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CITY OF SAN MATEO
RESOLUTION NO. (2024)
ADOPT A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO REPEAL SAN MATEO GENERAL PLAN 2030 AND ADOPT STRIVE SAN MATEO GENERAL PLAN 2040 AND
ADOPT A TECHNICAL UPDATE TO SAN MATEO’S 2020 CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WHEREAS, the City of San Mateo (City) General Plan 2030, consisting of various state-mandated elements that requires revision and updating to ensure compliance with current State law and regulations, was last comprehensively updated in 2010, with City Council adoption of Resolution No. 134-2010 on October 18, 2010; and
WHEREAS, the City, by and through its City Council, Planning Commission, General Plan Subcommittee, and General Plan Technical Advisory Committee, through extensive community and stakeholder engagement and input, prepared Strive San Mateo General Plan 2040 (General Plan 2040 or “Project”) as a comprehensive revision to, and update of General Plan 2030; and
WHEREAS, the City has conducted extensive community outreach over the last five and a half years, including more than 80 events, including workshops, staff presentations, and pop-up events, seven online activities, 13 General Plan Subcommittee meetings, seven Planning Commission meetings, and 16 City Council meetings from 2018 through 2023; and
WHEREAS, General Plan 2040 was prepared pursuant to Government Code Section 65350 et seq., and is intended to replace the General Plan 2030, which will be repealed in its entirety, excepting and incorporating Housing Element 2023-2031 that was most recently adopted by the City Council on January 24, 2023; and WHEREAS, General Plan 2040 consists of the eight elements mandated by State law in Government Code Section 65302 (Land Use; Circulation; Housing; Conservation; Noise; Environmental Justice, Safety, and Open Space), and two additional non-mandatory elements included pursuant to Government Code Section 65303 (Public Services and Facilities Element; and Community Design and Historic Resources Element); and WHEREAS, Housing Element 2023-2031, adopted in 2023, is incorporated into General Plan 2040, although it has not yet achieved certification by the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development ("HCD"), and once Housing Element 2023-2031 is certified by the state, it will replace the current 2023-2031 Housing Element and will be incorporated into General Plan 2040; and WHEREAS, the City has voter-approved height, density, and intensity limits under Measure Y, which was approved on November 3, 2020, and General Plan 2040 incorporates these limits by reference; in case of any inconsistency or conflict between Measure Y and General Plan 2040, Measure Y shall control as long as it is in effect; and
WHEREAS, the Safety Element in General Plan 2040 incorporates by reference the current San Mateo County Multijurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and City of San Mateo Annex, approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2021, as required by Assembly Bill 2140 to increase opportunities for financial assistance under the California Disaster Assistance Act; and WHEREAS, as provided in Government Code Sections 65352 – 65352.5, on April 22, 2022, the City mailed a public notice to all California Native American tribes on the contact list provided by the Native American Heritage Commission and other entities listed; and
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WHEREAS, no California Native American tribe requested consultation; and WHEREAS, a Technical Update to the City’s 2020 Climate Action Plan was prepared to ensure consistency with General Plan 2040 and to align with new State laws and best practices, including Assembly Bill (AB) 1279; and
WHEREAS, on August 9, 2023, the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission reviewed the Climate Action Plan Technical Update and recommended approval to the City Council; and WHEREAS, on January 12, 2022, a Notice of Preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report ("Draft EIR") was issued in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code [PRC] Section 21000 et seq.) ("CEQA"), and the State CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations [CCR] Section 15000 et seq.); and
WHEREAS, On January 25, 2022, a scoping meeting was held to solicit public comment on the environmental issues to be addressed in the Draft EIR; and WHEREAS, the City, as lead agency, prepared the Draft EIR, including technical appendices thereto, for General Plan 2040 and the Climate Action Plan Technical Update as prescribed by CEQA, and the CEQA Guidelines, and such Draft EIR was prepared in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15166(b), forwarded to the State Clearinghouse (SCH) and was assigned SCH No. 2022010160; and WHEREAS, a Notice of Availability was issued for the circulation of the Draft EIR on August 11, 2023 and the Draft EIR was available for public review and comment for 45 days, between August 11, 2023 to September 25, 2023; and
WHEREAS, the City received several comments relating to the project’s Draft EIR and has evaluated and responded to the comments received on the Draft EIR; and WHEREAS, the City has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Report ("Final EIR"), which incorporates the Draft EIR, contains the City's responses to written comments received on the Draft EIR, and identifies revisions to the Draft EIR; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Code of Regulations ("CEQA Guidelines"), Title 14, Section 15090, the lead agency's decision-making bodies shall review the Final EIR and certify that the Final EIR was prepared in compliance with CEQA; and
WHEREAS, on January 30, 2024, in accordance with Government Code Section 65354, CEQA Guidelines Section 15202(b) and San Mateo Municipal Code Section 27.06.040(b), the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing and recommended that the City Council certify the Final EIR with findings and a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and adopt General Plan 2040; and WHEREAS, notice of the City Council public hearing on the matter of General Plan 2040 and the Final EIR was provided in accordance with applicable law.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY FINDS AND RESOLVES that:
1. A Final EIR has been prepared for General Plan 2040. The Final EIR identified significant impacts that could not be fully mitigated, therefore, a Statement of Overriding Considerations is included as part of a separate resolution certifying the Final EIR.
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2. The City Council has read and considered the Strive San Mateo 2040 General Plan and all of the documentation comprising the foregoing, as presented to the City Council concurrent with this Resolution, and finds that General Plan 2040, which is incorporated herein and made apart hereof as though fully set forth, is consistent with the requirements of State law, specifically Government Code Section 65300 et seq.
3. The City Council hereby repeals San Mateo General Plan 2030 in its entirety and hereby approves the Strive San Mateo 2040 General Plan in its entirety. General Plan 2040 shall henceforth constitute the General Plan of the City of San Mateo, subject to such amendments as may occur in the future pursuant to the requirements and procedures of applicable law relating to the amendment of general plans.
4. The City Council has read and considered the Climate Action Plan Technical Update and all of the documentation comprising the foregoing, as presented to the City Council concurrent with this Resolution, and finds that the Climate Action Plan Technical Update, which is incorporated herein and made apart hereof as though fully set forth, is consistent with the requirements of State law, including Assembly Bill (AB) 1279, which codified the State’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2045.
5. The City Council hereby approves the Climate Action Plan Technical Update in its entirety and incorporates it into San Mateo’s 2020 Climate Action Plan.
6. The Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing and voted to recommend that the City Council adopt Strive San Mateo General Plan 2040 based on the entire record before it. Planning Commission Resolution No. 2 (2024) memorializing their action is incorporated by reference.
7. Pursuant to the requirements of State law, within one working day of the date of adoption of this Resolution, the City Clerk shall make available at City Hall for public review a copy of the Strive San Mateo 2040 General Plan and Final EIR.
8. This resolution will take effect 30 days from the date of adoption.
9. New projects submitted for review and approval by the City on or after the effective date of this resolution shall be subject to the goals, policies, and actions within Strive San Mateo General Plan 2040.