Salinas planning staff sets timeline for Vision Salinas 2040: public review draft due in July, zoning overhaul to follow

City planning staff presented a near-term timeline and key priorities for the Vision Salinas 2040 general plan update at a June 10 joint special meeting of the Salinas City Council and Planning Commission. The presentation said a public review draft will be released in late July and accompanied by public workshops and a 30‑day comment period, followed by an environmental impact report (EIR) and a separate climate action plan that will trigger a mandatory 45‑day EIR comment period.

The general plan, which staff described as “the city’s guiding policy document and vision for future development,” will organize content under three broad pillars — built environment, environment and sustainability, and socioeconomic systems — and incorporate new and existing planning work dating back to 2002 and engagement conducted since 2021.

Project manager Jonathan Moore told the council and commissioners that the update incorporates recent local plans (including the Economic Development Element and neighborhood planning efforts) and state law changes. Moore said the update will add new materials such as a health and environmental justice element, a climate action plan, and an eventual zoning-code overhaul. “Most of the current general plan, with the…