WELCOME TO PLAN PACIFICA!

The City of Pacifica is currently working to update the Housing Element of the General Plan. This is the newest phase of the Plan Pacifica process. PIan Pacifica started in early 2019 with the simultaneous process of updating its General Plan and Local Coastal Program and developing a Specific Plan for the Sharp Park neighborhood. After much hard work by the community and staff, the City Council has approved these plans. Various implementation steps are ongoing, such as California Coastal Commission certification of the Local Coastal Program and Sharp Park Specific Plan and zoning amendments to implement the General Plan.

This site will continue to provide key updates on the General Plan, Local Coastal Program, and Sharp Park Specific Plan processes while the new focus shifts to the Housing Element update.

Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay informed on upcoming public input opportunities, meetings, and draft document review periods. We invite you to help shape the future of Pacifica!

LATEST NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Update January 29, 2024: The City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element on January 22, 2024. This marks an important milestone in Pacifica’s Housing Element Update process. The adopted Housing Element incorporated significant revisions to reflect direction from the City Council and Planning Commission, and to address comments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City transmitted the adopted Housing Element to HCD on January 26, which starts a 60-day review period related to obtaining HCD certification.

Update December 6, 2023: We appreciate everybody’s participation in last night’s community meeting on the Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) update. Over 160 community members gathered to learn more about potential alternative modifications the City can propose to the California Coastal Commission in relation to development in the Rockaway Beach and West Sharp Park neighborhoods. The meeting materials, including staff report, staff presentation slides, and meeting video are available on the Project Documents page.

Update November 20, 2023: The City is hosting a Community Roundtable on Local Coastal Land Use Plan Update on Tuesday, December 5. The event is intended to be an opportunity for all community members to share their input on Pacifica's Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) Update. In small group format, attendees will discuss potential alternative modifications to the City’s Certification Draft LCLUP than those presented by California Coastal Commission (CCC) staff in March 2023. The potential alternatives will serve as the basis for the City's formal response letter to the CCC to be considered by City Council in early 2024.

The event is open to all. Dinner and childcare are available with registration. Childcare drop-off begins at 5:00 PM. Registration for childcare must be received by Friday, December 1 at 12:00 PM. To RSVP, please visit PacificaRoundtable.eventbrite.com.

Additional information including the Certification Draft LCLUP document are available on the Project Documents page of the Plan Pacifica website.

Update November 16, 2023: The City is requesting comments on the Housing Element Update Project's Initial Study (IS), which evaluated the potential environmental impacts of the Project. Based on the results of the IS, it has been determined that the Project would not have a significant effect on the environment and an Environmental Impact Report is not required. The City has thus prepared a Negative Declaration (ND), which can be viewed here.

The comment period is now open, and all input from interested persons is welcome through 5:00 PM Monday, December 18, 2023. All comments must be in writing and include the commenter's name, address, and telephone number with your comment.

Send comments to the following address: Christian Murdock, AICP, Director of Planning, City of Pacifica Planning Department, 540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica, California 94044. Or email housing@pacifica.gov.

If you would like more information, please read the Notice of Intent or contact Senior Planner Brianne Harkousha at bharkousha@pacifica.gov.

Update November 13, 2023: On Monday, November 13, the Pacifica City Council held a study session to receive an informational presentation and respond to questions regarding the March 2023 California Coastal Commission staff-suggested modifications to the City’s Draft Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP). View the staff report here.

Update October 10, 2023: On Monday, October 16 at 7:00 PM the Pacifica City Council and Planning Commission will continue the September 25 joint study session to consider and provide direction to staff on the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element of the General Plan. The agenda will be published here.

Update October 6, 2023: On Monday, October 9 at 7:00 PM the Pacifica City Council will receive an update regarding the Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) certification process, as well as discuss the incorporation of 2040 General Plan consistency revisions into the existing Certification Draft LCLUP. View the staff report here.

Update September 22, 2023: On Monday, September 25 at 7:00 PM the Pacifica City Council and Planning Commission will hold a joint study session to consider and provide direction on the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element of the General Plan. The agenda is available here.

Update August 8, 2023: The Plan Pacifica team received the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) comment letter on the Draft Housing Element. View the letter here.

Update August 4, 2023: The Plan Pacifica team hosted a virtual scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) being prepared for the Pacifica Housing Element Targeted General Plan Amendments and Rezoning Program (6th Cycle.

• Read the Notice of Preparation (NOP) - Public comments due by August 9, 2023.

• View the EIR Scoping meeting held on August 1, 2023.

• View the EIR Scoping Presentation from the meeting on August 1, 2023.

Update August 1, 2023: A virtual Scoping Meeting to gather public input on the EIR process will be held at 6 PM on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Register to attend the Scoping Meeting. The comment period for the scope and content of the 6th Cycle Housing Element EIR will remain open until 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 9. If you would like more information, please read the NOP or contact Senior Planner Brianne Harkousha at bharkousha@pacifica.gov.

Update July 11, 2023: The City is requesting your comments on the scope and content of the Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) being prepared for the Pacifica Housing Element Targeted General Plan Amendments and Rezoning Program (6th Cycle). The EIR is necessary to evaluate potential environmental impacts of the proposed project which would make General Plan and zoning amendments necessary to accommodate an additional 1,612 housing units in Pacifica as required by state law.

The comment period is now open, and we invite any and all input from interested persons through 7:30 PM Wednesday, August 9, 2023.  You can review the full Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR on the Planning Department’s Environmental Documents webpage.

A virtual Scoping Meeting to gather public input on the EIR process will be held at 6 PM on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Register to attend the Scoping Meeting.

If you would like more information, please read the NOP or contact Senior Planner Brianne Harkousha at bharkousha@pacifica.gov.

Update February 24, 2023: The City of Pacifica is pleased to announce release of the Housing Element Public Review Draft available on the Project Documents page. The Public Review Draft is available in a single, combined file with all appendices and attachments and includes a hyperlinked table of contents to ease navigation of the document. It is also available in a standalone main chapter with separate links to each appendix, which results in a smaller file size that may be easier to manage for some readers.

The public comment period ends at 5 PM on Monday, March 27, 2023. Comments can be emailed to housing@pacifica.gov or mailed/delivered to City of Pacifica, Attn: Planning Dept., 540 Crespi Dr., Pacifica, CA 94044.

The City will also host a joint City Council-Planning Commission study session to provide an additional public comment opportunity. The study session will be held at 6 PM on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in the Council Chambers at 2212 Beach Boulevard in Pacifica.

Update October 24, 2022: Please join us for one of two upcoming community meetings on the Housing Element update. On 10/25 (Cabrillo Elementary) and 11/1 (Sunset Ridge Elementary), the City will host discussions of the strategies used to identify sites where new housing can be constructed. Doors open at 6 PM with the meeting starting at 6:30 PM. The meetings will have free dinner and child care (ages 3+). The content of both meetings will be the same.

More information on the Housing Element page. RSVPs strongly encouraged.

Update September 1, 2022: The City Council adopted the Sharp Park Specific Plan on August 31, 2022! The Council’s adoption was the result of more than three years of work by the community and City staff. Our next step is to work on California Coastal Commission certification of the Sharp Park Specific Plan so it can take effect in the Coastal Zone.

Update August 26, 2022: The City Council will hold a special meeting at 6 PM on Wednesday, August 31, to consider adoption of the Sharp Park Specific Plan (meeting agenda). The meeting will occur as a teleconference meeting via Zoom. The City Council will receive oral public comment at this meeting and may not accept additional oral public comment at any subsequent hearing on this item. Please be sure to attend the meeting to provide your comments or submit them in advance to publiccomment@pacifica.gov.

Update August 15, 2022: The Planning Commission, after five substantive hearings and multiple public comment opportunities, recommended City Council approval of the Sharp Park Specific Plan. Review the August 2022 version of the Sharp Park Specific Plan, inclusive of all Planning Commission recommendations, on the Project Documents page.

Update August 12, 2022: The City’s work to achieve California Coastal Commission (CC) certification of the Certification Draft Local Coastal Land Use Plan (LCLUP) approved by the City Council in February 2020 continues. Today, the City reached an important milestone in that effort when CCC staff accepted the City’s application as filed. Now CCC staff will transition from preliminary review of the City’s submittal to a formal review of the content of that submittal that will culminate in a written recommendation to the CCC at a public hearing. The timing of the public hearing is unknown at this time, although under state law the CCC must conduct the hearing within 90 days of an application being filed unless an extension is granted.

Update July 11, 2022: The City Council adopted the General Plan Update! City staff is working to incorporate all City Council-directed revisions and will post a final version on the Project Documents page as soon as it is ready.

Update June 23, 2022: The Planning Commission will meet this evening, June 23 at 7 PM to continue its consideration of the Sharp Park Specific Plan (SPSP). The City Council will meet on Saturday, June 25 at 9 AM to consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve the General Plan Update and certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The City Council plans to receive all oral public comment at the June 25 public hearing. It does not intend to receive additional oral public comment at any future public hearing(s) on the General Plan Update except as required by law. Therefore, if you plan to provide oral public comments, please plan to provide them at the June 25 meeting. Written public comments may be submitted at any time to publiccomment@pacifica.gov and will be made part of the written record. Additional oral and written public comment opportunities will be available prior to City Council consideration of the SPSP.

Update June 16, 2022: The Planning Commission held two hearings - June 6 and June 11 - to consider the General Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Commission recommended City Council certification of the Final EIR and approval of the General Plan with certain changes to the Economic Sustainability Element (Chapter 2), Community Design Element (Chapter 3), Land Use Element (Chapter 4), Circulation Element (Chapter 5), Open Space and Community Facilities Element (Chapter 6), Conservation Element (Chapter 7), Safety Element (Chapter 8), and Glossary and List of Acronyms.

The Planning Commission will continue the hearing process on Monday, June 20 to consider the Sharp Park Specific Plan (SPSP). The City Council will hold a public hearing on Saturday, June 25 at 9 AM to consider certification of the Final EIR and adoption of the General Plan. A hearing date for City Council consideration of the SPSP will be announced once the Planning Commission concludes its recommendation on that plan.

Update May 31, 2022: The City has shifted the date for Planning Commission consideration of the General Plan update, Sharp Park Specific Plan, and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to Monday, June 6. The change in date will provide more than 10 days between release of the updated documents and the first Planning Commission public hearing. The City is aware of an automated reminder message recently sent out to some recipients on our Plan Pacifica interest list that mirrored an earlier communication sent on May 26. We apologize for any inconvenience and reiterate that the Planning Commission will convene on June 6.

Update May 26, 2022: The Plan Pacifica process is entering the final phase. After numerous years of work, the City will hold hearings to consider the adoption of a comprehensive update to the General Plan and the adoption of a new Sharp Park Specific Plan. The first of these meetings will take place on Wednesday, June 1 where the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the Response to Comments (RTC). The meeting on June 1 will be virtual on Zoom. Note that previous public notices had indicated an in-person meeting. The meeting location will now be virtual on Zoom.

 Please click here for the agenda, staff report, and link to join the meeting.

The Plan Pacifica process will replace the City’s existing General Plan, last comprehensively updated in 1980. The needs of our community have evolved and new challenges have emerged in the past 40+ years since adoption of the current General Plan. The General Plan update will provide the City with new information and tools to address the challenges of the next 20 years. A new Sharp Park Specific Plan will also provide focused land use, transportation, and other policies to realize a revitalized Sharp Park neighborhood.

The Planning Commission will consider the General Plan update and Sharp Park Specific Plan, including a final environmental impact report (EIR) prepared to assess potential environmental impacts from the plans, before making a recommendation to the City Council on whether to approve the plans. The Planning Commission plans to receive all oral public comment at the June 1 public hearing. If the Planning Commission does not complete its consideration of the documents on June 1, and the item needs to be continued to a future meeting date, note that public comments will not be allowed at the continued public hearing(s) except as required by law. Therefore, if you plan to provide verbal public comments, please plan to provide them at the June 1 meeting. Written public comments may be submitted at any time to publiccomment@pacifica.gov and will be made part of the written record. Comments submitted by 12 PM on the hearing date will also be provided to Planning Commissioners prior to the hearing. Additional verbal and written public comment opportunities will be available prior to City Council consideration of these items.

The City encourages those interested in the Plan Pacifica process to subscribe to our mailing list in order to receive additional updates.

Update February 14, 2022: The Pacifica City Council has extended the public comment period on the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) evaluating the General Plan Update and Sharp Park Specific Plan to 5 PM on March 8, 2022. This 15-day extension provides the public additional time to evaluate the draft EIR and offer substantive comments for the City’s consideration. Review the draft EIR and other Plan Pacifica documents on the Project Documents page.

Update January 7, 2022: The City of Pacifica has released public review drafts of the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), General Plan Update, and Sharp Park Specific Plan. Review them on the Project Documents page. Learn more in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about this important milestone in the Plan Pacifica process.

Prior Updates: What could Sharp Park look like in the future? Take a look at new visualizations or go on a virtual walk down Palmetto Avenue here!