Second General Plan Community Meeting To Focus on Specifics

The team charged with updating the city's General Plan will ask for more input regarding residents’ needs and desires in a scheduled for Saturday.

The second of a series of meetings focused on the Newark General Plan Enhancement Project will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the , 35501 Cedar Blvd., on Saturday.

The purpose of the project is to update the 20-year-old Newark General Plan.

A General Plan is a policy document that acts as a guideline for county and city leaders when it comes to decision-making for future development. The city’s General Plan was last approved in 1992, after eight years of developing the plan.

At the last community , residents were asked to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the town that is home to 42,573 individuals.

Many said the strengths of the town include the city's small population as well as open space, parks and outdoor activities. However, they added Newark lacks modern shopping centers, an adequate library and a central downtown area.

Community Development Director Terrence Grindall said Saturday’s meeting will focus on specific questions regarding the direction of the city’s vision.

“We think the General Plan we have is right, but we want to confirm that,” Grindall said.

The meeting will include a presentation of what the team has discovered during the months-long process.

The Newark General Plan Enhancement Project is headed by 15 graduate students and one professor from the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo’s City and Regional Planning Department.

The cost of hiring the team is $20,000, according to Grindall. Hiring a contractor could have cost anywhere between $2 and $3 million.

The Cal Poly team’s involvement is the first of two phases that are needed to complete the General Plan’s update.

The second phase of the project will be conducted by a consultant firm that has yet to be hired. That phase will include polishing up the first phase and producing an Environmental Impact Report. That phase is estimated to cost approximately $250,000, according to Grindall.

For more information about the Newark General Plan Enhancement Project, visit www.mynewarkplan.weebly.com.