RESOLUTION NO. 2025-10
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GONZALES
APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CITY OF GONZALES GENERAL PLAN
AND ADOPTION OF THE VISTA LUCIA SPECIFIC PLAN
WHEREAS, the adopted City of Gonzales 2010 General Plan defines and designates certain lands for urban growth and development within areas designated by the General Plan; and WHEREAS, the City of Gonzales and the County of Monterey developed, adopted, and signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2014, incorporated herein by reference, to cooperate on common planning, growth, and development issues; and WHEREAS, the MOA established planning principles for both parties to promote logical and orderly development, direct development away from the best agricultural lands, stay within the urban growth boundary established by the City’s General Plan and the MOA, and provide compact urban form development through the use of specific plans; and WHEREAS, Cielo Grande Ranch, LLC desires to initiate proceedings to annex 771 acres into the City and develop up to 3,498 residential units, three educational sites, 96,000 square feet of commercial development, 79 acres of recreational facilities, and related infrastructure known as the Vista Lucia Project (“Project”); and
WHEREAS, the subject property is located in unincorporated Monterey County east of Fanoe Road, east of the current City limits, within the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) and consists of Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 223-032-024, -025 and -027; and WHEREAS, the Gonzales General Plan requires the preparation of a Specific Plan for Future Growth Areas in order to ensure orderly, logical and responsible growth, and provide multiple housing opportunities for future residents; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission at its scheduled meeting of March 10, 2025, considered the Amendment to the City’s General Plan, the Staff Report and presentation, public testimony, documentary evidence introduced and received during the public hearing along with the entire public record, weighed the evidence before it and made CEQA and Project Findings, and recommended that the City Council approve the General Plan Amendment amending the land use designations through adoption of the Vista Lucia Specific Plan.
WHEREAS, the City Council has independently reviewed the Final Environmental Impact Report prepared for the project to adequately address the environmental effects of the proposed General Plan Amendments pursuant to CEQA and determined that it adequately addresses the environmental effects of the proposed General Plan Amendments through the FEIR and the accompanying MMRP and CEQA Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Gonzales identifies and determines the principal reasons for amending the City’s General Plan Land Use Designations for this application are as follows:
1. The proposed amendment to the City’s General Plan and adoption of the Vista Lucia Specific Plan is consistent with and facilitates the goals, policies and objectives set forth in the General Plan, as the plan area and subject properties are proposed for future development in the 2010 Gonzales General Plan and 2014 City/County MOA, specifically the need for housing, including affordable housing, with walkable communities and public open space.
2. An Amendment of the City’s General Plan Land Use Map and related text is needed to include the designation of the “Vista Lucia Specific Plan” area, notes as “VL-SP” on the map, over the subject properties and adopt the Vista Lucia Specific Plan.
3. The City Council, as a part of their consideration of the General Plan Amendment and Adoption of the Specific Plan, has reviewed and considered the CEQA and Project Findings.
4. The Amendment to the City’s General Plan is consistent with and will implement the General Plan to promote the general health, safety and welfare of the community.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Gonzales approves the General Plan Amendment amending land use designations and text and adopting the Vista Lucia Specific Plan as follows:
1. All of the recitals set forth above are true and correct to the best of the Planning Commission’s knowledge and are incorporated herein by reference and made part of this resolution by this reference.
2. That the City Council declares that it has been provided with and reviewed all evidence available in the administrative record to support the findings of project consideration, as well as the staff report, presentation by staff, written and oral testimony (collectively, the “Record of Proceedings”), and hereby provides notification that the Record of Proceedings is on file with the clerk of the City of Gonzales.
3. The City Council declares it has reviewed and considered the Vista Lucia Project FEIR document, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, all of which is incorporated herein by reference.
4. The City Council finds that, after reviewing the public record, findings supported by evidence in the record provide cause for approving the General Plan Amendment.
5. The City Council adopts Exhibit A, the Vista Lucia Specific Plan, and Exhibit B Appendices A and B to the Plan, which amends the City of Gonzales General Plan Land Use Map, text and figures to designate the subject property APN: 223-031-024, -025, and -027 to Vista Lucia – Specific Plan (VL-SP) with those specific designations as included in the Specific Plan, and change tables and text to reflect accurate acreages and job and residential projections, and ensure internal consistency as a result of the change.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of September 2025, by the City Council of the City of Gonzales, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
______________________________
Jose L. Rios, The Honorable Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________________
Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk
Exhibit A: Vista Lucia Specific Plan
Exhibit B: Appendices A and B
See the following link: https://gonzalesca.gov/node/673