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1 - Introduction 2 - Vision Statement 3 - Land Use 4 - Circulation 5 - Conservation 6 - Noise 7 - Safety 8 - Recreation 9 - Historical 10 - Community Design 11 - Glossary - Maps |
CHAPTER TWO VISION STATEMENT The 2020 General Plan will serve as our guide and road map for the next twenty years. Extensive analysis, study, and debate has taken place in order to assure our community's thoughts, ideals, and values would be embraced in the updated plan. The General Plan's goals, objectives, policies, and implementation measures are intended to facilitate a climate of preserving, protecting, maintaining, and enhancing the quality of life we value in Grass Valley. This includes our neighborhoods, commercial and public lands, and areas of future expansion. Grass Valley plays a significant role in our community region. Our updated General Plan directs us to reach out beyond our traditional functions and facilitate relationships with Nevada County, other public entities, special districts, and agencies to actualize the intent of the General Plan. Ultimately, the General Plan strives to create a congruence between our values and the reality of the times in which we live. Grass Valley General Plan Update Steering Committee July, 1999 Looking Toward the Next Millennium The 2020 General Plan is Grass Valley's fourth General Plan in more than 100 years of cityhood. The first three General Plans (adopted in 1966, 1972, and 1982 respectively) were built around central themes. All continue to be as important today as in past decades.
The General Plan update process has given the leaders and citizens of Grass Valley an opportunity to re-affirm certain directions, reverse others, and introduce new issues and choices. Many jurisdictions wrestle with conflicts between an expanding economy and environmental quality. Such conflicts can cause lasting rifts unless properly addressed and resolved. Despite the potential for controversy inherent in any change, the fundamental purpose of planning is to deal effectively with change. The General Plan will serve as a vehicle for consensus rather than conflict. Quality of Life Quality of life factors have been given priority over quantitative measures of success and progress. Quality of life means different things to different people. As used here, it refers to several abstract concepts associated with the livability of a particular place. However intangible, several quality of life factors are of the utmost importance to the people of Grass Valley. Through the General Plan process the City has identified and planned based upon quality of life factors. Grass Valley residents value highly the City's small town, rural character and sense of community. Grass Valley's friendliness and community consciousness stand in sharp contrast to the perceived alienation often associated with impersonal large cities and modern suburbs. Closely associated with small town, rural character are convenience (nothing is far from anything else) and proximity to open space. The 2020 General Plan strives to maintain Grass Valley's small town character and sense of community in a number of ways, including an emphasis on infill development, neighborhood integrity, community design and creation of community and neighborhood gathering places. Aesthetics contribute to Grass Valley's quality of life. As interpreted from public workshops and listening sessions, aesthetic values associated with the City include trees, various other natural amenities, views, architectural features, and the historical look and feel of the downtown area. High on the list of aesthetic priorities are the entryways to and highway corridors through town. Also of prime concern aesthetically: development of now-outlying properties such as Loma Rica Ranch, North Star, Kenny Ranch, and the Bear River Mill site. History continues to live in Grass Valley. As well as any Sierra Nevada town, Grass Valley exhibits the settlement and progression of western towns from the mid-19th century through the early 20th century. A sense of history is pervasive, from ever-present reminders of gold mining heritage to fine examples of architecturally interesting and significant buildings. Historic preservation and enhancement figure prominently in the General Plan and supporting implementation measures. The Role of Grass Valley in the Regional Context Despite a relatively small resident population (approximately 10,000) the City of Grass Valley is the regional economic and cultural center for perhaps seven times that population throughout parts of four Counties. Planning for Grass Valley means planning to accommodate the needs of people who use the City but are not necessarily City residents. Substantial land area is presently devoted to commercial, industrial, and other business uses. The medical community is large and expanding. Sierra College adds to a growing educational community and employment base. Despite some concerns about becoming a bedroom community, Grass Valley and the immediate vicinity have more jobs than employed residents. Any plan to establish a balance between jobs and housing must consider the City's regional function. Residentially, Grass Valley provides approximately 55% of Nevada County's multi-family housing units, although the City has but 12% of the County's total housing stock. Nearly 60% of City residents rent. Thus, the City of Grass Valley is the regional focal point for rental and multi-family housing, a market likely to expand considerably by the Year 2020. Grass Valley's role as a regional economic and cultural hub, combined with the ambience of downtown, has given rise to a number of interesting civic improvement ideas: a hotel-conference center, a performing arts center, a multi-theater cinema complex, and a large open plaza for various gatherings. Hopefully, the 2020 General Plan will facilitate constructive change. Future Development within the Present City Limits The population of Grass Valley and its Planning Area, estimated at 16,000, is projected to grow to 23,395 by the Year 2020. Infill development on undeveloped land within the City of Grass Valley is an important facet of the 2020 General Plan. Infill, and a compact development pattern will facilitate efficient use of land with a minimum of public service extensions. About one-quarter of the City remains undeveloped. Some of this land, however, is so constrained by natural factors that development may never occur. It is realistic to expect infill development to accommodate about one-third of new housing in the Planning Area, including the City in the next 20 years. Depending on market factors, infill may be able to provide a larger percentage of non-residential development, but by no means will it be able to meet the total commercial and industrial land demand. Although the basic development patterns within the city limits are already established, much can and should be done over the 20-year life of the 2020 General Plan. Fine tuning, rather than wholesale reconstruction, should be the watchword. Many outstanding, though subtle, land use concepts and changes can enhance the City incrementally. Downtown may expand outward a bit, accompanied by building "up rather than out". Well-designed higher density housing can fit in if properly located, a concept in keeping with Grass Valley's most significant demographic characteristic -- a disproportionately older-than-average population. Renovation of individual homes and conservation of neighborhoods must keep up with further aging of an already old housing stock. Existing commercial areas must renovate and intensify. Housing code enforcement and effective use of re-development programs are essential "implementers" of the 2020 General Plan. City Expansion Expansion is nothing new to Grass Valley. Since its early days as an unincorporated settlement, Grass Valley has often expanded its boundaries to embrace and facilitate new development. From an original 361 acre Townsite in 1872, Grass Valley has annexed 87 times to achieve its current, irregularly-shaped 3.9 square miles. All but two expansions have occurred since 1940. The Planning Area comprises about 15.4 square miles, nearly four times the current area of the incorporated City. A substantial portion of the region's industrial and commercial development is presently outside of the City but within the unincorporated Planning Area. One of the Nevada County General Plan's central themes is to direct urban growth into community regions that can effectively and economically provide urban types of services. Grass Valley supports a centralized growth concept. For many of the urban types of services required by future development within the region, the City will be the logical service provider. These include both relatively higher density residential land uses and non-residential uses. Urban densities require urban services, and Grass Valley requires annexation prior to service extension. The 2020 General Plan provides direction to future annexation, while stopping short of dictating a rigid schedule. Environmental Protection and Enhancement Grass Valley's environmental setting is both the object of affection and concern for the citizens of Grass Valley. The area's hills, trees, streams, and meadows draw and captivate residents. But these same natural features are sensitive to alteration, and may be destroyed or seriously impaired in the course of land development. Environmental challenges and opportunities are many: setting aside environmentally sensitive areas; preserving open space; park and nature trail development; and restoring or reclaiming abused areas. All are addressed effectively in the 2020 General Plan, but all require a strong commitment to implementation. The 2020 General Plan introduces an innovative technique for continually identifying promising open space opportunities without jeopardizing private property rights. The 2020 General Plan envisions unprecedented support and assistance from private organizations. The Nevada County Land Trust and similar organizations may be of considerable assistance in protecting natural areas while achieving equitable arrangements for landowners willing to negotiate development rights. Rare botanical species and their supporting environs in and near Grass Valley have been identified and described by the California Native Plant Society. A concept often mentioned in past General Plans but still awaiting implementation is the Wolf Creek Riparian Corridor and linear trail. The Trails-Sidewalks Network connects outlying areas with downtown Grass Valley, connects parks and recreation areas with one another, provides both recreation and transportation, and assures the protection of a linear wildlife habitat. Wolf Creek, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad right-of-way and Wolf Creek South Fork are key elements in the Trails-Sidewalks Network. Grass Valley's existing park system consists of lands donated to the City over the years. While attractive and pleasant, City parks are unevenly distributed, resulting in some areas being well served while others are underserved. The 2020 General Plan contains a framework for a park and recreation system, designed to meet current and future needs throughout the City and expanded in scope to include natural areas, open space, and passive parks as well as active parks and play fields. Transportation Transportation policy evolved in tandem with land use policy during the course of the 2020 General Plan The General Plan Update Steering Committee was determined to make the Circulation Element of the General Plan responsive to land use and environmental directives. Public meetings and workshops made clear the desire of citizens for transportation alternatives to the automobile. At the same time, they expect solutions to present-day congestion. Citizens want to avoid through traffic in residential neighborhoods, or at least want it "calmed", resulting in traffic which is slower, less disruptive, and less dangerous to pedestrians. Alternatives to the automobile most desired are bicycle and pedestrian ways, including trails, paths, sidewalks, bike lanes, and similar facilities. Alternative transportation systems need to connect identified nodes, form real networks, and be made known to the general public. Transit has captured the imagination of many Grass Valley residents, particularly in the form of smaller, flexible vehicles circulating frequently within small geographic areas and serving carefully-defined transportation needs. Alternative transportation is not expected to render vehicular transportation obsolete. Rather, alternatives should be viewed as supplemental, available in appropriate circumstances. To the extent that alternative transportation can be provided economically, is able to meet the needs of those who use it, and gets cars off the road, it will be a success. Implementation of the comprehensive Trails-Sidewalks Network is a high priority. Previous General Plans have included versions of a trail system. Certainly, planning and developing a comprehensive pedestrian/bicycle system will be difficult and expensive. For that reason, multi-purpose pathways/trails/sidewalks designed to meet the needs of (and be funded jointly by) both transportation and recreation interests are planned. Intergovernmental Coordination and Cooperation The 2020 Grass Valley General Plan cannot be implemented in a vacuum. Other governmental units and special districts will play a key role in the process and final decisions. The Nevada County General Plan (adopted in 1995) was instrumental in helping establish the boundaries of the Grass Valley Planning Area and to guide land use and other decisions made during the plan update process. Coordination with the County will increase as implementation of specific recommendations and concepts start to take shape. Likewise, the City of Grass Valley must coordinate with Nevada City, Nevada Irrigation District, fire suppression agencies, forestry and land conservation agencies, school districts, air and water quality regional agencies, and other public service providers. |