Soledad planning commission approves 2024 General Plan and Housing annual reports, authorizes submittal to state

The Soledad Planning Commission voted Feb. 20 to approve and accept the city’s 2024 General Plan and Housing Annual Progress Reports and authorized staff to submit the documents to the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

The action fulfills the commission’s role in forwarding the city’s annual progress on implementing the General Plan and the housing element to state agencies. Diane, the city’s team planner, told commissioners the annual progress report (APR) is state-mandated and must be submitted by April 1 to preserve grant eligibility and show the city’s progress on policies and programs.

Commission staff summarized 2024 highlights tied to the adopted general plan, including community and economic development work across departments, downtown Front Street rehabilitation and sidewalk repairs, parks and recreation programs, and a range of housing-site and pipeline activities. The city is working on a comprehensive general plan update, referred to as Sierra Soledad, and staff said work on land-use maps and community engagement is ongoing.

On housing, staff reviewed the city’s recent Regional Housing Needs Allocation…