City Council Chamber
Merced Civic Center
2nd Floor
678 W. 18th Street
Merced, CA 95340
CITY OF MERCED
Minutes
City Council/Public Finance and
Economic Development Authority/
Parking Authority/Successor Agency
to the Redevelopment Agency
6:00 PMWednesday, June 25, 2025
A. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor SERRATTO called the Special Meeting to order at 6:03 PM.
A.1. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Planning Chair Anthony GONZALEZ led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
B. ROLL CALL
Planning Commissioners:
Present: Commissioner Emanuelle OCHOA, Commissioner Conchita SWIGGART, Commissioner Jose DELGADILLO, Vice Chair Jeremiah GREGGAINS, and Chair Anthony GONZALEZ.
Absent: Commissioner Walter SMITH and Commissioner Yang THAO Mayor Matthew Serratto, Mayor Pro Tempore Sarah Boyle, Council Member Darin Dupont, Council Member Ronnie DeAnda, Council Member Michael Harris, and Council Member Shane Smith
Present: 6 -
Council Member Fue XiongAbsent: 1 -
C. OPENING COMMENTS
C.1. Opening Comments by Mayor Matt Serratto and Planning Commission Chair Anthony Gonzalez Mayor SERRATTO and Chair Anthony GONZALEZ thanked City staff for their work on this process and welcomed everyone for attending.
D. STUDY SESSION
D.1. SUBJECT: Joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session Kicking Off the Comprehensive General Plan Update and the Merced Downtown Station Area Plan
REPORT IN BRIEF
June 25, 2025City Council/Public Finance and
Economic Development
Authority/Parking Authority
Minutes
Presentation by consultants from Mintier Harnish to kick off the Comprehensive General Plan Update and the Merced Downtown Station Area Plan.
RECOMMENDATION
Information Only.
Acting Planning Manager Jonnie LAN, Management Analyst Leah BROWN, Consultant Brent GIBBONS, Consultant Michael GIBBONS, and Consultant Jim HARNISH gave a slideshow presentation on the role of Mintier and Harnish, the General Plan Amendment (GPA) Update, and the Downtown Station Area Plan Joint Study Session.
Council, Planning Commissioners, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. HARNISH, Mr.
GIBBONS, and Mrs. LAN discussed the grant due date from the High Speed Rail, the General Plan Amendment's role with existing plans in South Merced, the county or sphere of influence's affect on the GPA, future potential annexations, details of the High Speed Rail, the Downtown Station investment, and creating check-ins with the City Council and the Planning Commission. They also discussed details of the Vision and Goals, collaborating with Merced College, public engagement, details of social media posts, including Hmong translation, potentially redesigning the logo, collaborating with different cities, details of the engagement workshops, details of the appointment process for the Citizens Advisory Focus Group, and updating City Council.
Andrea URIBE, Leadership Counsel, Merced - asked for clarification on the chapters being updated in the General Plan, the plans that will be used, documents regarding the High Speed Rail project, and spoke on the environmental injustice.
Colton DENNIS, Merced - spoke on including arts and culture in the General Plan Amendment project.
Robert DYLINA, Merced - spoke on the previous General Plan Amendment that he participated in, receiving feedback from the public, and the annexations to the city.
Mayor SERRATTO and City Manager Scott MCBRIDE discussed details of the presentation given regarding the South Merced Study, details of the Senate Bill 244 Analysis, and details of the High Speed Rail Request for Proposal that was published.
E. ADJOURNMENT
June 25, 2025City Council/Public Finance and
Economic Development
Authority/Parking Authority
Minutes
Clerk's Note: The Special Meeting was adjourned at 7:36 PM.
Clerk's Note: There was no formal motion taken, Council and Planning Commissioners all voted in favor to adjourn the Special Meeting.