Prepared for:
City of Lathrop CA
General Plan Update
Prepared by:
De Novo Planning Group
OUTREACH SUMMARY REPORT
MARCH 2019
CONTENTS
I | TOC Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
TOPIC PAGE NUMBER
INTRODUCTION 1
COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOPS 2
WORKSHOP #1 OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND ASSETS 3
WORKSHOP #2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES, VISION, AND DESIGN 6
WORKSHOP #3 CIRCULATION AND MOBILITY ISSUES, AND PRIORITIES 11 ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS 13
NEXT STEPS 20
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: WORKSHOP #1 MATERIALS AND MAPS A-1 | ONLINE APPENDIX B: WORKSHOP #2 MATERIALS AND MAPS B-1 | ONLINE APPENDIX C: WORKSHOP #3 MATERIALS AND MAPS C-1 | ONLINE APPENDIX D: ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS D-1 | ONLINE
Note: Appendices included under separate covers are accessible on the project website: https://lathrop.generalplan.org/documents/ II | TOC Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
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1 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes the public participation and input received during the General Plan Update Visioning Workshop outreach activities conducted from April through August 2018.
The City of Lathrop initiated their General Plan Update process in late 2017 and began a multifaceted outreach program to engage community members. The outreach program for this project is inclusive, educational, and designed to facilitate a meaningful conversation with the Lathrop community about the issues and opportunities that are most important to the community. A series of three Visioning Workshops, and an online survey were conducted to provide opportunities for community members to discuss their vision for the future of Lathrop, issues related to transportation and mobility, land use and community design priorities, and other relevant topics, such as environmental justice.
The General Plan update effort will continue to involve numerous opportunities for the public to learn about the project and provide their input, including traditional in-person workshops, open houses, and online surveys. This Summary Report memorializes what was discussed during the three Visioning Workshops held throughout the spring of 2018 and an online survey which was completed by 82 participants.
Community input serves as the foundation for the City of Lathrop’s General Plan Update. We appreciate your time and ideas.
For information on how to stay involved, and view project documents, please visit:
www.Lathrop.GeneralPlan.org
Outreach Objectives
Develop a long-term vision for Lathrop
Engage a broad spectrum of the community members
Engage key stakeholders to perpetuate long-term involvement Establish a greater connection between the General Plan and current planning issues Educate the public on the City’s existing conditions, and the General Plan Update process 2 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOPS
The City hosted three General Plan Update Visioning Workshops between April and May of 2018. Each Workshop focused on addressing a different topic and included a brief overview of the General Plan, including why it’s important and why the City is updating its Plan, some background information on the evening’s topic, and a series of facilitated activities to solicit input on key topics or ideas. The topics explored in each Workshop along with summaries of what we heard from the community are provided in the following pages. The intent of this Summary Report is to present the information we received without making assumptions or recommendations. The feedback we received has been recorded here in order to memorialize the key themes and ideas, and it will be used to help inform future work tasks associated with the General Plan Update, including preparation of a Vision Statement, evaluation of opportunities and challenges, land use changes, and the creation of new goals, policies, and actions.
Community Workshop Topics, Dates, and Locations
Workshop #1
Opportunities, Challenges,
and Assets
Workshop #2
Guiding Principles, Vision, and
Design
Workshop #3
Circulation and Mobility
Issues, and Priorities
Monday, April 16, 2018
City Council Chambers
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Senior Center
Thursday, May 17, 2018
River Islands Welcome
Center
3 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
Workshop #1: Opportunities, Challenges, and Assets
The first General Plan Visioning Workshop was held on Monday, April 16, 2018 @ 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers at Lathrop City Hall. The intent of Workshop #1 was to begin a dialogue with the community regarding its priorities for the next 20 years. Following a brief presentation and Q&A period on the General Plan Update, the consultant team conducted two activities to help facilitate this conversation. These activities are summarized on the following pages.
Additionally, during the workshop the topic of Enviornmental Justice was raised, and the consultant team provided a brief overview of State requirments, and how this topic will be addressed in the General Plan.
Activity - Assets, Vision, and Challenges Brainstorming: The first activity was an individual exercise. Meeting attendees were provided stacks of blank Post-It-Notes and asked to write down what they think are Lathrop’s biggest assets and challenges, along with their vision for the future of Lathrop. The results are summarized by topic area on the following pages. Questions posed to the group for their consideration included:
Assets Challenges Vision
What do you value most about
Lathrop?
What makes this a special place
to live or work?
What issues are facing the city
that need to be addressed in
the General Plan?
What ideas do you have for
the future of Lathrop?
What would make your
community better?
What three things would you
like to see accomplished by
2040?
4 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
Common themes expressed during the Community Workshop #1 are summarized and presented below. Full results from Activity #1 are included within Appendix A.
Table 1: Assets, Challenges, and Vision Individual Activity Summary Topic Area Assets Challenges Vision
Community Community Values
Safety
Schools
Small town feel
History
Sense of community
Population growth
Growth without loss of
community
Community feeling
Family activities
Any opposition to infill
Transparency
Safe family community
Access to healthy food and
fresh produce
Community gardens
Places to go with family
More entertainment
Fair and equal treatment
Balance in all areas east
and west
Mobility Location
Access to major highways
Logistic opportunities
Connectivity east/west of I5
Truck routes in residential
areas
Public transportation
Complete streets policies
Expand highways
Safe routes
Services Good public services
Public Safety
Availability of water
Budget considerations
Proprety taxes
Police Department
Public safety
Roads need improvements
Wastewater capacity
Improved schools
Public safety
Conservation Parks and open space
Green-spaces
Proximity to the Delta
Wildlife
Historical areas
Availability of water
Flood Zone areas and
flood impacts
Earthquakes
Liquefaction
Improved air quality
Development Logistic opportunities
Access to major highways
City has potential
Good location
Business growth
East without town center
Lack of commercial and
retail
Any opposition to infill
Investment
Infill investment and
development
Downtown needed w/small
businesses
More retail esp. grocery
More condo/townhome
apartments
Self-sufficient community
(shop, sleep, eat, work)
More residential
commercial and
entertainment
5 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
Activity - Opportunity Area Mapping:
The second activity of the first Visioning Workshop
asked participants to review large-scale maps of the
City and highlight areas that need special focused
attention as part of the General Plan Update,
including areas that should be preserved and
protected, and areas where land use change should
be considered. Working in small groups, attendees
were asked to use colored markers to indicate
where on the provided map the following land uses
should be:
Blue – Key Focus Areas (in need of revitalization,
reimaging, or more public gathering places)
Orange – Business and Employment Opportunities
(where should new job growth be located)
Brown – Restaurants and Retail
Red – Higher Density Housing
Green –Parks, Open Space, Habitat Conservation
1. Outline areas where land uses and changes should occur using your color markers.
2. Please add brief notes and supporting information describing your thoughts and input for each outlined area.
3. Feel free to draw anywhere and provide notes and write additional details on the map
4. Where the group has multiple ideas, such as differing land uses or different concerns for a focus area, add text to identify all ideas raised by the group.
Following an instruction guide, the small groups used colored markers to identify special types of areas. The instructions guide used by meeting participants is included to the right and copies of completed maps are included in Appendix A. After working on the maps, each table reported back to the entire group summarizing their key ideas.
6 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
Mapping Results (Common Themes):
• Opportunities for additional employment in the eastern portion of the city, east of I-5 • Opportunities for restaurants, retail
and higher density housing along the
Manthey Road corridor west of I-5
• Opportunities for revitalization and
increased housing and commercial
development between Louise Avenue
and Lathrop Road, east of I-5
• Opportunities for transit-oriented
development along the rail corridor
• Revitalization opportunity areas near
East Lathrop Road and Seventh Street
• Additional opportunities for open
space, trails, and parks within the River
Islands planning area
Workshop #2: Guiding Principles, Vision Statement, and Placemaking The second Visioning Workshop was held on Wednesday,
May 2, 2018 @ 6:00 pm at the Senior Center. The focus of the Workshop #2 was the establishment and refinement of guiding principles, development of a comprehensive and
cohesive community vision statement, and identification of community design and land use assets through the
exploration of opportunities to enhance placemaking
throughout the community.
Activity - Guiding Principles: The first activity of
Visioning Workshop #2 was an individual activity where
participants were asked to vote for their top three choices for “guiding principles” from a list developed based on the feedback received at the first Visioning Workshop.
Participants were provided three “dot” stickers and asked to review a list of 10 possible guiding principles and stick their “dot” next to the principle they vote for. Participants could assign all three dots to the same principle or divide the dots as they preferred. The results 7 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
of this activity, starting with the principle that received the most votes, is provided below in Table 2. Original results are shown on the right and are included in Appendix B.
Table 2: Dot Voting Results
General Plan Guiding Principles Total
Votes
Maintain and improve public safety and crime prevention 9 Maintain small-town charm, character, and sense of community 7 Promote and enhance shopping and entertainment opportunities throughout the city 5 Preserve surrounding open-space and agricultural lands, and historic assets 5 Maintain and increase park and recreational facilities throughout the city. 4 Increase alternative transportation opportunities, and connectivity within city, and to surrounding areas 5
Promote higher density housing and mixed-use developments along key transportation corridors 4
Attract and retain businesses and industries that provide high-quality jobs 3 Maintain and support high quality schools within the city 4 Prioritize east/west connectivity throughout the city 2 As shown above, the top 2 priorities chosen by participants included: Maintaining and improving public safety and crime prevention (9 votes), and maintaining the small-town charm, character, and sense of community (7 votes). Preserving surrounding open-space and agricultural lands, and historic assets; promoting and enhancing shopping and entertainment opportunities throughout the city; and increasing alternative transportation opportunities and connectivity within city and to surrounding areas; each received 5 votes.
Activity - Vision Statement: The second activity at Workshop #2 addressed the need to craft a long-term Vision Statement. A Vision Statement is a description of what Lathrop wants to become through the implementation of the General Plan. It provides a sense of purpose and mission for the General Plan, and sets the tone for the Plan’s guiding principles to aid in the development of goals, policies and actions that will guide development in the coming years. Participants were presented with a range of sample Vision Statements from other
8 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
communities around California. Workshop participants were asked to draft a Vision Statement that best represents what they want their community to be.
Working in groups of 3-6, the following four vision statements were developed (Original Vision Statements are included in Appendix B):
• Every Lathrop resident deserves affordable housing, education, opportunity, and economic advancement. Access to affordable healthcare, nutrition and all modes of transportation.
City Staff and officials should focus on a balance of land use and development that will guarantee financial security. To provide adequate services by promoting community values, public input and small-town charm. Not compromising quality of life, safety, community, cultural or religious values.
• Lathrop is a safe and desirable place where families can raise their childeren, enjoy a close small-town charm, character and sense of community.
Promote and enhance shopping and entertainment opportunities throughout the city, provide adequate housing and mixed use developments.
• Self-sustaining community for all residents including:
Employment opportunities
Entertainment
Safety
Physical health + spiritual services
Compatible land uses throughout the city within developed districts Create buffer zones to preserve and protect the quality of life – major concern being trucking
• High Quality Community
− High quality housing standards
− High quality schools
− Transit hubs and parking
− Public safety priority – police + fire + disaster
− Public pool swim instruction / recreation
− Public internet service for all residents
− Clean water
− Food production
− Public health office
− Timeframe – schedule slide / more flexibility – prioritize statements 9 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
Activity - Placemaking in Lathrop:
The third activity of Visioning Workshop #2 expanded on the mapping exercise conducted at the first workshop and asked additional questions focused on community design and placemaking in Lathrop. Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design, and management of the spaces that comprise gathering places in a community, including streets, sidewalks, parks, buildings, and other public or private spaces. The goal is to promote interaction between people and foster healthier, more social and economically viable communities.
As part of the overview presentation, participants were presented with examples of “placemaking in action” and discussed how sociability, uses and activities, access and linkages, and comfort and image make a “great place”. Participants were asked to answer placemaking questions for Lathrop using the following prompts and materials:
• What are the key landmarks within the City? How could these areas be improved? • Where are your major activity nodes, destinations and gathering places? Where should new ones be located?
• Are there different neighborhoods/districts in Lathrop? • What are the City’s defining viewsheds?
• Where are the City’s major gateways?
Landmarks: Iconic buildings, signs, monuments, places of cultural or historic significance Activity Nodes: Key destinations: can be existing or future nodes Gateways: Key entrances into the community
Viewsheds: Views that should be preserved and protected Districts: Existing neighborhoods or areas within the community with distinct identities 10 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Using markers and graphic symbols, small groups worked together around large-format maps of the City to answer these questions. The results of this mapping activity are presented in Appendix B. In general, the groups identified the following key features as central to placemaking in Lathrop:
Landmarks
• Fireside Inn
• Cottons Church
• Lathrop Skate-park
• Manuel Valverde Park
• Lathrop Senior Center
• Mossdale Crossing
• Historic areas in central Lathrop east of I-5
Views
• San Joaquin River, and areas in the western
portion of the city with expansive
undeveloped areas
• River Islands
• Old River
• Ag lands/open space in western Lathrop and south western Lathrop • Looking west of city
• Looking south from River Islands
• Looking north from River Islands
Activity Nodes
• Parks and trails along riverfront
• Stewart Tract
• Schools, and entertainment areas
• Lathrop Skate-park
• ACE Train station
Districts
• Old town neighborhood East/Central Lathrop
• Central and East Lathrop neighborhoods between Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue • Area bound by Louise Avenue, San Joaquin River and De Lima Road in Central Lathrop Gateways
• Eastern portion of the city at East Lathrop Road
• Eastern portion of the city at Louise Avenue
• Northern portion of the city at I-5
• Eastern portion of the city at Roth Road
• Eastern portion of the city at Highway 120
• I-5 at Louise Ave
11 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Workshop #3: Circulation and Mobility - Issues, and Priorities The third and final Visioning Workshop was held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at the River Islands Welcome Center. The focus of the third workshop was on circulation and mobility in Lathrop, including how people get around (cars, walking, biking, and transit), road safety, and local conditions. The presentation included background on existing conditions, including existing traffic volumes, transit routes, congestion, bike routes, and regional conditions. This information is available as part of the presentation which is posted on the project website.
Activity – Transportation and Mobility Priorities: Working in three groups, community participants were asked to identify and rank transportation priorities within Lathrop using the following prompt:
Which transportation improvements does your group think should be the top priorities for the General Plan Update?
Priority 1 ________________________________________________________________________ Priority 2 ________________________________________________________________________ Priority 3 ________________________________________________________________________ A summary of the transportation priorities is provided below. Full results of the transportation priority exercise are provided in Appendix C.
Priority 1:
• Decreasing vehicle congestion, divert truck traffic to truck-use-only roadways. • All trucks banned on Lathrop Rd. from Harlan to the eastern boundaries of the city limits.
Safe routes to school, ADA. Improvements on Lathrop Rd. designated routes affecting residential land use.
• Lighted crosswalks at school crossings (Spartan Way).
Priority 2:
• Adding new road connections, respect property lines and have protection buffers between proprety lines and roadways.
• I-5 & Lathrop Rd. interchange must have a pedestrian caged walkover to protect children who are forced to walk from the east side to attend Lathrop High. Generation Center, skate-park and library.
• More, and wider, bike lanes, and the need for carpool lanes at schools. 12 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Priority 3:
• Transit – how will ACE impact propreties and current owners, and were/how will parking impact current homeowners?
• Lathrop Rd. re-designed to assure adequate safety measures for the residents that abut Lathrop Rd. & citizens who travel the right-of-way, and user-friendly bike routes. • Citywide bus services between schools, stores, senior center, Mossdale etc.
Activity – Transportation and Mobility Issues Mapping: As a group, workshop participants were asked to use colored stickers and markers to identify transportation issues or concerns related to the following categories:
A summary of the most common mapping themes is provided below. Full results of the mapping exercise are provided in Appendix C.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Related
• Unsafe bike and pedestrian crossings especially for routes to schools. • Lack of safe school routes that separate children from truck traffic and speeding • Lack of bike and pedestrian connectivity throughout the city, and especially in the central portions of Lathrop from Lathrop Road to Louise Avenue
13 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Automobile Related
• Unsafe cut-through traffic along Lathrop Road (especially trucks) • Speeding along Lathrop Road
• Speeding along Louise Avenue
• Speeding along Golden Valley Parkway in close proximity to schools • Median along Lathrop Road was replaced with stripe paint and is not as safe • Need to reduce speeds and add traffic calming along Lathrop Road and near schools Transit Related
• Need Rail Crossing for Rail Service so traffic won’t be effected • BART Express Extension to River Islands
• Complete Street concepts to accommodate all forms of transit Other Topics
• I-5 creating separation and lack of connectivity east/west • Need for buffer lanes, and sidewalks to increase safety and ensure a separation between homes/residents and streets/traffic
• Rail crossing along Roth Road causing congestion issues
ONLINE SURVEY
Introduction
This section provides a summary of responses and feedback from the Lathrop General Plan Update Survey facilitated online. Survey responses were collected from April 11, 2018 through August 31 of 2018 and was administered online via the General Plan Update website and the SurveyMonkey web platform. During the approximately 4-month time period that the survey was active, there were 82 responses to the eighteen primary questions related to the General Plan update. The questions involved a wide range of response formats that are synthesized in this brief report. The survey responses provide insight into the demographics and opinions of Lathrop community members concerning goals and topics related to the update of the City’s General Plan. Based on the demographic questions within the survey, the online survey attracted those Lathrop residents with larger household sizes. Respondents to the survey tended to be age 25-44 (55%), or age 45-64 (39%). The survey had less representation from single-person households (<2%), renters (<14%), and younger residents under the age of 24 (<2%) than the typical resident demographics for the City of Lathrop. This trend is to be expected given that young families, homeowners, and older generations who have a long history in Lathrop are generally more invested in the community, and are therefore likely to participate in community outreach and city improvement platforms. The General Plan team is committed to developing 14 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report and implementing strategies to improve engagement from all community residents in future community outreach endeavors. Of the participating community members, survey respondents tended to prioritize the following themes:
• Enhance and expand public services and amenities, such as public safety and parks • Improved entertainment and retail options
• Attracting high quallity jobs
• Maintaining community identity and character
• Ensure community participation
Please note that the following summaries included in this report are not exhaustive and do not include references to every comment received in the survey. Specific comments and individual responses can be accessed by looking at the complete survey results attached as Appendix D.
Online Survey Summary
Question 1: Do you live in Lathrop?
Of the respondents to the survey, 95 percent
reported living in the City of Lathrop. Less than 5
percent of respondents to the survey reported
living in areas outside of the City.
Question 2: How long have you lived in
Lathrop or the Lathrop area?
A majority (approximately 66 percent of survey
respondents) have lived in Lathrop or the Lathrop
area for over 5 years.
Question 3: Do you? (Own your home, Rent
your home, Live with friends/family)
Approximately 82 percent of survey respondents
own their home in Lathrop. Less than 14 percent
of respondents reported renting their home, under
4 percent reported living with friends or family
within the area, and less than 2 percent reported
not Living in the City of Lathrop.
15 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Question 4: Do you work in Lathrop?
Of the survey respondents, 20 percent work in the
City of Lathrop. About three-quarters of those who
work within the City of Lathrop are business owners
in the City. Almost 15 percent of respondents are
currently retired from working. Approximately 64
percent of respondents to the survey are currently
employed but work outside of Lathrop. Most of
those respondents who work outside of Lathrop
reported working in the following areas:
• Stockton - 21%
• Bay Area - 13%
• Tracy - 8%
• Livermore - 6%
• San Ramon - 6%
• Manteca - 6%
• Fremont - 6%
Question 6: How do you feel about the way
Lathrop has changed over time?
Of the survey respondents, approximately 57
percent identified feeling ‘Somewhat Satisfied’
or ‘Very Satisfied’ with the way Lathrop has
changed over time. Approximately one-third of
all respondents reported feeling ‘Somewhat
Dissatisfied’ or ‘Very Dissatisfied’ with the way
Lathrop has changed over time. The freeresponse portion of this question is included in Appendix D.
Question 5: How would you rate the quality of
life in Lathrop? (Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor)
A majority (54 percent) of respondents rated the
quality of life in the City as ‘Good’. Approximately
10 percent of all respondents chose ‘Excellent’ in
their rating for quality of life in the City.
Approximately 35 percent of survey respondents
chose ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’ as their rating for quality of
life. Prevalent themes within the free-response
portion of this question include concerns with:
crime and safety, traffic, and needing additional
retail and entertainment development.
Question 7: What would you like to see more
of in Lathrop? (Pick up to three)
Survey respondents had the ability to pick up to
three options from a list of various amenities or
opportunities that could be better incorporated
into Lathrop. The most frequently chosen
answers were: restaurants, shops,
entertainment/cultural facilities, jobs, and
walking path/ trails. The top 10 results are
included below:
• Restaurants - 67%
• Shops - 64%
• Entertainment/cultural facilities - 33%
• Jobs - 28%
• Walking paths/trails - 26%
• Variety of housing choices - 13%
• Parks/recreation - 11%
• Public Transit - 11%
• Bike lanes - 10%
• Professional offices - 7%
16 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Question 8: Please rate your level of satisfaction
on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 – very satisfied, 2 –
somewhat satisfied, 3 – mixed, 4 – somewhat
dissatisfied, 5 – very dissatisfied, N/A – No
Opinion) with the following:
Question 9: Rank the priority of the General Plan
addressing the following development-related
issues on a scale of 1 to 5. (1 - Very Important, 2
- Important, 3 - Somewhat Important, 4 - Low
Importance, and 5 - Not Important)
Lathrop as a place to
live
Lathrop as a place to
work
Lathrop as a place to
bring your out of town
friends and family to
visit
Lathrop's physical
appearance
Traffic flow in and
through the City
Maintenance of streets
Fire services
Emergency medical
services
Police services
Activities for youth
Activities for seniors
Community gatherings
and events
Availability of daily goods
and services
Existing parks and
recreation facilities
Survey respondents were given a list of 16 distinct
issues to which they could rank the level of priority
they felt the issue should have in regard to being
addressed in the General Plan. There were 5 issues
ranked as ‘Very Important’ by over 50 percent of
respondents, which included the topics of: public
safety, financial sustainability, attracting shops and
restaurants, high quallity recreational and social
programs services and facilities, and supporting the
ACE train extension. The table below includes the
full list of topic areas and the associated percentage
of participants that considered the priority as “very
important (listed In order of importance):
Table 3 General Plan Priority Ranking
Topic %
Maintain public safety services 84%
Maintain the City's financial sustainability 67%
Attract shops and restaurants 59%
Maintain a high level of quality
recreation, leisure, and social programs
and facilities
54%
Support the success of the Altamont
Corridor Express (ACE) extension
52%
Retain the community's small-town
character
48%
Preserve and protect historical
structures, facilities and other locations
48%
Improve existing
housing/neighborhoods
46%
Preserve scenic views 46%
Economic growth/job creation 44%
Make walking/biking around the
community easier
41%
Improve the overall road system 40%
Make local efforts to address climate
change
34%
Increase amount of parks/open space
facilities
26%
Locate new housing with convenient
access to public transportation
20%
Expand housing choices 13%
Question 8 allowed respondents to rank their
satisfaction with each of the 14 topic areas provided.
The topic areas where a majority of the respondents
used favorable descriptors- ‘Somewhat Satisfied’ or
‘Very Satisfied’ include:
• Lathrop as a place to live
• Fire services
• Emergency medical services
• Existing parks and recreation facilities
Topic areas where a majority of the respondents
used unfavorable descriptors- ‘Mixed’, ‘Somewhat
Dissatisfied’, or ‘Very Dissatisfied’- include:
• Lathrop as a place to work
• Lathrop as a place to bring your out of town
friends and family to visit
• Lathrop's physical appearance
• Activities for youth
• Activities for seniors
• Community gatherings and events
• Availability of daily goods and services
Topic areas where the unfavorable and favorable
descriptors were roughly equal include:
• Police services
• Maintenance of streets
• Traffic flow in and through the City
17 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Question 10: What types of jobs or industries
should Lathrop try to attract? (Pick up to three)
Participants in the survey had the option to choose
up to three specific industry/job areas to select as
job types that the City of Lathrop should attempt to
attract. The preferred job identified by participants
in descending order were:
• Retail and sales - 60%
• Hi-tech jobs - biotech, computers, etc. - 52%
• Medical - 35%
• “Green" industries - 35%
• Professional - accountants, lawyers, etc. - 23%
• Service industries and trades - 23%
• Agriculture-related support industries - 22%
• Energy production - 10%
Question 12: How easy is it to move in and
around Lathrop using: car, bike, walk, or bus?
Survey respondents were given the option of
rating the usability of four different modes of
transportation (Car, Bike, Walk, or Bus) as either
‘Easy’, ‘Acceptable’, or ‘Difficult’. The bar graph
below depicts the results of Question 12.
Question 11: Are there enough parks and
recreation facilities in Lathrop?
A majority (45 percent) of respondents identified
that Lathrop has enough parks and recreational
facilities. Approximately 40 percent of respondents
identified a need for more community and regional
parks, while 15 percent identified needing more
sports fields.
18 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Question 13: From the following list of goals, please rank the THREE most important issues in order from highest priority (1) to lowest (3).
• Preserve and improve the physical
condition of the community
• Improve the fiscal viability of the City
• Enhance and expand public services and
amenities, such as public safety and parks
• Conserve natural resources through
protecting water supply, wildlife habitat,
and open space
• Attract and retain quality jobs in a variety
of industries
• Expand types of housing and range of
affordability of housing
• Strengthen coordination and partnerships
with local agencies and neighboring
jurisdictions
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle
connections and make it easier to get
around the City without a car
• Strengthen coordination and partnerships
with residents and local organizations
• Expand recreation programs, including for
youths and seniors
Respondents Top 3 Goals were prioritized as follows:
Top 3 First Priorities
• Enhance and expand public services and amenities, such as public safety and parks • Preserve and improve the physical condition of the community • Attract and retain quality jobs in a variety of industries Top 3 Second Priorities
• Improve the fiscal viability of the City
• Expand recreation programs, including for youths and seniors • Preserve and improve the physical condition of the community Top 3 Third Priorities
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle connections and make it easier to get around the City without a car
• Expand types of housing and range of affordability of housing • Strengthen coordination and partnerships with local agencies and neighboring jurisdictions Question 14: Thinking about the future of Lathrop, what three words or phrases best describe how you would like to see the community in 2040? Below are the most common words used by participants. Complete survey results are included in Appendix D. 19 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report Question 15: Your age group is:
The most common age group for respondents
was those within the ages of 25 and 44, which
made up 55 percent of all survey-takers. A large
majority—approximately 98 percent—of
community members who participated in the
survey were 25 or over. The lowest demographics
for survey takers were community members under
the age of 24. The graph below shows the
distribution of ages of survey participants.
Question 16: How many people live in your
household?
A majority of survey participants have between 2
and 4 people living in their household. Based on
this data, and data from Question 15 related to
age demographics, it is likely that a large
percentage of survey participants are parents or
adults living in family households. The bar chart
below shows a detailed layout of household size
for survey respondents.
Question 17: Is there anything else you
would like to share with the City
regarding its General Plan Update?
Question 17 provided respondents the
opportunity to elaborate on their responses
to previous survey questions and share their
broader concerns with the City. Responses
to Question 17 were highly variable. To see
responses to Question 17 and to explore
specific community member opinions on
the General Plan Update, please see the
attached raw survey data contained in
Appendix D.
Question 18: If you would like to receive
notifications for upcoming General Plan
Update events or be notified when draft
documents are available for your review,
please provide your email address.
Question 18 provided respondents the
opportunity to share their email address to be
included on the General Plan Updates noticing list.
The responses for the question will be used by the
city to keep the interested individuals informed of
upcoming events and reports, but results have
been excluded from this document and
Appendix D to ensure survey respondent’s
privacy.
20 | Page Lathrop General Plan Update - Workshop Report
NEXT STEPS
The goal of the Visioning Workshops and online survey was to start a conversation with the Lathrop community regarding their vision for the City and how the General Plan should address key issues, opportunities, and challenges that are most important to Lathrop. Using this feedback, a vision statement, and core values will be defined and included in a vision report, which will be available on the project website concurrently with this community outreach summary report. Additionally, City Staff, the consultant team, and the City’s General Plan Technical Steering/Advisory Committee will continue to use this information as well as other future milestone reports to evaluate priorities and develop goals, policies, and actions that best reflect the community’s vision for the future.
For information on how to stay involved, and view project documents, please visit:
www.Lathrop.GeneralPlan.org or contact the City of Lathrop:
Mark Meissner
Community Development Director
Community Development Department, Planning Division
City of Lathrop
390 Towne Centre Drive
Lathrop, CA 95330
Office: 209-941-7266
[email protected]