A cloud of doubt and confusion seemed to hover over the General Plan Advisory Committee, or GPAC, at Thursday night’s meeting.  One member, Ruth Gottstein, described it best by saying, “There’s an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ tone to what we are doing here.  Can we even do what we are talking about?” Indeed, questions arose about the entire General Plan process, and whether or not the committee was following the correct procedure.  Barbara Sinnett brought up the fact that the general plan should be drawn up in parallel with an environmental impact report, or EIR.  One of the planning consultants hired by the county tried to clarify the entire process and how it works. Jeff Henderson of EDAW, confirms that an EIR will be completed; however, the general plan must first be finished so you can analyze it in the EIR. 

In response to Gottstein’s comment, he reminded the committee that the general plan “sits at the top,” and should reflect “what we want to do in our county.”  The general plan is basically a general set of guidelines, and should represent what the county wants for everything from future land use designations and building to agricultural uses and watersheds.  The committee also debated the inclusion of Rancho Arroyo Seco, a planned development community in Ione. It seems the committee was divided on whether or not to even include the development in the general plan and many questioned why we would assign a town center there.  Some members felt that the developer should pay for any cost associated with a town center, while others questioned the apparent opposition toward the development, a project that has not even yet begun. To be sure, the General Plan update process is undeniably complex and confusing.  The next GPAC meeting will be on April 24th.