the boulevards in walking
distance from their homes developed with the kinds of shops and restaurants
they like to frequent.
A safe and secure
community. The city’s neighborhoods
should be secure; people, including children, should be safe walking or
bicycling to schools or work. The City should address homeless issues so that
public areas, including, parks, streets, and transit vehicles can be pleasantly
enjoyed.
An environmentally
sustainable place. Santa Monica
should continue to emphasize “green” development, recycling, development
patterns that encourage walking and cycling, clean air and water, and reuse of
older buildings.
Attachment B
Policy Questions
1.
How can
2.
What role can
visitor-servers play in
3.
How much new
housing should
4.
What types of
new development could fulfill the City’s diversity and quality of life
objectives?
5.
How best can the
existing industrial areas meet
6.
How best can the
character and quality of
7.
What is the
appropriate scale and mix of uses for boulevard commercial corridors?
8.
What is the
appropriate scale and character of specialty commercial corridors?
9.
How can the City
maintain its economic vitality and protect economic advantages?
10.
How can the City
foster small businesses and establishments to maintain its uniqueness?
11.
How can
facilities that support a properly balanced transportation system be created?
12.
How much parking
is the appropriate amount for the community and what is the City’s role in
facilitating its availability?
13.
How best can
transit-oriented development be promoted?
14.
What is the
appropriate scale, intensity and character of new development, particularly in
areas that are likely to experience change over the coming 20 years, such as
the industrial areas, along corridors, and public spaces?
15.
Other than
policies directing new development, what resources are available to the City to
implement the Community’s vision? Which strategies are the most important? Are
there resources that might be overlooked by a traditional land use and
circulation plan?
16.
How best can
Attachment C
Role of Goals, Objectives and
Implementation Policies in a General Plan
Understanding the roles of and differences between
goals, objectives and implementation policies is critical to shaping a general
plan. While all are components of a
general plan document, each has a different purpose.
Goals: Goals are
broad statements which set general direction. They express an ideal for the
future, rather than a specific action, and are rarely quantifiable or time-
dependent.
Objectives: Objectives represent a finer level of specificity
and serve as an intermediate step toward attaining a goal. Objectives can be
measured and achieved within a specific timeframe. Because an objective seeks
to bridge a goal’s broader meaning into real action, several objectives are
generally identified for each goal.
Policies: Policies are
specific action statements, which guide the decision-making process once the
plan is adopted.
The following example illustrates the relationship
between goals, objectives and policies. At this stage we are establishing draft
goals. Objectives and policies can be contemplated, but are not the focus of
this part of the process; these more action-oriented statements can be more
fully realized following the consideration of alternatives and trade-offs.
Example
Illustrating the Relationship Between Goals, Objectives and Policies:
|
Draft Goal |
Sample Objectives |
Key Policy Considerations |
|
A diverse
and inclusive community supported by balanced growth |
· Promote a balanced and diverse
economy that serves all income levels and preserves and enhances the City’s
economic well-being. |