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Walnut Creek launches General Plan 2050 update, consultants outline process and outreach
Summary
City staff and Alta Planning & Design launched the General Plan 2050 update at a joint commission study session, laying out a multi-year schedule, consultant team, a public-facing website (walnutcreek2050.com), and an engagement program of workshops, focus groups, pop-ups and an online virtual open house.
Walnut Creek City on Monday convened a joint study session of its planning, design review, transportation, parks & recreation/open space and arts commissions to formally kick off a multiyear update to its general plan that will set a community vision through 2050.
Crystal Dcastro, principal planner and project manager for the update, said the citys general plan (adopted in 2006) needs revision to reflect changed state requirements, recent local work on the housing and safety elements, and new challenges and opportunities facing the city. "This update gives us an opportunity to take a fresh look at where we are today, where we want to be by 2050, and the steps needed to get there," she said.
Alta Planning & Design, the citys consulting lead, described the plans structure and schedule. Eric Jerkovich, principal and deputy director of community planning at Alta, said the update will treat land use as the plans core chapter while integrating topics such as arts and culture, economic development and healthy communities. He noted the city will retain the recently adopted housing and safety elements rather than reopening them.
The team presented a phased timeline that begins with existing conditions and visioning (current phase), moves to land use and mobility alternatives in 2027, policy development through 2028, then the draft plan and environmental review in winter/spring 2029, with adoption targeted for summer 2029. "Were in the discovery phase now," the consultant said, "and we want to connect what people care about today to a vision for the future."
Consultants named at the session include Harris & Associates (safety and environmental technical work), Fehr & Peers (multimodal transportation), Plan to Place (engagement lead), BAE Urban Economics (financial feasibility), and the Cultural Planning Group (arts and cultural strategy).
Staff and Alta also launched a public-facing website—walnutcreek2050.com—and described engagement tools: four major public workshops, approximately 10 topic-specific focus groups, community partner meetings, pop-up events (farmers markets and other local venues), and an online virtual open house with interactive maps and questionnaires. Staff asked commissioners to encourage public participation and noted the project will coordinate with school districts, community partners and neighboring agencies.
The session was informational only; staff emphasized no formal decisions were made and the City Council will be the ultimate decisionmaker for plan adoption. The team said it will return to commissions and community stakeholders throughout the process and report back to the council (the next council discussion was noted for July 21).
