Summary of Kickoff Meeting
On January 14th, over 50 Richmond residents came together to learn about our
city’s General Plan—why we have one and why we are in the process of revising it—and to formulate a strategy to help shape those revisions.
People from virtually all neighborhoods throughout Richmond were present,
sharing information, voicing their concerns and proposing ideas. Our primary
purpose was to learn how to get involved in revising the General Plan and how
to use the General Plan as a means of making important improvements to our
city. Here is a summary of what happened:
What is a General Plan and why do cities have them?
Jerry Yoshida, who recently participated in the revision of San Jose’s General Plan, explained that all cities in California are required by state law to maintain a General Plan. A city’s General Plan, although “general,” is
actually a detailed and lengthy document, laying out policies, rules and guidelines
for managing, developing, and maintaining all neighborhoods and resources in
a city.
A General Plan includes rules and guidelines for developing and maintaining
a city’s infrastructure, economic revitalization, open space, and transportation, and these rules and guidelines can serve as the basis for many laws (such as zoning laws). General Plans must address problem areas but they must also propose a feasible high-level plan for a successful and coordinated city-at-large.
Coming soon:
Our kick-off meeting made it evident that we need to improve our understanding
of General Plans and how they work, so Triple RPG will soon publish helpful
information on this topic—a “Things That You as Ordinary Residents Should
Know About Your City’s General Plan” kind of thing—succinct
and easy for people who are not lawyers or professional planners to read and
understand.
Meanwhile:
What do Richmond residents want from our General Plan?
- Community involvement—this means all communities
- Preservation of historical sites
- Preservation of shoreline; shoreline access; wise, long-term planning
- Environmental buffer zones (along shorelines, railroads, polluted sites)
- A transportation plan that includes getting to and from schools—including
Contra Costa College
- Revitalize downtown Richmond and blighted neighborhoods
Strategies for getting what we want
- Insist on an environmental justice element — We need a quantifiable analysis
within the general plan outlining the 100 year historic impact of pollutants
and toxic spills in Richmond, as well as identifying current environmental
factors.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to provide input and to monitor the process.
Do it constantly, as the plan progresses.
- Stay informed; be watchdogs; make sure the city stops violating their own
policies and guidelines.
- Have MIG set up their web site to accept public comment.
- Good communication with, and placement of, GP steering committee members.
- Door to door outreach.
- Keep the process of developing the GP transparent and open to the public.
If the process is transparent and open, we can monitor it and make sure that
public input really is playing an important role in formulating the GP.
- Use KCRT public access television to record and broadcast meetings about
the GP.
Problems we can solve by improving—and enforcing—Richmond’s General Plan
- Failure of the city to address quality of life issues (i.e. is it nice
to walk down the street, easy to get where you want to go, etc.)
- Crime
- Shoreline development without long-term planning
- Gentrification
- Turn the Iron Triangle into a Golden Triangle (San Jose managed to do this—let’s
get some tips from them)
