WHAT EXACTLY IS A GENERAL PLAN?

Every city in California has a General Plan, a blueprint for growth and development that lays out specific strategies for land use, mobility, housing, open space, conservation, noise and safety. The General Plan reflects the community’s values and directs all of the city’s day-to-day decisions, plans and priorities. As times change, about every five years the General Plan is revised to become more meaningful and relevant based on the current state of the city, with an eye toward the future.

Every General Plan is unique. To gauge local needs, Pasadena is proud to have a long history of involving thousands of Pasadenans in shaping its General Plan. The Pasadena you see today is a result of that history. In 1994, for example, more than 3,000 people took part in the General Plan update, many urging the city to steer development away from single-family neighborhoods and closer to downtown, near transportation lines.

PLANNING THROUGH THE YEARS: PRESERVING PASADENA’S STRENGTHS

True, Pasadena looks very different than it did in 1886, the year it was incorporated. Over 123 years of growth and inevitable change, six generations of Pasadenans have managed to shape, grow and nurture the City of Roses to their liking, creating a vibrant town that has stayed true to its decades-old roots.

Now it’s our turn. With the 2009 General Plan Update, we’ll all have a hand in directing Pasadena’s future while upholding its longstanding values.

Priorities past and present are remarkably similar. Whether in 1909 or 2009, our community has professed its commitment to neighborhoods and architecture with character, trees and open space, vibrant business districts, a diverse population, transportation choices, arts and culture and opportunities for learning, with devoted support for our museums, libraries and world-class institutions.

As a result, we’ve created a General Plan that adapts to changing demographics and community needs while upholding our city’s unique qualities and sense of place. During the booming years of the 1920s and the period after World War II, Pasadenans created expansive new neighborhoods and economic growth to match their commitment to civic life. Likewise, when the New Millennium brought new interest in Pasadena’s great strengths, attracting everyone from urban professionals and young families with children to retirees, new residents enjoyed the opportunities created in the 1994 General Plan and confirmed in the 2004 General Plan update.

2009 brings a new opportunity. This year, we are all charged with advancing the city’s environmental goals and directives that have steadily evolved over the past several years. Supporting the city’s 2006 Green City Action Plan, our challenge is to coordinate smart land use and transportation planning to the fullest to conserve our natural resources and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

The goal, however, remains unchanged: to cultivate and maintain a vibrant and resilient community with the best possible quality of life for future generations. Join the effort!
 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES DIRECT OUR PLANS

Pasadena’s General Plan is based on seven guiding principles that work together to reflect our community’s enduring values. Created through a process of community input, they were adopted in 1994 and reaffirmed with the General Plan update in 2004. These principles are again the subject of review in the 2009 General Plan update. As we look to the future, do you think these principles give us the balance we need? Should other principles be added?

• Growth will be targeted to serve community needs and enhance the quality of life.
   

• Change will be harmonized to preserve Pasadena’s historic character and environment.
   

• Economic vitality will be promoted to provide jobs, services, revenues and opportunities.
   

• Pasadena will be promoted as a healthy family community.
   

• Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without cars.
   

• Pasadena will be promoted as a cultural, scientific, corporate, entertainment and educational center for the region.
   

• Community participation will be a permanent part of achieving a greater city.

OUTREACH PROGRAM TARGETS EVERY FACET OF THE CITY

A far-reaching community education and involvement program has been designed by the City to make sure the 2009 General Plan update reflects voices of all ages, backgrounds, neighborhoods and interests.

The process started April 2009, when the city council appointed the General Plan Update Advisory Committee (GPUAC). City planners then began interviewing a target group of more than 100 stakeholders in late spring to “take the temperature” of the community on major land use, transportation and open space concerns.

During August and September 2009, more specific ideas will be collected from hundreds of Pasadenans through a series of community workshops, plus an exciting new MoveAbouts program that will entice all of us to walk, bike, drive and ride to six areas of Pasadena to record our impressions.

We’ll begin bringing forward some of the key issues that have emerged and further refine them at seven council district workshops in fall of 2009. Phase I culminates with a community open house on Nov. 14, featuring lectures, panel discussions, informational displays and special activities.

A second round of community outreach , Phase II, will start in 2010 to fine tune these priorities and to talk about alternatives and tradeoffs for bringing these broad ideas to life. A draft General Plan will then be prepared for presentation to the community, city advisory commissions and, finally, the city council.