BUENA PARK : General Plan Update Budgeted at $300,000

The City Council this week authorized spending nearly $300,000 to update the city’s General Plan.

Harland Bartholomew & Associates Inc. was awarded the contract to update the plan, which is expected to take nearly a year to complete.

“There will be public meetings and an extensive outreach program to let the community know about the update,” said city planning administrator Ken Griffith. He added that any changes that could affect the community will be made public and residents will be given an opportunity to comment.

Suggestions made by Vision 2010, a citywide study that was conducted to get citizen input on issues ranging from crime to better education, will also be taken into consideration, Griffith said.

The last time the plan was updated was in 1982. However, because of several state-mandated changes since then, city staff recommended a new review.

One issue that will be considered during the review process is ways to implement the Air Quality Management Plan. Residents could be asked to make some “lifestyle changes” in order to comply with pollution-reduction suggestions made by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Car-pooling and ride-sharing are two issues most likely to be considered, said Griffith.

During the budget process, $250,000 was allocated for the project, but an additional $50,000 was needed to fulfill the contract with Bartholomew. City staff said bids from interested consultants went as high as $600,000.