Youth weigh in on city's General Plan
Some of the most interesting results from the initial efforts undertaken to develop Yorba Linda’s new General Plan involve what middle school-aged youth think are the city’s “treasures, challenges and visions,” based on student comments at a recent workshop.
The activities at Yorba Linda Middle School were the first in what is anticipated to be a multi-faceted series of events involving residents of all ages and interests in the process of updating this city’s General Plan adopted in 1971 and first revised in 1993.
A General Plan is “the Constitution for land-use decisions at the local level,” according to the League of California Cities, with a written document addressing seven state-mandated elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise and safety.
Completion of a new plan is expected September 2013, according to RBF Consulting, working under a City Council-approved $549,402 contract to update both the General Plan and the city’s 1982 Master Plan of Parks and Recreation.
Top priority for youth in their early teen years was a skate park, followed by “hangouts” and more “food and businesses.” Others included the elimination of “creepy places,” an amusement park and fireworks.
Treasures named by students: fireworks, bike trails, horses, schools, parks and sports, concerts, library, people, holiday activities, food and businesses and houses/character.
Challenges included: animals (“dead animals everywhere” and “coyotes”), graffiti and crime, more museums and a zoo, more hangouts, school budget cuts and more schools, police (“own police department” and “police station”) more restaurants and stores (“need an In-N-Out”) and parks (“skate,” “dog” and “areas for bikes, scooters and skateboards”).
And among items seen as visions by students: more trees, police department, new sidewalks, a Heritage Fair with rides and games, “more ways to help less fortunate people,” sports park, skate park, “stricter schools with drugs,” more pools, arcade, theme park, more recycling, allow fireworks, movie theater, a mall, candy shop and less houses.
Also earlier this summer, adult residents were involved in three “community walks,” two workshops and a “visioning charrette,” where participants identified treasures, challenges and visions, all to be outlined in a future column dealing with the General Plan process.
All of this will be perused by a council-appointed General Plan Advisory Committee, chaired by Jim Pickel, renamed to the Parks and Recreation Commission late last year after prior service on that body 1993-1996 and the Planning Commission (1996-2011).
Eventually, voters will weigh in on the update, since 2006’s Measure B requires a public vote on changes to land-use documents, which could come in June or November of 2014.
The parks and recreation update, covering 26 park sites and four recreation buildings, began with interviews with various indoor and outdoor youth and adult sports groups, middle school Teen Advisory Committee, Equestrian Special Committee, Senior Club and YMCA.
Visit yorbalindaconnects.com to leave input for either plan.
The activities at Yorba Linda Middle School were the first in what is anticipated to be a multi-faceted series of events involving residents of all ages and interests in the process of updating this city’s General Plan adopted in 1971 and first revised in 1993.
A General Plan is “the Constitution for land-use decisions at the local level,” according to the League of California Cities, with a written document addressing seven state-mandated elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise and safety.
Completion of a new plan is expected September 2013, according to RBF Consulting, working under a City Council-approved $549,402 contract to update both the General Plan and the city’s 1982 Master Plan of Parks and Recreation.
Top priority for youth in their early teen years was a skate park, followed by “hangouts” and more “food and businesses.” Others included the elimination of “creepy places,” an amusement park and fireworks.
Treasures named by students: fireworks, bike trails, horses, schools, parks and sports, concerts, library, people, holiday activities, food and businesses and houses/character.
Challenges included: animals (“dead animals everywhere” and “coyotes”), graffiti and crime, more museums and a zoo, more hangouts, school budget cuts and more schools, police (“own police department” and “police station”) more restaurants and stores (“need an In-N-Out”) and parks (“skate,” “dog” and “areas for bikes, scooters and skateboards”).
And among items seen as visions by students: more trees, police department, new sidewalks, a Heritage Fair with rides and games, “more ways to help less fortunate people,” sports park, skate park, “stricter schools with drugs,” more pools, arcade, theme park, more recycling, allow fireworks, movie theater, a mall, candy shop and less houses.
Also earlier this summer, adult residents were involved in three “community walks,” two workshops and a “visioning charrette,” where participants identified treasures, challenges and visions, all to be outlined in a future column dealing with the General Plan process.
All of this will be perused by a council-appointed General Plan Advisory Committee, chaired by Jim Pickel, renamed to the Parks and Recreation Commission late last year after prior service on that body 1993-1996 and the Planning Commission (1996-2011).
Eventually, voters will weigh in on the update, since 2006’s Measure B requires a public vote on changes to land-use documents, which could come in June or November of 2014.
The parks and recreation update, covering 26 park sites and four recreation buildings, began with interviews with various indoor and outdoor youth and adult sports groups, middle school Teen Advisory Committee, Equestrian Special Committee, Senior Club and YMCA.
Visit yorbalindaconnects.com to leave input for either plan.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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