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File Number: 15-351 <br />for discussion by Commissioners, as well as input from the public <br />·Nine study sessions with other City Boards and Commissions, including the Rent Review <br />Board, the Board of Zoning Adjustments, the Human Services Commission, the Arts <br />Commission (scheduled for June 10), the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the <br />Recreation and Parks Commission, the Senior Commission, the Youth Advisory <br />Commission, and the Library-Historical Commission. <br />·Four community workshops, including one on the Housing Element (July 2014), two on a <br />citywide visioning under the General Plan Update, including a discussion of San Leandro’s <br />strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (October 23 and 28, 2014), and one on <br />policy options (April 30, 2015). The April 30 meeting used real-time polling devices to <br />gauge audience opinion on different policy choices. Each attendee was furnished with a <br />push button device and asked to “vote” on multiple choice policy questions presented on <br />the screen. The outcomes of each vote were displayed instantaneously, followed by a <br />discussion of the issue and why people voted as they did.Another workshop is tentatively <br />scheduled for November 2015. Attendance at these workshops has ranged from 25 to 75 <br />people. Meetings have been widely advertised using post cards and flyers, social media, <br />press releases, and e-blasts to a mailing list with over 300 names. <br />·Meetings with stakeholder groups, including housing advocates [(e.g., Congregations <br />Organized for Renewal (COR)], the Chamber of Commerce, and Friends of San Leandro <br />Creek. More stakeholder meetings are planned in the coming months. <br />·Meetings with neighborhood groups, including the League of San Leandro Neighborhoods. <br />·Information was distributed on the General Plan at the 2014 and 2015 Cherry Festivals. <br />In addition to the meetings and workshops, the team has maintained an interactive project <br />website (www.sanleandro2035.org <http://www.sanleandro2035.org>) since project inception. <br />The website includes regular news stories about upcoming meetings, all project-related <br />documents, and information about how to participate in the General Plan Update. Agenda <br />packets are posted to the website on the Friday before each meeting. The website also <br />includes a link to “Virtual City Hall,” a site on which residents can weigh in on various policy <br />questions by typing responses visible to others. <br />The public’s input was extremely important in shaping the 2015-2023 Housing Element and <br />will continue to be important as the other elements of the General Plan are drafted in the <br />coming months. Staff and the consultant team continue to reach out to different organizations <br />and individuals to solicit input and to provide education and awareness about the Update. <br />Policy Audit and Development <br />The consultant team is midway through an “audit” of existing city policies on the topics <br />addressed by the General Plan. At this point, the team has reviewed all land use policies <br />(including those in more recent planning documents such as the Next Generation Workplace <br />Study and the Downtown Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Strategy, transportation <br />policies, park and open space policies, and environmental hazards policies. The team has <br />not yet audited policies on community design or community services and facilities. <br />The purpose of the audit is to evaluate each existing policy and determine if it should be <br />carried forward, edited, or deleted. The audit also identifies “gaps” where new policies are <br />needed. Another purpose of the audit is to identify “action items” in the 2002 Plan that have <br />Page 3 City of San Leandro Printed on 6/9/2015