Bakersfield Council receives general plan policy frameworks; councilmembers press for details on Kern River element, circulation and timeline

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,…