LAKE COUNTY >> In a Zoom presentation Mireya Turner, Community Development Department said a second series of workshops on the county General Plan and the eight Local Area Plans is now proceeding. “We did the first survey a few months ago but this survey takes a deeper dive into those community issues,” Turner said.
She then introduced Tanya Sunderberg, lead consultant with Placeworks, Inc. It is an organization that tackles complex projects, specializing in general plans, programmatic Environmental Impact reports, and cannabis services. Sundberg explained the second survey seeks residents’ feedback and how to participate in the community change survey. Included in the second survey are key components of the General Plan comprising: housing action and implementation, as well as a climate adaptation plan, a framework for adapting to climate change effects.
According to county officials, the Community Development Department’s original Agreement with PlaceWorks was $1,888,954. That Agreement was subsequently amended, adding $186,000, for a new total of $2,074,954.
“The General Pan is, a long-term plan, looking out to the year 2050 and guides Lake County for decisions on a variety of topics for unincorporated parts of the county,” Sundberg said. “It provides an overarching framework for more detailed plans on how development can happen.” It typically presents policy and action which will support the county to achieve that vision. Yet it requires community input and also attempts to sustain many aspects of current environmental conditions as well.
The eight Local Area Plans focus on a community rather than a countywide scale yet carry equal weight as the General Plan bur are specific to a particular neighborhood or demographic population. At the same time there are concurrent but separate plans to be considered such as a housing plan, aggregate resource plan and one topic that receives lots of attention is land use. A big part of land use is, a land use map, required by the state to be included.
The surveys this fall will focus on Local Area Plans with subsequent public hearings and eventual adoption planned for fall of 2026. The Local Area Plan survey is in seven parts. First part, a respondent must identify their Local Area base on where that resident lives. Parts two and three asks about community growth boundaries and land use designations. Part four inquires about representation of individual communities or neighborhood while part five asks about key issues facing a neighborhood six delves into housing action and implementation plans and part seven gives respondents an opportunity to provide own input not yet posed by the new survey.
As an example, a question will inquire if the current boundary between Middletown and Lower Lake should remain. They survey will disclose a map showing blue lines in the western and southern section of Middletown remains unchanged. But a Yellow dashed line shows a boundary extends north from Middletown, now Lower Lake, so, respondents can reply if they support the proposed changes. In addition, there are potential changes to commercial growth boundaries in the Loch Lomand/ Cobb Local Area Plan warrants an amendment. And as well, a question about land use changes in Lakeport, whether service/commercial designation should be changed to different use. Housing action and implementation will also ask respondents to rate priorities that may reduce barriers to construction. Not all issues can be included on a survey. To see additional options residents are requested to consult the county website at: lakecounty2050lakecountyca.gov
