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Riverbank planning staff, consultant outline how long-range and project review processes work
Summary
City planning staff and consultant De Novo Planning Group gave an overview of long-range and current planning duties, the general plan structure, CEQA review steps and how annexations interact with LAFCO.
City of Riverbank Community Development Director Joshua Mann and consultant Steve McMurtry explained the planning department’s roles and the processes that guide development decisions.
The presentation laid out the distinction between long-range planning — described as the city’s “blueprint” including the general plan, housing element, specific plans and zoning — and current planning, which reviews individual development applications such as subdivisions, building permits and conditional-use permits. McMurtry said each general plan chapter contains goals, policies and implementation actions that guide staff and decision-makers.
The speakers described how the housing element is updated more frequently to meet state Regional Housing Needs Assessment requirements and said specific plans, such as the downtown and Crossroads West plans, provide area-specific development standards. They explained current planning workflows: intake of an application, determination of completeness, interdepartmental review, environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and public hearing procedures.
Joshua Mann said environmental review can range from negative declarations to environmental impact reports (EIRs) and that the council certifies EIRs as part of entitlement decisions. McMurtry summarized the LAFCO process for annexations and sphere-of-influence changes, noting the city recommends actions to LAFCO and the commission issues the final determination. He also described post-entitlement steps such as grading permits, improvement plans, final maps and building permits.
Council members asked no specific follow-up questions during the presentation; staff said they are available to return with more detail if council requests it.
