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Fortuna approves Plan West contract for comprehensive general plan update, cites $250,000 in likely CDBG support
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Summary
The Fortuna City Council approved a contract with Plan West Partners to lead a comprehensive general plan update, with staff estimating about $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to offset costs and a target completion in late 2027.
At its April 20 meeting, the Fortuna City Council approved a consultant contract with Plan West Partners to prepare the city’s comprehensive general plan update, and staff said the city expects roughly $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to help pay for the work.
City staff described the procurement process and why outside consultants were needed. “In January, we issued a request for proposals for the general plan update. We received a responsive proposal from Plan West, and we met with Plan West on multiple occasions to discuss that proposal and work with them to modify the proposal a little bit,” a staff member told the council. The staff member added that Plan West has worked for Fortuna before, including on a mill site specific plan and as a contract planner when the city lacked senior planning staff.
Staff framed the work as mandatory under state requirements. “The State of California requires all jurisdictions, to adopt a comprehensive general plan, and they also require us to adopt a housing element,” staff said, noting that failure to maintain an up-to-date general plan could risk the city’s land-use authority.
On schedule, staff said outreach and data-gathering would begin immediately, progress through existing conditions, environmental-justice and safety elements, and move into land-use and economic-development sections. The staff presentation said the CEQA kickoff is a key milestone and that the update is expected to be completed by November–December 2027.
Vanessa Blodgett of Plan West Partners spoke during public comment: “We’re really looking forward to working with the council and the community and staff to move this forward,” she said, adding that the proposal refines zoning-code updates so the plan can better implement development and housing objectives.
A council member who asked for a timeline and assurances that the city had chosen an appropriate firm was told the city sought to reduce scope and cost where possible and preferred a local firm to limit travel costs and enable in-person meetings. The council moved and seconded a motion to approve the item; the motion carried with no opposition.
What happens next: staff will begin data collection and outreach and will return with implementation details and scheduled milestones as the city progresses through the plan and environmental review.
