Planning Commission Moves Tulare County General 2030 Update Forward

December 8, 2011

Tulare County’s General Plan 2030 Update moved one step closer to final approval at the December 7 Planning Commission meeting.

By a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Tulare County Planning Commission approved the following recommendations to the Board of Supervisors: approve the certification of the proposed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposed General Plan 2030 Update and proposed Climate Action Plan; adoption of the proposed General Plan 2030 Update; and adoption of the proposed Climate Action Plan. The vote was not an approval or certification. The General Plan Update and supporting documents will now be brought to the Board of Supervisors for review and final approval.

The Board of Supervisors will schedule a public hearing in early 2012 to consider the Planning Commission’s recommendations regarding adoption of the proposed General Plan 2030 Update and proposed Climate Action Plan.

The Tulare County General Plan 2030 Update provides a comprehensive, long-term plan for the future physical development of the County.  The General Plan Update consists of development policies that set forth objectives, principles and standards that guide future land use decisions within the County.

Tulare County Resource Management Agency staff has been working on the General Plan Update since 2003. During the update process a series of 19 workshops, 11 public Board of Supervisors, 12 technical advisory committee meetings and four joint Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings were held to discuss, review, recommend and provide public input.

On March 25, 2010, staff released the General Plan Update documents including a Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (RDEIR) for a 60 day review period ending on May 27, 2010. A total of 44 letters were received containing approximately 2,300 comments and 1,500 pages of material. In response to these comments, staff has worked in conjunction with consultants during the past year to prepare a proposed FEIR. During this time, staff conducted more than 25 public outreach meetings to discuss the General Plan Update materials and process.

The Planning Commission was informed on December 7 that staff’s review of the additional written and verbal comments received during the Planning Commission public hearing process did not identify any new CEQA issues that would require additional environmental studies.

For further information regarding this project, contact David Bryant, Project Planner, at (559) 624-7000. Information is also available online at http://generalplan.co.tulare.ca.us/.