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December 31, 2024, 07:00 PM
The below items will be heard by the Planning Commission under hearing procedures conforming to Government Code §54953(e). The agenda will be published a minimum of 72 hours before the Planning Commission meeting and will provide a more detailed description of hearing procedures.
Public Hearing items
General Plan Amendments/City of Menlo Park/Environmental Justice Element and Safety Element: The City of Menlo Park is proposing to amend the General Plan to adopt a new Environmental Justice Element and update the Safety Element.
The Environmental Justice Element is a state-mandated element of the General Plan if the local agency identifies “Disadvantaged Communities” within its jurisdiction. The purpose of the Environmental Justice Element is to identify and address current and potential future public health risks and environmental justice concerns, and to foster the wellbeing of Menlo Park residents living in “Disadvantaged” and/or “Underserved Communities.” Environmental justice means that everyone should have equal protection and advantages when it comes to the environment around them. It also means that people should be meaningfully involved in the decisions that affect their community. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental, and commercial operations or policies. In Menlo Park, the Belle Haven and Bayfront neighborhoods are identified as Underserved/Disadvantaged Communities and in order to reduce the disproportionate health risks that exist in Belle Haven and the Bayfront, the Environmental Justice Element includes policies and programs organized into seven goals consistent with state requirements: 1) Address unique and compounded health risks, 2) Reduce pollution exposure and improve air quality, 3) Equitably provide appropriate public facilities to individuals and communities, 4) Promote access to high quality and affordable food, 5) Provide safe, sanitary, and stable homes, 6) Encourage physical activity and active transportation, and 7) Create equitable civic and community engagement.
The Safety Element is a state-mandated element of the General Plan. The purpose of the Safety Element is to identify how to reduce potential risks of injury, property damage, and economic and social disruptions resulting from natural and human-made hazards. The City Council adopted the Safety Element on May 21, 2013. Since then, state laws were enacted that require Safety Elements to address climate change adaptation and resiliency, and give increased attention to wildfire and evacuation routes; the update to the Safety Element focuses on these topics in response to state law. The City has the Open Space/Conservation, Noise and Safety Elements in a combined document. The update focuses on the Safety Element; the Open Space/Conservation and Noise Elements are unchanged.
The Planning Commission will also consider and make a recommendation to the City Council that the Council adopt a finding that potential environmental effects from adoption of the new Environmental Justice Element and updates to the Safety Element have been addressed for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) by the Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (“SEIR”) prepared for Housing Element updates, Safety Element updates, and a new Environmental Justice Element for the City’s General Plan; and associated General Plan, El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan (“Specific Plan”), Zoning Ordinance, and zoning map amendments. The City Council adopted Resolution No. 6808 and certified the SEIR on January 31, 2023.