Additional Engagement

 

General Plan Environmental Impact Report

Notice of Preparation

This notice is being provided consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15082 regarding circulation of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) and scoping meeting for the Draft Environmental EIR. The City of Ventura (City), as Lead Agency, is commencing its preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its General Plan Update. The Draft EIR (DEIR) will evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with the General Plan Update and the Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP).

The General Plan Update establishes the community’s vision for future development in the city through the planning horizon year of 2050. As part of the general plan update process, the City’s existing General Plan has been rewritten with updated goals, policies, and implementation actions that reflect the community’s current vision for Ventura. The EIR is intended to be a program-level document that will analyze the environmental effects of the City’s proposed General Plan Update. The Draft EIR is available online at www.planventura.org.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD is from May 1, 2024 to May 31, 2024. Written comments must be submitted to the City’s Community Development Department no later than May 31, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. Please send written/typed comments (including a name, email, telephone number, and/or other contact information) electronically or by mail to the following:

City of Ventura, Community Development Department

RE: Ventura General Plan Update EIR

ATTN: Rachel Dimond, AICP Community Development Director

501 Poli Street

Ventura, CA 93001

Email: rdimond@cityofventura.ca.gov

For more information, please review the full Notice of Preparation

Educational Forums

We are hosting a series of educational forums on topics relevant to the General Plan. Past topics include:

Pop-up Workshops

Throughout the process, the General Plan Team has held pop-up workshops at popular destinations around the city to spread awareness of the General Plan Update and reach a wider cross section of the community (e.g., youth, young families, minority groups, and other traditionally underrepresented groups).

Pop-Up Workshops Summary (Fall 2021)

Pop-Up Workshops Summary (Fall 2022)

Community Council Meetings (Ongoing)

Throughout the process, the General Plan Team has been meeting periodically with each of Ventura’s seven community councils, including:

Prior to the project kick off, the General Plan team met with most of the Community Councils at their regularly-scheduled meetings to provide background information on the General Plan and to discuss issues, challenges, threats and opportunities.

In July 2021, the General Plan Team initiated a second round of meetings with the Community Councils to present project updates and brainstorm on a long-term vision for their areas.

In September 2022, the General Plan Team held a third round of meetings with the Community Councils to provide an overview of the land use alternatives and discuss the alternatives for the geographic areas represented by the Community Councils in more detail. The General Plan Team also held two meetings focused on the Downtown – one for residents and one for businesses.

Summary of Community Council Meetings: Round #1

Summary of Community Council Meetings: Round #2

Summary of Community Council Meetings: Round #3 (Updated November 15, 2022)

Stakeholder Interviews (Summer 2020)

At the beginning of the process, the General Plan team met with over 20 individuals and organizations to better understand the values of the community. Click below for the summary notes.

Stakeholder Interviews Summary