Process and Community Engagement
This chapter provides an overview of the Palmdale 2045 General Plan Update process and descriptions of the extensive community engagement that took place between 2019 and 2022.
General Plan Update Process
The General Plan update occurred over a four-year effort between early 2019 and late 2022. The General Plan update process included six major phases, as illustrated below: 1) Discovery; 2) Visioning; 3) Alternatives; 4) Preferred Alternative and Policy Development; 5) Plan Development; and 6) Review and Adoption. Each phase of the process included community engagement activities.
Engagement Objectives
At the beginning of the General Plan update process, the General Plan Team developed a Public Participation Plan, which outlined the types and timing of engagement activities. The Plan also identified the overall objective of the engagement program. These objectives are listed adjacently.
Inform and educate the community about the General Plan process.
Achieve high levels of participation from the Palmdale community.
Engage residents and businesses for the long term.
Engage a diverse cross section of the community.
Engagement Activities
Palmdale 2045’s vision was developed through community engagement. In-person interactions at traditional and pop-up workshop events, newsletters, and a variety of online activities, took place over the course of the four-year Plan update process. The diversity of activities was based on the recognition that each person might want to participate in the process in a different way.
It is important to note that the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred during the update process. From 2019 through March 2020, all General Plan activities were held both in-person and online. In response to State and local public health guidance regarding the COVID-19 virus, all engagement activities were held virtually from March 2020 through August 2021. While final community engagement activities were held in-person from July-September 2022.
Palmdale 2045’s vision was developed through community engagement. In-person interactions at traditional and pop-up workshop events, newsletters, and a variety of online activities, took place over the course of the four-year Plan update process. The diversity of activities was based on the recognition that each person might want to participate in the process in a different way.
It is important to note that the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred during the update process. From 2019 through March 2020, all General Plan activities were held both in-person and online. In response to State and local public health guidance regarding the COVID-19 virus, all engagement activities were held virtually from March 2020 through August 2021. While final community engagement activities were held in-person from July-September 2022.
These engagement activities included: 4 community workshops, a scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), 2 pop-up workshops, 3 community surveys, 18 General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) meetings, 3 stakeholder focus groups, 1 economic development focus group, a project website, and many additional outreach activities. These additional activities include: social media posts through the City’s existing social media platforms, Palmdale Minute weekly video segments in English and Spanish, virtual meeting recordings beginning in March 2020 available on a dedicated YouTube channel, and an email mailing list with over 1,500 subscribers used to inform the community of upcoming engagement activities.
Pop-up workshops were held at popular events, utilizing similar materials to those from Community Workshops, and provided an opportunity to spread awareness for the General Plan update and engage even more residents in the General Plan Update. There were two pop-up workshop series held between September and November of 2019 and July and August of 2020 respectively.
Community workshops were held at four key points in the process including a scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The workshop focused on visioning, identifying what makes Palmdale unique, and developing a shared vision for the General Plan. The second and third workshops presented land use alternatives for the plan. The final workshop presented the Public Draft General Plan to the community.
Throughout the General Plan Update process, the team met with a 13-member advisory committee appointed by Palmdale City Council. The committee was comprised of residents who met to collaborate and provide community insight throughout the General Plan Update process. Virtual GPAC Meetings were live streamed to YouTube and included links to provide feedback and public comment. There were 18 meetings in total.
There was a total of 3 community surveys throughout the project. All surveys were presented in English and Spanish. Survey 1 collected feedback related to daily life in Palmdale and demographic information. Survey 2 described three land use alternatives and sought direction from the community. Survey 3 detailed the preferred land use alternative for the City’s General Plan update.
