City consultants and staff presented policy frameworks that will guide Bakersfield’s General Plan update and the council voted to receive and file the report.

Dela Acosta, senior project manager with Rincon Consultants, told the City Council on April 23 that consultants are beginning to draft the actual general plan policy document and that the frameworks consolidate community engagement, state requirements and existing plans into guiding strategies. "The policy frameworks are intended to be a bridge between everything that we've done so far and the development of the actual draft general plan," Acosta said.

The frameworks presented include Land Use and Design (placemaking, complete neighborhoods, land-use compatibility), Annexation and Infrastructure (Sphere of Influence/annexation planning and municipal service review alignment), Downtown (historic preservation, transit-oriented development), Quality of Life (public art, environmental justice per SB 1000, water quality, air quality), Cultural and Natural Resources (open space, Kern River management, urban forestry), Safety (heat, drought, hazards and hazardous materials), Mobility (public transit, active transportation, truck routes) and Economic Development (target industries, permitting, utility provision).

Why it matters: the policy frameworks will guide the development of the draft general plan and the environmental review. Council members noted the frameworks will affect annexation planning, downtown redevelopment, active-transportation projects and large development sites such as Roselle Ranch.

Council members pressed staff and consultants for specifics. Council member Smith asked how the Kern River element would be included; Phil Burns, a city staff member, said a separate Kern River element is being developed by another consultant and staff are meeting internally to "bring those documents together." Burns said the intent is to time the elements so they become a single document, but that "worst case" the general plan would require a later amendment to add the Kern River element if the timing does not align.

On mobility and circulation, Council member Coleman asked how the circulation element and active-transportation work would be combined. Acosta said the circulation element will include arterials and collectors and the team will consolidate maps to show the entire transportation network. Burns said active-transportation details (bicycle, pedestrian) will be tied to an active-transportation plan and that discussions are ongoing with adjacent jurisdictions and landowners about the West Beltway and other regional routes.

Council members also asked about engagement metrics and schedule. Acosta said the project has included pop-up events, workshops, focus groups and departmental interviews and that the team is tracking engagement. Burns said the project timeline slipped several months to add engagement and now targets completion of the plan and environmental assessment in early 2026, moving the anticipated adoption from 2025 to early 2026.

A representative of the business community, identifying himself as Dave Demahowski, said he had coordinated with business groups and received a packet of the proposed policy focus areas and asked for more time to review potential costs, noting the homebuilding industry supports permit streamlining measures included in the materials. "We just wanted to make sure that we had some additional time to review and digest and comment on those specific proposals," Demahowski said.

Council action: Vice Mayor Gore moved to receive and file the report (mover/second not specified in the record). The motion was approved; the clerk announced, "Motion is approved with Council Member Weir absent." The record does not include a vote tally.

Background and next steps: Acosta said the frameworks are not comprehensive policy language but will guide drafting of the full general plan elements. Staff indicated they will provide council members with additional materials, including the Kern River element drafts when available, engagement counts, and existing circulation materials for review.

The council discussed South Bakersfield beltway concerns and asked staff to provide existing circulation documents and to follow up on whether current materials address council concerns. The report was filed for the record and will inform the next drafting and environmental-review stages of the Bakersfield General Plan update.