General Plan Update Process Moves to Cyberspace

City officials are hoping that citizens will be more inclined to share their vision of the future of Martinez from the comfort of their computer than they were to brave the elements and participate in person.

Thanks to a grant from the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, the city has established an on-line survey form for citizens to fill out. The survey asks residents what they like most about the city, what they like the least, and what the city should look like in 20 years.

Officials hope the online survey will generate more participation than the four  meetings recently held at the city's elementary schools. The four nights drew a total of about 50 participants. 

"There are no more public meetings planned for this particular phase of the outreach," said Planning Manager Terry Blount. He said the General Plan Update Task Force, a 19-member panel of citizens from all walks of the community, will survey various "partner groups" like the Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions clubs, the Muir Heritage Land Trust, Senior Center and others.

In the 'Comments' section of a story on Martinez Patch about one of the public meetings on the General Plan Update, some readers charged that participation was low due to disappointment with the outcome of previous processes where public input was sought. Some readers felt the city asked for input for projects like the 2006 Downtown Specific Plan, only to ignore it when it conflicted with the vision of council members and supporters.

Blount disagreed that that was the cause for the low turnout.

"If we were asking for input on the Downtown Specific Plan, or the Alhambra Valley Annexation, we would certainly get many opinions," he said. "Those issues are being vibrantly debated in the community. But most folks are fairly satisfied with Martinez as a whole, and that may speak to why we're not getting a big turnout at our public meetings."