Documents

The General Plan Update process involves the creation of a range of technical and analytical documents. These documents will be developed during each project phase and will be used to help inform community discussions and decisions on major planning and policy topics. Please check this page frequently as documents will be posted on a regular basis as they become available.

CEQA Notice of Preparation 

The City of Atascadero will be the Lead Agency and will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Atascadero 2045 General Plan. The following Notice of Preparation (NOP) was prepared pursuant to Section 15082(a) of the State CEQA Guidelines. The NOP is being circulated for a 30-day comment period from July 15, 2024 to August 14, 2024. Responses to this NOP must be provided during this comment period. No Initial Study (IS) is attached because the City determined that an EIR is required for the project. Written comments may be submitted to the City’s Community Development Department at:

City of Atascadero
Community Development Department
Attn: Kelly Gleason, Planning Manager
6500 Palma Avenue
Atascadero, CA 93422

Comments may also be submitted electronically to: planning@atascadero.org.

Emerging 2045 General Plan Update Preferred Alternative

At the August 2023 meeting, the City Council provided general direction on individual land use change requests, draft population projections, land use “Placetypes,” and specific focus areas upon which to focus potential land use changes. This feedback was used to create draft land use alternatives, which were used as a basis for public outreach in Fall 2023. Public outreach comments were disseminated to assemble the draft land use plan. The draft land use plan is the culmination of City Council, Planning Commission, Staff Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), and community feedback.

The result of this process was a draft Preferred Alternative or “Emerging Land Use Plan," which includes a combination of new and refined land uses and updated land use designations (“Placetypes”). The following document presents the Emerging 2045 General Plan Update Preferred Alternative. These materials were presented to the City Council on March 26, 2024, for their review and feedback. 

 

2045 General Plan Vision and Guiding Principles

The Vision Statement and Guiding Principles sets the foundation for the new General Plan. All goals, policies, strategies, and actions that will be contained in the 2045 General Plan will be consistent with the Vision Statement and Guiding Principles. The Council reviewed and provided direction on this document during their May 9, 2023, and August 30, 2023, meetings.

Existing Conditions Report

The Existing Conditions Report analyzes and summarizes current demographic, economic, land use, community character, mobility, natural resources, infrastructure, community health, safety, and other conditions in Atascadero. The purpose of this report is to help the community and project team understand the issues and opportunities facing the city. This analysis will be used to support the planning and community engagement process conducted during development of the updated General Plan.

Existing Conditions Atlas

This Existing Conditions Atlas summarizes important information on current challenges and emerging opportunities and how to address them. The challenges and emerging opportunities summarized in this atlas were developed through a combination of background research (including in a series of technical studies) and discussions with community members (including property owners, business leaders, community organizers, etc.), residents, appointed officials, and the City Council.

Community Involvement Strategy

The City of Atascadero is committed to providing a transparent, inclusive, engaging, and far-reaching community outreach and engagement process during the General Plan Update. In order to achieve this, the Project Team prepared a Community Involvement Strategy (CIS) that identifies opportunities for the public, key civic and business leaders, as well as City staff and elected officials to be involved throughout the project. The document highlights ways that specific outreach activities will seek out and consider the viewpoints of a wide cross-section of the community. 

 

General Plan Briefing Book

The General Plan Briefing Book provides an overview of what a General Plan is and how it guides City decisions, key elements of the 2025 General Plan, emerging issues and opportunities, the initial community engagement approach, and anticipated process schedule. It was used during the City Council and Planning Commission's joint study session to review, discuss and refine the scope and process for the General Plan Update.