Consultants present draft vision statement for Merced's comprehensive plan; commissioners suggest edits

The planning commission held a study session Aug. 5 to review a public-review draft vision statement for the city's comprehensive general plan update. Michael Gibbons, project manager for Minter Harnish, said the project is a multi-phase, multiyear update and that the current phase focuses on developing a vision to guide future goals, policies and program updates.

"Tonight will be facilitated as a study session," Michael Gibbons said, describing the project's phased approach and the plan to follow the visioning phase with more substantive policy work and an Environmental Impact Report in later phases. Hannah Woolsey, the project planner on the consultant team, summarized outreach to date'including an open house on Jan. 28 with more than 50 attendees, online surveys available in English, Spanish and Hmong (survey closed March 16), and community advisory focus group meetings.

Hannah read the four-paragraph draft vision statement aloud. Portions emphasize a future in which "Merced will stand at the forefront of a new era in Central California, confident in its identity, ambitious in its vision, and deeply rooted in the people who will shape its future." The draft highlights downtown vitality, connections to UC Merced and Merced College, active transportation, diverse housing options and strategic investment to foster economic growth.

Commissioners offered wordsmithing recommendations: one commissioner suggested adding explicit recognition of K-12 education and career-technical education as pathways into higher education; another proposed a clearer nod to ag‑tech and technology industries as part of economic diversification. Consultants said they can incorporate those edits and noted the public comment period for the draft has closed; they plan to bring a revised vision to City Council on Sept. 21, after which policy document updates will begin (phase 4, expected Oct. 2026 through much of 2027).