Staff previews Vision Salinas 2040 draft general plan and public review schedule

Senior Planner Oscar Resendis presented the public review draft of Vision Salinas 2040, the city’s first comprehensive general-plan update since 2002, and invited commissioners and residents to review the draft and attend an open house on March 7 at the Steinbeck Center.

Resendis said the plan organizes policy into three pillars—built environment, environmental and sustainability, and socioeconomic systems—and incorporates recent local planning work such as the Downtown Vibrancy Plan, Chinatown Revitalization Plan, and the City’s Climate Action Plan. The draft includes updated place-type land-use classifications to allow mixed uses and aims to guide future zoning-code amendments.

Staff described an extensive outreach effort that has included more than 23 workshops, pop-ups at workplaces and panaderias to reach workers, multilingual engagement (Spanish and indigenous languages), partnerships with community-based organizations, and targeted invitations to stakeholder groups. Resendis said staff will release the draft Environmental Impact Report and Climate Action Plan for a 45-day public comment period in quarter two and expects to complete an initial phase of zoning-code amendments by June 2026.

Resendis encouraged commissioners and residents to submit comments via a dedicated email and to attend an open house on Saturday, March 7 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Steinbeck Center. No action was taken; the item was presented as an administrative report and staff asked commissions to provide feedback during the public-comment period.

"The general plan is the guiding policy document that sets the vision for the city for its future development," Resendis said, noting the plan’s emphasis on inclusion, housing, economic opportunity and environmental justice.