REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Action on an Update to City Council's Public Notification, Outreach & Engagement Policy for Planning Applications
Report
BACKGROUND
The City Council's policy for public outreach for Planning applications, adopted June 27, 2017, aims to enhance community engagement, and ensure transparency in the planning process. The Community Development Department (Department) is responsible for implementing this policy and continually improving public engagement activities. The pandemic and post-pandemic conditions, along with new State laws, have significantly impacted how the Department conducts business and processes housing applications. These changes, combined with the rapid adoption of new technologies to bridge communication gaps, have prompted a review and update of the policy.
The efforts to update the policy began in 2022, with community meetings held in December 2022 and July 2023. The updates to the policy primarily focus on three key areas:
1) Notification Activities: Enhancing how and when the community is informed about planning applications.
2) Outreach Activities: Improving methods to reach out to the community and gather input.
3) Engagement Activities: Ensuring continuous and meaningful engagement with the community throughout the planning process.
DISCUSSION
In addition to the requirements for public notification in the City Code (Chapter 18.146), the Department also implemented the Public Outreach Policy for Planning Applications (Policy) adopted in June 2017. Facilitation of inclusive community participation is an important goal for the City's conduct of the land use development process. The intent of this adopted Policy is to provide the public with enhanced access to information related to land use development activity within Santa Clara, to encourage community members to be informed and engage in the public process for the review of development proposals. A desired outcome of this Policy is that commu...
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