HomeMy WebLinkAbout04d_General Plan Online Resources_Additional Materials_MosherGeneral Plan Update Steering Committee - March 20, 2019
Item Nos. 3, 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d Additional Materials Received
From: Zdeba, Benjamin
To: Lee, Amanda
Cc: Ramirez, Brittany
Subject: FW: Comments on GPU Steering Committee agenda items
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 7:55:35 AM
Attachments: 2019Mar20 GPU Steerina Committee Aaenda Comments JimMosher.rdf
Hi Amanda,
Please find attached additional materials received related to Items III, IV.a, IV.b, IV.c and IV.d on the
Steering Committee's agenda for tomorrow evening.
Thanks,
Ben Z.
BENJAMIN M. ZDEBA, AICP
Community Development Department
Associate Planner
bzdebaOnewoortbeachca.aov
949-644-3253
From: Jim Mosher <jimmosher@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2019 8:11 PM
To: CDD <CDD@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Comments on GPU Steering Committee agenda items
To whom it may concern,
Please find attached some written comments on the items announced on the Newport Beach
General Plan Update Steering Committee's March 20, 2019, agenda.
I have BCC'd this message to the eight committee member email addresses listed on the
Steering Committee web page.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Mosher
General Plan Update Steering Committee - March 20, 2019
Item Nos. 3, 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d Additional Materials Received
March 20, 2019, GPU SC agenda comments from Jim Mosher Page 5 of 5
to conduct their own listen and learn exercises, as the Harbor Commission is doing, in their
areas of specialty?
I cannot answer the last two questions, but as to the first, the process is described in the Harbor
Commission minutes from December 12. The process consisted of three 10 -minute segments
in which participants were asked to write their thoughts on cards and post them on the walls
identifying: (1) areas of the Harbor that are working well, (2) areas of concern, and (3) potential
solutions or improvements. Participants were then given three blue dots to place on their
"favorite" cards (of all those posted), and one red dot to place on the card of most concern to
them (there being some uncertainty what this last instruction meant).
That exercise was certainly of value. And it certainly produced a result. But as someone who
thinks it's best to sleep on a decision before making it, and that our best and most creative ideas
come to us at odd and unexpected moments, I'm not sure it produced the most thoughtful result.
Or even the best result that could be obtained from people who felt a few minutes of their time
was the most they wanted to spend on the matter.
It may be only me, but I felt pressured into making snap judgments about matters I wasn't fully
informed about. I think I would have been more comfortable providing more reasoned written
responses to a survey not requiring immediate answers. I would be disappointed if the GPU
consultant limited their public engagement to exercises of the type described.
Item IVA General Plan Online Resources Presentation
The City's General Plan Update page is useful, however it is obviously difficult to keep it up-to-
date (example: the message that "Residents were encouraged to apply to serve on the
[Steering] committee" is not currently relevant, since all the slots have been filled).
The complete, bookmarked copy of the current General Plan, including figures, is similarly
useful, although the Table of Contents (copied from the 2006 printed edition) doesn't
correspond accurately to the current page numbering (example: the Housing Element is totally
different from the one described in the online TOC).
The "Schedule" page could provide a tentative list of Steering Committee meeting dates, as well
as the tentative RFP timeline from the document about to be approved.
It would be useful for the "Steering Committee" page to provide a single email address that
would go to both the Committee members and staff, without making all the email addresses
visible. This has been done for the City Council(citycouncil(aD-newportbeachca.gov), the
Planning Commission(plan ningcommissioners(a-),newportbeachca.gov) and other City bodies.
The link currently provided sends a message to all the Committee members, but not to staff (so
the message won't automatically be included in the agenda packet), and it makes all the
members' emails visible in the "to" line, encouraging "Reply All" violations of the Brown Act.