CITY OF ATASCADERO COMPREHENSIVE 2045 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

CITY OF ATASCADERO COMPREHENSIVE 2045 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

Notice is hereby given that the City of Atascadero (City) will be the Lead Agency and will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Atascadero Comprehensive 2045 General Plan Update (project or 2045 General Plan Update). This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is hereby provided pursuant to Section 15082(a) of the State CEQA Guidelines. The City is requesting your views as to the scope and content of the environmental information that is relevant to your agency’s statutory responsibilities in connection with the project and/or your organization’s or individual interest in the project. Responsible agencies will need to use the EIR prepared for the project when considering a permit or other approval for the project. The City is issuing this NOP to notify public agencies and the public and to request input regarding the scope and content of the Draft EIR for this project. Written comments regarding the project should be addressed to the City via the contact information provided in the document. Comments will be accepted from July 15, 2024 to August 14, 2024. PROJECT DESCRIPTION A City’s General Plan is the primary policy document that lays out the overarching vision and policies for how a city will develop and function in the future. All elements of the General Plan have equal legal status. This means that one policy does not supersede another policy. It also means that any optional element or topic a City includes in its General Plan has the same legal status as required elements. The goals, policies, and actions established in the 2045 General Plan Update would be interrelated and considered together when making decisions related to land use, mobility, growth, preservation, and development. The project involves a comprehensive update to the City of Atascadero’s current 2025 General Plan (2025 General Plan), which was adopted in 2002 and most recently amended in 2016. Since Atascadero adopted its current General Plan in 2002, shifts in demographics, land use, transportation, economics, community character, and the housing market warrant the need for a comprehensive update. A changing economic and fiscal landscape, along with the need to supply additional workforce housing and head of household jobs, further support the need to ensure the City’s visions, goals, policies, and programs are current and adequately address community needs. The 2045 General Plan Update would be comprehensive and internally consistent, serving as the City’s top-level planning document to guide the City’s future growth and development. The overall role of the 2045 General Plan Update is to: • Define a realistic community vision for Atascadero through the year 2045. • Provide the legal foundation for local government decision-making. This includes but is not limited to zoning regulations, ordinances, guidelines, standards, other adopted Citywide plans, compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) decisions and projects, all of which must be consistent with the General Plan. • Express policy direction in regard to the physical, social, economic, cultural, and environmental character of the city. • Serve as a comprehensive guide for making decisions regulating land use, circulation, environmental management, parks and recreation, housing, noise, public health, and safety. • Provide citizens the opportunity to participate in the planning and decision-making process of their community; and • Inform citizens, developers, decision-makers, and other cities and counties of the ground rules that guide development within a particular community.

Atascadero

San Luis Obispo

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 6, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Other (POLICY - GENERAL PLAN UPDATE)

General Plan Update

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Economics/Jobs, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Wildfire