Marysville planning commission recommends certification of final EIR and adoption of General Plan 02/1950, downtown plan and zoning updates

The Marysville Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council certify the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), adopt a mitigation monitoring and reporting program and CEQA findings and a statement of overriding considerations, and approve the General Plan 02/1950 update, a downtown specific plan, historic design guidelines and zoning code amendments.

The recommendation came during a public hearing on the planning commission agenda item addressing the citywide general plan update, a downtown-specific plan and related zoning code changes. Staff said the package is intended to provide the city a long-range land-use framework, encourage mixed-use and infill development downtown, update zoning to reflect recent state housing laws, and streamline future environmental review for projects consistent with the plan.

Staff member Kathy Peace, who presented the project, summarized the components and outreach. “It’s been a long time in the making,” Peace said, describing a multi-year process that included a citizen advisory committee that met five times, citywide mailed notices to residents, an online survey with about 230 responses, and consultant-led stakeholder meetings with Caltrans and the local hospital. Peace said the final EIR was posted recently and that the document includes responses to four comment letters.

The EIR identifies five significant and unavoidable impacts in its current form, including effects on air quality, cultural resources, greenhouse gas emissions and noise. The staff report said the Airport Land Use Commission reviewed revisions and concurred that the changes were consistent with its comments. For measures identified as mitigation, the city prepared a mitigation monitoring and reporting program; staff said the City of Marysville, as lead agency, is responsible for ensuring mitigation compliance when projects come forward.

Commissioners asked no substantive changes at the hearing before the motion to recommend was seconded and approved by roll call. The record shows Commissioners Mahler, Sutton, Langsdorf and Mescher and Chair Deal voting yes; Commissioners Kroger and Vice Chair Bremer were absent. The commission’s action is a recommendation; final decisions and any required CEQA certifications and statements of overriding considerations will be made by the City Council at a later meeting, tentatively scheduled for March 18.

If the council approves the actions staff requested, staff said applicants proposing projects that fit within the plan’s assumptions could rely on the adopted program-level EIR for tiering environmental review rather than preparing full project-level EIRs for each submittal.