Big Bear Lake launches 2050 general plan update; consultants outline 3-year schedule and broad public outreach

Big Bear Lake officials on March 10 formally kicked off a comprehensive update of the city's general plan, a multiyear project consultants said will run roughly three to 3.5 years and aim to be legally compliant with state law while reflecting local priorities.

Senior Planner Nathan Castillo opened the joint City Council and Planning Commission session by noting this will be the city's first full general plan update in more than 25 years. Brent Gibbons, principal planner with Minteer Harnish, told decision makers the update will combine a new general plan, the next housing-element cycle and a follow-on development-code update. "This is an opportunity to thoughtfully align our policies with community values and to establish a clear, implementable roadmap for the decades ahead," Gibbons said.

The consultants described an eight-phase process: kickoff and evaluation of existing conditions, envisioning and land-use alternatives, drafting plan elements (including circulation, conservation and housing), preparation of a housing element, an environmental impact report (EIR), hearings and adoption, and eventual code updates to implement any land-use changes. The team recommended a 2050 horizon year and said the EIR phase alone typically takes nine to 11 months.

Consultants emphasized readability and implementation, saying the plan should avoid becoming an impractical long to-do list. They also flagged recent state planning and housing law developments that jurisdictions must address, such as environmental-justice analysis, wildfire and evacuation planning, and vehicle-miles-traveled metrics. "At a minimum the new general plan will be legally compliant with state law," Gibbons said, while adding the city has some latitude to reflect local priorities.

Public engagement will include a 17-member General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) appointed by the council, a series of GPAC milestone meetings, public workshops and pop-up events, newsletters in English and Spanish, an email list and an interactive mapping tool. The project website, bigbearlake2050.com, is already live and will host deliverables, meeting notices and a public comment archive; consultants said they will post collected comments monthly for transparency.

Several council members pressed for faster attention to the city's sign ordinance, noting an existing moratorium on A-frame signs and urging staff to prioritize that code change rather than defer it to the end of the multi-year process. Consultants said sign regulations will be reviewed during the development-code update portion of the project but acknowledged council concerns.

During public comment, Daniel Go Branson criticized the process and made broad accusations about nonprofits and state government influence; staff and council responded by confirming the meeting met special-notice posting requirements and by inviting continued public engagement.

City staff committed to scheduling GPAC and future public events, placing printed newsletters in public locations, and coordinating outreach to businesses and seasonal residents. Staff also noted the plan will include a maintenance program recommending periodic review (the consultants suggested a 3-to-5-year review cycle).

The meeting closed after the council and commission offered guidance on local priorities including protecting the lake and mountain environment, improving circulation and traffic choke points, addressing workforce housing and preserving the city's small-town character. The first GPAC meeting was scheduled to follow the study session later that afternoon.