Dear EDE Stakeholders,
This newsletter provides an update on the activities of the City's Economic Development Element (Element). First, it should be noted that the City's draft Element just received a prestigious award from the American Planning Association, Northern California Chapter. Contributing to this award were the uniqueness of the strategies relating to health and safety, and the comprehensiveness of the public engagement process. Please see the press release below. Second, upon direction from the City Council in January of this year, the city has prepared and released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the preparation of the formal General Plan Amendment and CEQA/environmental review documents necessary for the formal adoption of the Element and its integration into the City's General Plan. The recommended contractor will then be presented to the City Council for approval. Following this, it is anticipated the formal process for adoption, including the required CEQA studies for the Element, will take approximately six to eight months to complete. Newsletters such as this one will be sent out periodically to keep everyone updated on the progress of the formal adoption of the Element, including dates for public hearings. Again, your participation was instrumental in the preparation of the draft document; this involvement is equally important in the final adoption process.
Finally, as contemplated in the draft Element, the City Council will be considering allocation of resources in this year's City budget process for two key resource needs relating to the Element: 1) funds necessary to complete the formal adoption process; 2) funds necessary to implement both Element policies and action items that were identified as eligible without formal adoption of the Element. On June 9, the City Council will consider the City's Capital Improvement Program budget, which will include the funding requests relating to the Element. Your participation in the discussion of these budget resource priorities is appreciated. Thank you again for your interest in this important prosperity strategy for the City of Salinas. Douglas A. Yount Contract Project Manager for the ED Element (831) 324-4896 Dyount@adeusa.co |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE OF RELEASE: May 20, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Spencer Critchley
CONTACT TITLE: Acting PIO
CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER: (831) 998-3000
CONTACT EMAIL: spencer.critchley@ci.salinas.ca.us
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City of Salinas Economic Development Element Wins Regional Planning Award
Salinas, CA -- The City of Salinas has been honored with a prestigious Award of Excellence from the American Planning Association (APA), Northern California Chapter, for the new Economic Development Element (EDE) of the City's General Plan - an economic development strategy to achieve a united and sustained economic prosperity for Salinas.
At an awards gala held in Oakland May 15, the City and its team of technical consultants were recognized by the APA for "outstanding planning" in the Economic Planning and Development category, which recognizes "efforts to transform economies and stimulate economic development in communities of all sizes." The APA's evaluation criteria included originality and innovation, implementation, integration, engagement, effectiveness and results.
In an unprecedented collaboration, the EDE was prepared by City of Salinas staff with a team that included technical consultants led by project manager Doug Yount, project sponsors SPARC (Salinas Planning and Research Corporation), COPA (Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action), Building Healthy Communities East Salinas, EMC Planning Group, Farmhouse Communications, Applied Development Economics, Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., and City Design Collective. Its content was substantially influenced by a community engagement process whose extent was unmatched in the City's history.
Both traditional and some non-traditional economic development strategies are addressed in the EDE. Among the traditional ones are land use, circulation, and infrastructure; retail, entertainment, and tourism; job opportunities; workforce development; and neighborhood and commercial areas.
Uniquely, the EDE also includes strategies to improve quality of life, through improved safety, jobs and health. Improved quality of life is seen as a fundamental component of improving prosperity and attracting investment in and around Salinas for the next 30 years.
The EDE contains policies and specific actions for implementing those policies. It also includes a five-year action plan and a monitoring and evaluation program to track progress.
The EDE was accepted by the City Council in April of 2014. The City is now working toward integrating it into the general plan through a plan amendment.
To move its economic development agenda forward, the City is currently integrating some EDE policies and actions into its current budgeting process. These are ones that can be implemented in the short term, without the need for a general plan amendment.
The City of Salinas Economic Development Element can be found online at www.ci.salinas.ca.us/news.cfm#EDE.
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