Land Use and Infrastructure
Goal LUI-1: Support a balanced, diverse, and equitable land use pattern that provides a wide range of jobs, housing, recreation, and services.
Policy LUI-1.1: Actively encourage mixed-use
designations and development to increase
sustainability and capacity for housing,
business, services, and alternative modes of
transportation.
Action LUI-1.1.1: Update the zoning code to
include more mixed use districts based on
Place Type designation and emphasize form
over use in these districts.
Action LUI-1.1.2: Facilitate high-quality multi-
family residential development throughout
the city at a variety of densities (accessory
dwellings, missing middle, midrise etc.) to
increase opportunities for attainable and
affordable housing.
Action LUI-1.1.3: Establish and maintain the
Central City as the business, government,
dining, lodging, cultural, and entertainment
center of Salinas. Maintain a compact Central
city core that minimizes distances between
most residential units, offices, stores, and
restaurants.
Action LUI-1.1.4: Group neighborhood
shopping centers, schools, civic and
recreational uses, parks, and public transit
opportunities together to create an activity
center focal point for the neighborhoods they
serve.
Action LUI-1.1.5: Align future land uses with
Economic Opportunity and Target Areas
through appropriate Place Types.
Policy LUI-1.2: Promote and prioritize
redevelopment and revitalization of infill
opportunities to ensure the efficient use of
land and existing infrastructure and services
(e.g., roads, transit, water, sewer, schools,
etc.).
Action LUI-1.2.1: Use the Place Types and
zoning reform to encourage Transit-Oriented
Development (TOD) near major corridors and
destinations.
Action LUI-1.2.2: Evaluate ways to reduce
development costs and/or provide equitable
incentives to encourage development within
existing neighborhoods on underutilized or
disinvested properties, while protecting
against displacement of existing businesses
and residents.
Action LUI-1.2.3: Utilize well-designed infill
development and increase density along
major corridors and Economic Opportunity
Areas.
Policy LUI-1.3: Coordinate public and private
investment along disinvested commercial
corridors and incentivize retrofitting
neighborhood shopping centers.
Action LUI-1.3.1: Identify feasible
underutilized commercial centers and
corridors, designate as an appropriate mixed-
use Place Type, and align Zoning Code with
new designation.
Action LUI-1.3.2: Embrace short-term actions
to populate storefront vacancies and vacant
parcels.
Action LUI-1.3.3: Encourage green retrofits of
parking lots for environmental benefits.
Policy LUI-1.4: Maintain a compact urban
form, locating growth areas in a manner that
mitigates negative impacts of future growth
on environmental quality and quality of life
and minimizes loss of important agricultural
resources, while allowing for the reasonable
expansion of the City to address projected
population growth.
Action LUI-1.4.1: Apply a system of managing
growth based on the timely provision of
public services and facilities and general
thresholds or standards for their adequacy.
Action LUI-1.4.2: Promote vertical urban
expansion in the city core and other
appropriate areas.
Action LUI-1.4.3: Direct most urban expansion
to the North and East, away from the most
productive agricultural land. Encourage
industrial development to locate within the
approved Salinas Ag-Industrial Center Specific
Plan area.
Action LUI-1.4.4: Encourage clustering of
development on sites within the Future
Growth Area to minimize impacts on
agricultural and open space resources.
Action LUI-1.4.5: Lead development of an East
Area Specific Plan.
Action LUI-1.4.6: Continue to require specific
plans prior to development of future growth
areas currently annexed or annexed following
adoption of this plan.
Action LUI-1.4.7: Do not pursue growth into
Economic Reserve Areas until full buildout of
Future Growth/Target Areas. As this buildout
occurs re-evaluate Economic Reserve Area
land use to best meet needs of the
community.
Policy LUI-1.5: Coordinate with local school
districts and other educational organizations.
Action LUI-1.5.1: Work in partnership with
local school districts and assist them in
identifying land needed for new school sites
so that sufficient facilities are provided for
students.
Action LUI-1.5.2: Consider impacts of
proposed projects on school enrollment and
facilities service standards.
Action LUI-1.5.3: Work with Monterey Salinas
Transit to provide transit routes to serve
education institutions.
Policy LUI-1.6: Promote economic
development through focused land use
planning and infrastructure improvements,
and targeted resource expansion.
Action LUI-1.6.1: Use Place Types to reinforce
the strengths of each Economic Opportunity
Area.
Action LUI-1.6.2: Create specific plans or
similar for future development in the Alisal
Marketplace and Carr Lake area.
Action LUI-1.6.3: Complete the
Ferrasci/Target Area K Specific Plan and
implement by incorporating land into the city.
Action LUI-1.6.4: Selectively increase the
supply of land outside of existing City limits
for economic and housing development by
expanding Sphere of Influence to include
Target Areas and exploring future annexation.
Action LUI-1.6.5: Use the Place Types to
increase flexibility in the zoning code to
accommodate innovative economic
development activity.
Action LUI-1.6.6: When updating the zoning
code to implement the Place Types, create a
more flexible non-conforming use policy to
protect existing businesses in areas
transitioning from light-industrial/commercial
to a form of mixed use.
Action LUI 1.6.7: Implement land use and
infrastructure recommendations from recent
community plans (AVP, CRP, DVP, etc.)
Goal LUI-2: Ensure that above- and below-ground infrastructure meets the existing and future community needs.
Policy LUI-2.1: Maintain, improve, and expand
flood, wastewater, and sewer systems to
meet current and anticipated demands.
Action LUI-2.1.1: Actively coordinate and
work with Monterey County Water Resources
Agency (MCWRA) to provide and maintain
necessary flood control facilities and services
to meet the needs of the community.
Continue to work with the MCWRA to
construct Zone 9 Reclamation Ditch
improvements to address flood storage and
discharge issues.
Action LUI-2.1.2: Provide a sewer system that
meets the needs of the community for sewer
collection and treatment and work with
Monterey One Water (M1W) for sewer
treatment needs. Coordinate with M1W for
additional treatment capacity of expanded
sewage disposal needs.
Action LUI-2.1.3: Ensure existing wastewater,
industrial wastewater, and storm drainage
infrastructure systems, including broad
municipal level wastewater and stormwater
solutions for water reuse are maintained and
upgraded to accommodate existing and
future businesses and development.
Action LUI-2.1.4: Continue to work with both
MCWRA and M1W to recycle industrial
wastewater for regional reuse which will in
turn aid in the expansion of the Industrial
Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Action LUI-2.1.5: Review development
proposals to ensure that adequate sewer and
water treatment and recycling facilities,
conveyance systems, and capacity are
available to meet the needs of the
development without negatively impacting
the existing community.
Action LUI-2.1.6: Require new development,
to the extent feasible, to provide flood control
facilities that are visually attractive and
ecologically beneficial, and require on-going
maintenance of the facilities by the
development through a maintenance district.
Apply appropriate development standards
and fees to improve present drainage systems
and provide adequate stormwater detention
basins and sedimentation ponds with new
construction.
Action LUI-2.1.7: Increase pervious surfaces
and encourage sustainable and resilient green
infrastructure such as drought tolerant/native
plantings, bioswales, grey water reuse, etc.
Policy LUI-2.2: Ensure adequate funding for
infrastructure projects through both public
and private sources.
Action LUI-2.2.1: Develop an infrastructure
funding toolkit which describes infrastructure
funding options and mechanisms available to
the City and for partnerships with the private
sector.
Action LUI-2.2.2: Incorporate priority
infrastructure projects into the Capital
Improvement Plan to ensure they are
programmed for funding and implementation
in an appropriate timeframe to meet priority
community objectives.
Action LUI-2.2.3: Work with local and regional
agencies to identify new and expanded
infrastructure requirements and costs to
ensure adequate service capacity to meet the
demands of new development within the
Sphere of Influence.
Action LUI-2.2.4: Pursue public-private
partnerships to increase access to and
potentially fund energy, water, resource
recycling and reuse, dark fiber
communications, green infrastructure, and
other infrastructure capacity.
Goal LUI-3: Support the development and continued evolution of the Salinas Municipal Airport.
Policy LUI-3.1: Encourage development of the
airport in accordance with the Salinas
Municipal Airport Master Plan.
Action LUI-3.1.1: Plan for future airport
operations, considering possible expansion of
airport operations, services, the potential of
Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (EVTOL)
vehicles, and the proximity of adjacent land
uses.
Action LUI-3.1.2: Encourage development in
the vicinity of the Salinas Municipal Airport
that would not cause land use conflicts,
hazards to aviation, or hazards to the public
and that is in compliance with the California
Airport Land Use Planning Handbook.
Action LUI-3.1.3: Support new compatible or
aviation-related businesses at the Salinas
Municipal Airport and surrounding
commercial areas, including retaining airport
property with direct runway access for uses
directly related to aviation.
Policy LUI-3.2: Within the designated airport
operations area (area within the Airport
proper, which typically includes the aircraft
movement areas), safety shall be the first
consideration and priority shall be given to
construction projects that make this area safe
for aircraft operations.
Action LUI-3.2.1: Maintain open space
adjoining Salinas Municipal Airport in
accordance with the State of California
Airport Land Use Planning Handbook to
ensure safety for the present runway
configurations and for possible future
expansions.
Action LUI-3.2.2: Review development
proposals within areas affected by the
operation of the airport to ensure airport and
land use compatibility, protect the public
safety, and allow for continued aviation
operations. This includes minimizing
residential population increases within the 55
decibel CNEL contour.
Action LUI-3.2.3: Require dedication of an
avigation easement as a condition of
development approval of projects within the
Airport Local Area of Influence. Said avigation
easement shall include special provisions for
properties within the 1-mile clear zone
required for the California International
Airshow.