Purpose and Process

The City of Dixon is embarking on an exciting new project: the update of our General Plan. The General Plan outlines the City's goals for future development, circulation, and conservation of resources, and utilizes policies and actions necessary to achieve those goals. Topical areas of the General Plan include land use, circulation, environmental resources, public facilities, and parks and open spaces. The existing General Plan dates back to 1993, and new opportunities, challenges, and priorities have emerged in recent years. The City initiated the multi-year process of updating the General Plan in late 2014, beginning what will be a unique and important opportunity for residents to share their ideas about Dixon's future.

The General Plan Update is a collaborative community effort to create a vision and a blueprint for development through 2035. Residents have the opportunity to get involved at all stages of the planning process, from the initial visioning and issues assessment to the adoption of the General Plan and review of its accompanying Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The EIR ensures that environmental opportunities and constraints are identified and incorporated into the planning process, and identify actions to mitigate any adverse environmental effects of the plan. EIR preparation and certification will occur in a public process as well, and we invite your participation and input during this stage of the planning effort.

Building on our Strengths

The City of Dixon has accomplished a great deal since the adoption of the existing General Plan in 1993. Today, Dixon is known as a distinctive community with small-town charm. The city's strengths have attracted significant growth over the last two decades, with its population increasing by 18 percent since 2000. Old Town contains numerous century-old buildings, and the city has maintained close ties to its agricultural heritage. At the same time, Dixon has many new neighborhoods, employment centers, and shopping destinations. The updated General Plan will provide Dixon with the opportunity to address priorities for the next era of city building, and enhance the economy and the community's quality of life.

Key Issues

Dixon's updated General Plan will have to address issues spanning all aspects of growth, development, and quality of life in the city. These include, but are not limited to:

• Directing and managing Dixon's future growth
• Assessing the need to expand Dixon's Sphere of Influence, especially west of I-80
• Strengthening Dixon's Downtown
• Attracting high quality businesses and jobs
• Improving mobility and transportation options
• Maintaining public safety and municipal services
• Protecting natural resources, including valuable farmland
• Maintaining and enhancing quality of life for residents

Finally, the updated General Plan must be clear and easy to use, and designed to be efficiently revised to incorporate future updates, area plans, and amendments.

Schedule

The General Plan update process is anticipated to be complete by late 2016. At that time, the City will have comprehensively updated its General Plan and prepared an accompanying Environmental Impact Report according to State law. The diagram below illustrates the phases of the planning process and shows all of the opportunities for public participation throughout. Click on the picture to see a larger diagram.

Consultant Team

Dyett & Bhatia, Urban and Regional Planners is leading the consultant team.

Additional consultants, with specializations in different disciplines, are:

• DKS Associates: Transportation Planning
• BAE Urban Economics: Economic and Fiscal Analysis
• West Yost Associates: Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Engineering
• Charles Salter Associates: Noise