Guiding
Principles
Winter 2019
An Inclusive, Diverse
and Welcoming City
where all Persons
can Thrive
Introduction
“Visión Salinas” was initiated in 2017 to coordinate the public outreach and planning efforts in Salinas, and to guide the future update of the City’s General Plan in 2019. It is also the backbone behind many Salinas community engagement efforts, and will be the brand of the upcoming General Plan Update.
Key Objectives:
1. Planning
• Ensure a cohesive and unified
General Plan Update
• Development of Draft Guiding
Principles to guide the City’s
upcoming General Plan Update
2. Community Engagement
• Ensure a 100 percent bilingual
outreach process
• Increase resident engagement,
participation and ownership of the
planning process
3. Capacity Building
• Build capacity of residents in
working with the City to shape
policy and planning processes
4. Coordination
• Branding and name recognition for
the various planning processes in
Salinas
• Coordination between the various
planning processes underway in
Salinas (Related plans: the Carr Lake
Park Plan; the new Police Services
Headquarters, the New El Gabilan
Library)
The General Plan is the blue
print for development in a
City. Its a comprehensive long
range planning document
that outlines how Salinas will
grow, adapt to the changing
economy, conserve open
space, develop housing, and
a plethora of other important
factors that will face the City in
WHAT IS A GENERAL PLAN?
State Mandated General
Plan Elements
Land Use*
Circulation*
Housing*
Conservation*
Open Space*
Noise*
Safety*
Environmental Justice
Air Quality*
Other Optional
Elements
Health
Economic Development*
Community Design*
Equity
Water
Climate Change
Resiliency
*current General Plan
elements
2 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Developing Visión Salinas
Guiding Principles
An important accomplishment in the Visión Salinas process thus far was the development of an Overarching Core Value and Guiding Principles. The Overarching Core Value for Salinas is meant to speak to the values of inclusivity, diversity, and civic engagement that Salinas takes pride in – it is a general value statement that is woven into each Guiding Principle. The Guiding Principles are topic based principles that will guide each policy and action item in the General Plan.
The development of the Guiding Principles started with
reviewing public feedback and comment from a wide variety of critical planning programs and efforts citywide (see insert).
From this feedback, the Guiding Principles were drafted and circulated among staff and stakeholder groups and were released to the community in May of 2018. Between May and August of 2018, the community vetted and contributed to the conversation of the Guiding Principles.
The input from the planning
processes below helped develop the
the content of the Guiding Principles
• Economic Development Element
(EDE – 2014)
• Housing Element Update (2015)
• Downtown Vibrancy Plan (2015)
• Alisal Vibrancy Plan (Ongoing)
• Chinatown Revitalization Plan
(Ongoing)
• Parks, Rec, and Libraries Master
Plan (Ongoing)
PLANNING INPUT
Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 3
People joined
4 “Train the Trainer”
facilitation trainings
for Parks Master Plan Steering
Committee, Alisal Vibrancy Plan
Steering Committee, and City Staff
120
People invited to
participate in popup
events and the
Guiding Principles
Community Survey
1,164
People brought
to the table at 15
popup events and 4
stakeholder meetings
977
People engaged
500+
Bilingual process
100%
People completed the
Guiding Principles
community survey
176
Followers on Instagram
and growing
1,200
Visión Salinas in Action
Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Overarching core value:
An Inclusive, Diverse and Welcoming City where all Persons can Thrive Salinas believes that an inclusive, diverse and welcoming environment is essential to developing and sustaining a livable City, which is working as a community to ensure that all members have equitable access to opportunities to advance their well-being regardless of their circumstances.
The City’s decisions, policies and practices are rooted in the principles of social equity and sustainability so that the fundamental needs of all people are met regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, age, religion or beliefs, income or where they live, language, marital status, gender identity or sexual orientation, place of birth, citizenship status, health or disability.
This Overarching Core Value is embedded in each of the following Guiding Principles.
Livable and Sustainable Community
Collaborative, Inclusive and Engaged
Decision-Making
A Community to Celebrate
Connectivity, Access and Mobility
Housing Opportunities for All
Economic Prosperity, Equity and
Diversity
Healthy and Safe Community
Youth are the Future
6 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Economic Prosperity,
Equity, and Diversity
A City where all persons have equitable access to
prosperity through a diversified economy, jobs and
educational/training opportunities
• Attract emerging industries and
support entrepreneurship, innovation
and creativity, while continuing to
promote Salinas as the premier center
for agricultural productivity and
AgTech.
• Promote the image of the City as a
desirable, safe, and vital location for
businesses to locate and people to live,
work, and visit.
• Embrace underserved populations and
provide them the resources to succeed
into different sectors of the economy.
• Foster small business development
and ensure that existing businesses
gain access to the capital, resources
and services that they need to succeed,
expand and stay in the City.
• Create a workforce prepared for the
future by providing educational and
training pathways in specific industries
to increase job opportunities and
earning power.
Nursing students graduate from Hartnell College in Salinas Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 7
• Facilitate the development of a
variety of innovative housing types
throughout the City that meet the
diverse needs and income levels of the
community, are energy efficient and
promote healthy living.
• Ensure that affordable housing options
exist for underserved populations such
as seniors, the homeless, disabled
persons and farmworkers.
• Remove unfair or inappropriate
barriers to housing and minimize
housing displacement.
• Ensure existing housing and
neighborhoods are well-maintained to
improve safety, reduce overcrowding,
encourage social interaction and
bolster community pride.
• Promote higher density mixed-
use residential and transit-
oriented development near public
transportation, bike facilities and along
major corridors.
Housing Opportunities
for All
A City with a diversity of housing types and
affordability levels for its residents
El Tresor Apartments in Northeast Salinas provide affordable multi-family units 8 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Healthy and Safe
Community
A City which strives to protect and improve the
personal safety, health and welfare of the people who
live, work, and visit
• Build a trusting dialogue between the
community and public safety to reduce
violence and ensure people feel safe
going about their daily activities.
• Address the root causes of violence
through investment in strategies that
support safe neighborhoods, youth,
and families.
• Emphasize crime prevention through
the design of the built environment.
• Partner with health providers and
organizations to improve the mental
and physical health of the community,
reduce health inequities, and provide
access to health care.
• Promote equitable access to healthy
food, parks, recreation and other
desired amenities to encourage
healthier lifestyle choices.
• Ensure the protection and sustainable
use of the City’s air, water, land, and
natural resources.
• Cultivate the preparedness of our
most vulnerable population, improve
the resiliency of the City’s hard
infrastructure, and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to ensure a better
response to climate change and natural
disasters.
Ciclovía is an entirely youth-led event in East Salinas that allows families to bike, walk, and scoot down Alisal Street Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 9
Youth are
the Future
A City where youth flourish and have equitable
access to education, recreation and a healthy urban
environment
• Develop innovative and culturally
relevant collaborations to end
childhood poverty, improve literacy
and prevent youth violence.
• Ensure all youth have access to quality
preschools, schools, afterschool
programs, libraries and recreational
opportunities.
• Support educational and training
pathways and opportunities for all
youth so they can gain skills that will
help them improve their well-being,
upward mobility, secure employment
and allow them to remain in the
community.
• Foster access to family support services
to help parents, families and caregivers
fulfill their roles and provide a safe,
caring and healthy atmosphere where
youth can thrive and achieve their full
potential.
Children racing their “horsies” at the California Rodeo, Salinas 10 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
• Ensure City policies promote racial
equity, align with the Overarching
Core Value, Guiding Principle and the
General Plan.
• Encourage and engage all people
(especially youth) to have an active role
in driving City decisions, policies and
practices.
• Form community partnerships in the
City that foster transparency, effective
communication, and lead to tangible
outcomes.
• Catalyze and invest in community
problem solving and neighborhood
improvement efforts by building
the capacity of, residents, partners
and community groups to create
change, bolster community pride,
and maximize the impact of limited
resources.
Collaborative, Inclusive
and Engaged
Decision-Making
A transparent and responsive City Government driven by
the voices of a participatory community
Community members participate in an Alisal Vibrancy Plan Popup event at Ciclovía, 2018 Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 11
• Promote livability by focusing on
sustainable land use planning,
targeted circulation and infrastructure
improvements that provide equitable
access and the efficient use of
resources.
• Encourage vibrant and active
community gathering spaces such
as libraries, community facilities,
performance venues, open spaces,
parks, and plazas.
• Ensure the City’s infrastructure is well-
maintained, has sufficient capacity, is
accessible for disabled persons, and is
adaptable to emerging development
patterns, changing land uses,
technological advances and lifestyles.
• Work cooperatively with the community
members and others to maintain
properties, promote volunteerism,
ensure effective code enforcement,
preserve natural and architectural
assets, revitalize disinvested commercial
and residential corridors and promote
greening and beautification of the City.
Livable and Sustainable
Community
A well-planned City with a thriving community core
and commercial corridors, excellent infrastructure
(streets, sewers, parks, trees and open spaces, libraries, and community facilities, etc.) that meet the unique
and changing needs of the community
A man and woman walk their dogs at the Rossi-Rico Greenway in Central Salinas 12 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Connectivity, Access
and Mobility
An active City with a well-connected, eco-friendly
network of multi-modal streets, bikeways, greenways
and trails, and effective public transportation options • Facilitate community interaction
by removing physical barriers and
improving connectivity.
• Create a modern, safe, sustainable and
connected transportation network that
provides a variety of mobility choices
for all.
• Improve access and connect
pedestrian and bicycle linkages and
public transit from all neighborhoods
to schools, parks, open space, shopping
and services, employment centers,
downtown and other community core
areas to promote connectivity.
• Emphasize walking, biking, and
public transit when considering new
development or revitalizing existing
neighborhoods.
Community members board a free Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) bus on New Years Day, 2019 Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 13
A Community to
Celebrate
A City that celebrates, promotes, preserves and
honors the diversity, history, art, and culture of
its community
• Promote the rich diversity and culture
in Salinas through art, music, festivals,
parades and other community events.
• Celebrate the City’s history, the
architecture of its buildings, the diverse
cultures of its people, and its rich
immigrant history.
• Foster a sense of place by encouraging
community driven transformation,
initiating themed districts, and by
building upon existing neighborhood
identity.
Spectators watch the Lion Dance at the 2017 Salinas Asian Festival in Chinatown 14 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Neighborhood
Vibrancy/Urban
Grenning Plan
2017
Visión Salinas 5 Year Process
Visión Salinas
Launches
2017
Economic. Devevelopment
Element
2014
Housing Element
2014-2015
Downtown
Vibrancy Plan
2015
2014 2015 2016 2017
Four Facilitation Trainings
2017
Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 15
General Plan Update
Begins
2019
Visión Salinas Guiding
Principles Developed 2018-2019
Alisal Vibrancy Plan 2019
Adopt Chinatown Revitalization Plan 2019
Adopt Parks, Rec & Libraries
Master Plan 2019
Request for
Proposals
Spring 2019
Planning Team
Selection
Fall 2019
General Plan Outreach
Approach Formulated
Spring 2019
General Plan
Community
Engagement
Begins
2020
2017 2018 2019 2020
16 ■ Visión Salinas Guiding Principles
Visión Salinas in the Community
Visión Salinas Guiding Principles ■ 17