| Advance Planning Advance Planning staff are responsible for the development of polices and plans intended to guide the City’s growth and development in the future, managing information about the City’s population and housing growth and representing the City in regional planning activities undertaken by the Orange County Council of Governments and Southern California Association of Governments. Advance Planning efforts involve implementing and maintaining the General Plan, drafting new or revised standards to address changes in State planning laws, new types of land uses that are not already addressed by the Municipal Code, or problematic land uses and development conditions in the community. In addition to its policy and statistical work, Advance Planning is also responsible for preparing environmental analysis and documents for the City’s Capital Improvement Projects such as the Main Library expansion, road widening projects, park renovations, new bike trails, and new water pumping stations. In some instances, staff coordinates the preparation of technical reports (traffic, noise, biological resources, etc.) or more complex environmental documents by consultant. Long-range Planning Projects in the Works!
City Completes Preliminary Draft Housing Element (Available Online!) And Wants To Hear From You!
The Housing Element is one of the required "elements" or chapters of the City's General Plan, and is an important tool the City uses to plan for the existing and future housing needs of the community. The City's current Housing Element was adopted in 2001. The Housing Element identifies housing needs in terms of affordability, availability, adequacy, and accessibility. It also identifies strategies and specific housing programs for addressing housing needs. Ultimately, the Housing Element is required to demonstrate that the City is providing opportunities for housing development that meet the City's Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation in terms of number of housing units and housing affordability as well as programs that help to maintain the quality of the City's housing stock and provide citizens with access to affordable housing. Per state law, the Housing Element is required to be updated by June 30, 2008. The City retained RBF Consulting to assist City staff and began the Housing Element Update in November 2007. A Stakeholder Workshop and a Community Workshop were held on December 18, 2007 at the Orange Public Library and History Center in Orange. This first workshop provided an opportunity for the public to learn about the Housing Element update process and to identify the housing issues that are important to the Orange community. RBF led meeting attendees through a group exercise focusing on identifying challenges and opportunities for housing development and policy in Orange. The powerpoint presentation and the meeting notes summarizing the community's feedback are provided here. A second Stakeholder Workshop and Community Workshop were held on March 12, 2008. At this workshop, the City presented key findings of our housing context research and more specifically discussed the Housing Element's goals and policies. RBF again led meeting attendees through a group discussion focusing on how opportunities and constraints identified in the previous meetings could be addressed through City policies and programs. The powerpoint presentation and the meeting notes summarizing the community's feedback at the second workshop are provied here. Following the community workshops, the City prepared a preliminary draft of the 2006-2014 Housing Element. The preliminary draft is now available online and was submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review May 5, 2008. By law, HCD is required to provide comments to the City within 60 days. After the City receives HCD comments, the preliminary draft Housing Element will be revised to address the comments and a public-review draft will be completed. The City will release the Draft Housing Element and the environmental review document (a study of the environmental effects of the Housing Element prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)) for a 30-day public review period. Following the 30-day public review period, Planning Commission and City Council hearings will be scheduled. All persons who have attended a Housing Element workshop or otherwise requested notice will be notifed in writing of the 30-day public review period and the Planning Commission and City Council hearings. For additional information or to be added to the project mailing list, please contact Jennifer Le, Senior Planner with the Community Development Department, at (714) 744-7220 or at jle@cityoforange.org. Preliminary Draft 2006-2014 Housing Element Preliminary Draft Appendices A and B Preliminary Draft Appendices C and D
CITY COMPLETES DEPOT-PLAZA PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION STUDY (AVAILABLE ONLINE!) AND APPLIES FOR OCTA GO LOCAL GRANT FUNDS In May 2007, the City initiated work on the Depot-Plaza Pedestrian Connection Study (also called the Paseo Study). This study is a unique planning effort that evaluates feasibility and design options for enhancing pedestrian walkways or "paseos" that connect the Plaza area to the Santa Fe Depot/Metrolink station and OCTA Transit Center in Old Towne Orange. The study identifies opportunities and constraints in the study area, develops preliminary concepts and preliminary costs for improving the identified alignments. The study is funded by Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Go Local grant funds, with the objective of improving access to transit in Orange County communities. The study was intended to identify a scope of work so that the City could apply for “Step 2” Go Local grant funds for paseo design and future implementation. In May 2007, the City retained a consultant, RRM Design Group, to assist City staff with preparation of the study. The City held two community workshops on June 19, 2007 and on September 4, 2007. In addition, staff met with the Plaza Design Collaborative members, a group of local architects, to discuss their previous efforts in creating the “Celebrate the Vision of the Orange Plaza District” (1997) guidance document. Staff also met with local stakeholders including property owners and tenants adjacent to the paseo study corridors, as well as community groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Orange Barrio Historical Society, and the Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA). A draft of the paseo study was completed in December 2007. The study recommends streetscape improvements on Maple Avenue, Lemon Street, Almond Avenue, Cypress Street and Olive Street. It also recommends building upon existing alleys and shortcuts by creating mid block pedestrian "paseos" such as the "South Alley" and the "North Alley". The types of improvements recommended generally include utility undergrounding, installing sidewalk "bulbouts" at intersections, special paving to delineate a pathway, wayfinding signage, pedestrian lighting, street trees, landscaped parkways or planters, and street furniture such as benches, bike racks and trash receptacles. Each leg of the paseo network is prioritized based on ease of implementation, as shown here. It should be noted that the "North Alley" is shown as Priority 4 and was identified as a desirable east-west connection. However, due to extensive private ownership along the alignment, it will not be pursued as a City-led project at this time. The study recommends implementation of the "North Alley" over time as properties in the area redevelop. On March 25, 2008, the Council accepted the study and directed staff to apply for Go Local "Step 2" grant funds for the paseo network as well as for further study of options for widening the Chapman Avenue sidewalk in the Depot-Plaza area. The City submitted its application to OCTA for grant funds on May 8, 2008. The final Depot-Plaza Pedestrian Connection Study dated May 8, 2008 is now available online (see below)! For further information, please contact Jennifer Le, Senior Planner, jle@cityoforange.org or Anna Pehoushek, Principal Planner, apehoushek@cityoforange.org, with the Advance Planning Section at (714) 744-7220.
Final Paseo Study 05-07-08/Part I, II, III Final Paseo Study 05-07-08/Part IV Final Paseo Study 05-07-08/Part V
Preservation Online Now Available!
Interested in Historic Property? Need information for Old Towne Orange?
Check out Preservation Online, where Old Towne meets new technology! The City of Orange now offers an interactive map application so you can access Old Towne information from your home. Visit Preservation Online at www.cityoforange.org/preservationonline Preservation Online is where Old Towne Orange meets new technology to bring you Old Towne information with modern convenience. It's a portal to an interactive map application that allows you to access parcel-based historic resource data through the City of Orange Internet site. As you browse through the preservation online web site, information is at your fingertips to meet all your Old Towne informational needs. July 2007 Press Release .pdf
Other Links |
