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Selma council agrees to immediate fix for zoning inconsistencies and to begin planning a comprehensive general‑plan update
Summary
After a staff presentation on three options, the council reached consensus to prioritize a quick consistency amendment to fix zoning/general‑plan mismatches and to add a comprehensive general‑plan update to the CIP for phased work and public outreach.
Planning staff presented three tiers of general‑plan work and council endorsed a two‑track approach: a near‑term fix for land‑use consistency and a longer process to scope a full comprehensive update.
"The last major overhaul of the general plan was done in 2010," Planning staff said, noting state law changes (including SB 743 vehicle‑miles‑traveled rules), climate and housing laws and local inconsistencies that have created uncertainty for developers and residents.
Nut graf: Council members and the city attorney emphasized the urgency of correcting a specific land‑use table that currently allows inconsistent densities; they agreed the consistency corrections can be done quickly and should be followed by a phased, well‑publicized general‑plan update built into the city’s capital improvement program.
Details: Staff outlined three options — (1) a limited residential land‑use consistency amendment (2–4 months, estimated $5k–$7k, could be done in‑house), (2) a state‑law compliance update (6–14 months, consultant‑assisted, $30k–$150k), and (3) a full comprehensive update (24–36 months, full EIR, $600k–$1.5M). The city attorney recommended prompt action on the consistency issue to preserve low‑density designations and avoid unintentional upzoning.
Council direction: the council reached consensus to pursue Option 1 immediately to address legal consistency and to prepare scope/budget planning to include Option 3 in the CIP and future budgeting. Staff will return with specific amendment language, public‑hearing notices, and an RFQ/RFP process timeline if council wants consultants for the larger update.
Next steps: staff will draft the targeted general‑plan amendment and the corresponding zoning ordinance updates, schedule the required public hearings before the planning commission and council, and include the comprehensive update planning in the CIP process.
