Williams officials are in the process of updating the Safety Element of the city’s General Plan.
At the same time, the city plans to create an Environmental Justice Element.
Senate Bill 379, which was adopted in 2017, required cities and counties to include climate adaptation and resilience strategies in the safety elements of their general plans at the next revision of their housing elements.
The climate adaptation update must include a set of goals, policies, and objectives for the community based on the most current information available regarding climate change adaptation and resiliency, said Assistant City Planner Katheryn Ramsaur.
Ramsaur said a May revision to state programs that provide grant funding to cities and counties to update planning documents (SB 2 and LEAP), will allow Williams to use their remaining $165,000 in grant funds to update the General Plan.
Updating the Safety Element will bring the city into compliance with other aspects of General Plan law and will help address safety issues for future housing production, Williams officials said.
Ramsaur said programs resulting from this effort will include flood mitigation circulation, and infrastructure constraints that are normally required to be addressed by new development applications proposed by housing developers.
Once completed, the Safety Element may help the city streamline housing development and housing production.
“Having a fully compliant General Plan can avoid the impact of legal challenges from not having an adequate General Plan and thereby avoid potential delays in future housing production,” Rassaur said.
In addition to the Safety Element, the City of Williams will create the Environmental Justice Element, which is required for jurisdictions that have in its planning area a disadvantaged their community, defined as an area that is a low-income area that could be disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation.
Ramsaur said the General Plan update of the Safety Element and creation of the Environmental Justice Element are fully funded through SB 2 ($100,000) and LEAP ($65,000) grants.
“There should be no additional fiscal impact to the city general fund,” she said.
The city is currently seeking proposals, which are due by Sept. 30. ■