Walnut Creek City Council kicks off comprehensive 2050 General Plan update, consultants outline outreach and priorities

Walnut Creek City Mayor Kevin Wilk opened a July 21 special study session to begin a comprehensive update of the city's General Plan through 2050, saying the meeting would focus on process and public engagement rather than decisions or votes.

Crystal DeCastro, the city's principal planner and project manager for the update, summarized the evening's agenda and handed the presentation to Alta Planning and Design. "This update is an opportunity to take a thoughtful look at where we are today and work together to develop a shared vision for the future," she said.

Eric Yerkovich, principal at Alta Planning and Design, told the council that state law requires communities to maintain and periodically update general plans and described the plan as a 20-year roadmap that will guide decisions on land use, transportation, housing, parks and services. "These are really road maps for the future," he said, adding that the city will not update the safety and housing elements through this process because those were recently adopted.

Consultants outlined a phased process of baseline analysis, community engagement, technical studies and environmental review. Engagement activities will include targeted community-partner meetings already underway, pop-up events around town beginning in August, an online questionnaire and a community workshop in September focused on developing vision and guiding principles. Staff said technical reports and meeting materials will be posted for public review on the project website launched at the end of June.

Early outreach with roughly 40 community partners and a recent joint study session with five commissions surfaced recurring themes, the consultant said: honoring Walnut Creek's identity (downtown, schools and parks); balancing housing needs with business retention and fiscal stability; improving mobility for bikes, pedestrians and transit; strengthening arts and cultural amenities; and preparing for climate impacts including wildfire resilience and housing affordability.

Council members focused questions on outreach methods, priorities and measurement. Council member Darling said the city today is "resilient" and should aim to be "connected" in 2050, calling out ADUs and multicultural connections as important. Council member Vinny Divini described Walnut Creek as "family" and urged attention to family-run and small businesses. Council member Silva suggested the city is "welcoming" now and must emphasize "adaptability" going forward.

Transportation and mobility emerged repeatedly as a pressing concern: council members and staff pointed to congestion on key corridors, sidewalk and bike-safety gaps, the evolving role of transit as commuting patterns shift, and the need to balance parking and curb access as new vehicle technologies arrive. "We're going to have to help lead the way and help bring the community with us," Mayor Wilk said, noting current BART ridership remains below pre-COVID levels.

Several council members said success should be measured by participation and by implementation: tracking outreach reach and whether the plan produces measurable, revisitable policies. Consultants agreed the General Plan should be a "living" document with flexible policy approaches to accommodate changing state mandates, new technologies and shifting economic patterns.

On policy content, staff said mandatory elements include land use, community design, transportation, open space, conservation and noise; safety and housing were recently adopted. Environmental justice and healthy-communities considerations will be addressed in the process, with consultants noting the city will respond according to applicable regulatory categories.

The council had no formal votes. The study session recessed for a break with the council's open session scheduled to resume at 6:00 p.m. Consultants and staff said they will return to council and various commissions throughout the process for study sessions, direction and later decision-making steps.

What's next: outreach pop-ups begin in August, an initial community workshop is planned for September, and the project team will publish a series of technical reports for public review as the process continues.