DAVIS, Calif. — More than two decades after its last comprehensive update, the City of Davis is preparing to overhaul its General Plan, a plan that will likely shape the city’s growth, development, and policy priorities for the next 20 years—if not longer.
On Tuesday, city staff will present an update to the Davis City Council on the General Plan Update process, which began in 2024 and is now entering its first major phase of public engagement.
The presentation is intended to formally kick off the initiative and provide elected officials with an overview of the project’s scope, expected outcomes, and early input gathered from community commissions.
According to the staff report from the Community Development Department, the new General Plan will not discard the city’s existing 2001 plan but will instead use it as a baseline.
While many of its policies remain relevant, staff say they need to be revised and modernized to reflect the city’s changing needs and evolving state requirements.
The update will also integrate several other recent planning efforts, including the Downtown Davis Specific Plan, the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and the city’s ongoing Park Needs Assessment.
The General Plan serves as the city’s guiding blueprint for land use, transportation, housing, economic development, infrastructure, and environmental planning. It also influences decisions on public investments and regulatory policy.
The current plan has been amended numerous times since it was adopted in 2001, but city officials and community members have long noted the need for a more holistic revision.
Staff describe the update process as both comprehensive and community-centered. It will unfold over five phases: listening and discovery, land use and mobility planning, policy development and document preparation, public review, and final adoption. Each phase is designed to include significant community input and commission feedback.
Last month, the city hosted a joint meeting with six city commissions—known informally as “Commissionapalooza”—to gather early feedback on pressing issues facing the community. Representatives from the Planning Commission, Open Space and Habitat Commission, Climate and Environmental Justice Commission, Transportation Commission, Recreation and Park Commission, and Social Services Commission offered input that will help shape the structure and goals of the General Plan Update.
Among the key issues raised during that meeting were the ongoing decline in school enrollment, the need to balance housing growth with the preservation of agricultural and natural lands, and the city’s responsibility to respond to climate change and environmental justice concerns.
Commissioners also called attention to infrastructure and staffing challenges, the importance of youth programming, and the need for affordable housing that meets the needs of families, seniors, students, and unhoused residents.
The staff report also highlights a set of draft “project outcomes” that will guide the update process. These outcomes aim to promote healthy and resilient neighborhoods, support diverse housing types, reduce climate pollution, and ensure that city services keep pace with growth. The project outcomes are also meant to help evaluate land use alternatives, policy ideas, and long-term implementation efforts.
Equity and public participation are also central themes of the plan. The update process will prioritize reaching historically underrepresented groups, including low-income residents, BIPOC communities, students, seniors, and people with disabilities.
To that end, the city is launching a number of community engagement efforts, including a General Plan website, stakeholder meetings, youth outreach in partnership with local schools and nonprofits, and a series of public events and pop-up workshops at places like the Davis Farmers Market and Celebrate Davis.
In addition to public outreach, the General Plan Update must also align with state mandates, including recent laws related to housing production, climate adaptation, and environmental review. Staff note that the updated document will be designed to meet current and anticipated requirements, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate future changes in law or local conditions.
The update comes at a time when Davis is grappling with several interrelated challenges, including a constrained housing market, shifting demographics, a warming climate, and increased pressure on infrastructure and city services. At the same time, community members have expressed a strong desire to preserve the city’s character, open spaces, and sense of identity.
City leaders and planners say the General Plan Update provides a rare opportunity to set a long-term vision for how the city should grow—and whom it should serve. The May 13 meeting will allow the council to review draft outcomes, provide direction, and begin to shape the framework of what will become the city’s most influential planning document for years to come.
The first community workshop on the General Plan Update is expected to take place later this spring.
From article: “Among the key issues raised during that meeting were the ongoing decline in school enrollment . . .”
That sounds a LOT more like a DJUSD planning issue, than a city planning issue.