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Staff seeks council direction on community engagement framework for General Plan update
Summary
City staff recommended a topic-based, broad outreach model for the multi-year General Plan update and sought council guidance on public engagement, timing and consultant scope; council members favored the modern, topic-based approach and asked for clear vision, feasibility analysis and frequent commission coordination.
City planning staff on Oct. 7 presented a framework and draft schedule for a multi-year General Plan update and asked the City Council to confirm an outreach approach to be incorporated into the consultant request for proposals.
Crystal DeCastro, principal planner, described a phased approach: a launch and vision-setting phase, research and technical analysis, scenario development and environmental review, drafting and adoption, and subsequent implementation steps such as zoning code amendments. Staff recommended a modern, topical engagement model — focused outreach and iterative participation on subjects the public cares about (for example, circulation, economic development, parks) — rather than a single citizen advisory committee that meets throughout the project. The recommended model emphasizes targeted workshops, pop-up events, digital engagement and close coordination with existing commissions, with consultant support for feasibility and comparative examples from other cities.
Council members supported a topic-based model and asked that staff build strong education and transparency into the outreach so participants can understand trade-offs and real-world constraints. Members asked for consultant teams that can provide specialized subconsultants (transportation, economics, public engagement), joint commission meetings to handle cross-cutting topics, and an online project presence that chronicles decisions and materials. Council requested that staff ensure vision and values are clearly documented and that feasibility analyses accompany scenario work so the community can see likely outcomes and constraints. Staff said it plans to release an RFP this year so a consultant can be on board in 2026 and that the effort is expected to proceed through iterative phases into the 2020s with final adoption targeted in the later phase of the plan schedule.
Why it matters: The General Plan will set Walnut Creek’s vision through midcentury and guide zoning, public investments and development decisions across the city. Council asked for an engagement strategy that brings residents into substantive design choices, and for clear documentation of assumptions so early decisions can be revisited with reasoned justification.
