Fountain Valley readies for first update to city blueprint in 23 years

Fountain Valley is gearing up for its first comprehensive general plan update in 23 years.

The general plan is a blueprint every city maintains as a long-term guide to development. City planning and building director Matt Mogensen said the update process will take about two years, cost at least $1 million and be similar to the planning process for the Fountain Valley Crossings rezoning project, but more in-depth. It will outline how to manage growth citywide over the next 20 to 25 years.

Mogensen said there have been some focused updates, such as to the housing and circulation elements, but the last overall Fountain Valley general plan update was in 1995. The guideline is for cities to update every 10 years, but most do comprehensive updates in 15- to 20-year cycles because of the cost, Mogensen said.

On Tuesday, the City Council appointed members Cheryl Brothers and Steve Nagel to a subcommittee to review the current plan, discuss work priorities and help city staff structure a larger general plan advisory committee.

Brothers said she is familiar with the general plan process, having served as a citizen member of the last planning group, and is looking forward to the next round.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD