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Garden Grove General Plan Update Newsletter
Summer 2006
Garden Grove is Updating the General Plan The City of Garden Grove has begun the process of updating its General Plan, an important document that guides growth and development. The last comprehensive update to the General Plan took place in 1995. An update is needed to better address current issues and to reflect the values and visions of the community, so the City can be prepared for the next 20 years. The process is expected to take 18 months and there will be several opportunities for community members to participate. “In effect,” says Mayor Bill Dalton, “this is the City’s ‘Constitution,’ and we want our residents to be involved.” To learn more, visit www.gardengrovefuture.info and click on “General Plan.” Community Participation Begins On May 16, more than 85 people who live or work in Garden Grove came to the Village Green Courtyard Center to participate in the first community workshop for the Garden Grove General Plan Update. The workshop ran from 4:30 to 7 p.m. and had an informal format that allowed people to drop in at any time. Raffle prizes were generously donated by Carolina’s Italian Restaurant, Embassy Suites Hotel, Home Depot, Hyatt Regency, IHOP Restaurant, Marriott, Red Lobster, Starbucks Coffee and Souplantation. Eight interactive General Plan stations were set up to solicit community input on topics such as parks, public safety, transportation, and land development. Staff was available at the stations to answer specific questions and comments were recorded in a number of ways. For example: • Participants used a map to identify intersections and streets where they had concerns about traffic lights or congestion. Many comments involved Brookhurst, Lampson, and SR-22. (Station 4: Transportation & Infrastructure) • Traffic was also raised as an issue at the public safety station, as well as noise and graffiti. There was praise for the fire and police departments. (Station 7: Public Safety)
• Using stickers as ranking tools, many participants identified the following parks and recreation uses as “very important”: multi-use trails, natural open space, play areas and indoor recreation facilities. Some participants considered indoor recreation facilities “not important,” along with single-use facilities such as tennis courts. However, almost five times more parks and recreation uses were placed into the “very important” category than the “not important” category. (Station 6: Open Space & Recreation) • Recording their reactions to a sequence of photos, participants gave high ratings to scenes showing tree-shaded pedestrian areas and tended to have more negative feelings toward expansive streets without landscaping. (Station 8: Community Design) • Trees came up again in a list of community “treasures,” which also included older residential neighborhoods, Main Street, the ethnic mix, and community events. Traffic was frequently cited as one of the community “challenges,” in a list that also included improving appearance, communication and responsiveness of government, and preserving community character. On a board for “visions,” some participants indicated their desire for Wal-Mart and also for a casino, which became part of a written debate that spilled over into other stations. Other “visions” included historic preservation, enhancing Main Street, and mixed-use development. (Station 3: Post-It Note Visioning) To see images and more comments from the workshop, please visit www.gardengrovefuture.info. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend and provide direction for the future of Garden Grove. The next workshop is anticipated to be held in late August or early September. Your Participation Is Important Please watch for future editions of this newsletter. Visit www.gardengrovefuture. info regularly to get the latest news on the General Plan Update and find out about upcoming meetings and workshops. While you’re there, please take the online survey. For more information contact Erin Webb, General Plan Project Manager, or Paul Wernquist, Urban Planner at (714) 741-5312.