Plan enters Phase II with more than two years to go
San Benito County’s updated general plan will allow some
economic development while preserving agriculture and the county’s
rural character, if county officials stay faithful to public
input.
Plan enters Phase II with more than two years to go
San Benito County’s updated general plan will allow some economic development while preserving agriculture and the county’s rural character, if county officials stay faithful to public input.
“This will be a balancing act,” said Art Henriques, director of planning and building services for San Benito County.
San Benito County officials are beginning phase II of the general plan update, after nearly two years of planning.
“General plans are the long-term land use vision for a community, whether it is a county or a city,” Henriques said.
Sometime in August, county staff will make a recommendation on a general plan consultant that board of supervisor members will vote on, Henriques said.
“Hopefully we’ll have the consultant on board at the end of summer and we can get cranking on it,” Henriques said.
County officials are putting together a general plan advisory committee from members of the public, Henriques said. The committee will advise members of the board of supervisors, the planning commission and county staff.
The application deadline is July 25, Henriques said. Residents can deliver a letter of interest to the county planning department or the clerk of the board at the county administration building.
The general plan will be a snapshot of the community through 2030 and could cost more than $800,000, Henriques said.
The cost of the environmental impact report (EIR), a document required as part of the general plan by state law, will be significant, Henriques said.
“We’re going to be as cost efficient as we can this year and hold off on some of the EIR work,” Henriques said.
Phase I of the update started at the end of 2006 and involved gathering public input through surveys and community meetings, Henriques said.
Marty Richman, an observer of local politics, attended one of the public meetings.
Attendees were broken into groups and given the chance to list their priorities for what the county should look like in 20 years, Richman said.
“I think the idea of having the meetings and having all the people there was really, really good,” Richman said.
Some of the ideas were in direct conflict, such as agricultural preservation and economic development, Richman said.
There should have been more time for county staff to work out those conflicts with public, rather than county staff working it out on their own, Richman said.
“I would want them to say, ‘here are two ideas that are in direct conflict, how would you like to shape them?'” Richman said. “If you deconflict everything and sharpen the ideas, they understand what the problems are with items that go head to head with each other.”
During phase II, county staff and consultants will actually update the general plan, which will take another two and a half to three years, Henriques said.
The general plan will take a broad look at the county. The details will get worked out through county zoning and subdivision laws, Henriques said.
The last major update was conducted 25 years ago, Henriques said.
“There were incremental updates periodically, but not a comprehensive update,” Henriques said.
The general plan will be updated more frequently in the future, depending on the direction of the board of supervisors, Henriques said.
“Instead of doing a major update every 25 years or so, do a mini update every eight years or so,” Henriques said. “It would spread the cost out.”
