Dana Point, often considered a kick-back, sleepy coastal town, is set on breaking from that mold as city leaders look toward what its future could be over the next 20 years.
With at least two major refresh projects on the horizon – a $450-million plus remodel of the Dana Point Harbor expected to start anytime and a new vision recently approved for Doheny Village – city leaders are now looking to the public for feedback on values and goals for updating the city’s general plan – a sort of blueprint that guides development.
Some of the factors included in Dana Point’s general plan are homebuilding, community mobility, nature preservation, how noise impacts areas of town and how Dana Point leaders prepare for upcoming hazards and emergencies. The city’s general plan, which is required by state law, was last reviewed in the 1990s.
Recently, the city launched a website where community members can provide input on the update through an online questionnaire. There will be other informational outreach efforts as well, such as pop-up events, focus groups and public study sessions held from now through the end of the year. Opportunities to respond to the online questionnaire end in May.
Mayor Mike Frost urged residents and business owners to get involved.
“People talk about responsible development, which is really part of a process,” he said. “The first step of the process is getting a wide variety of input, designing zoning reflective of that and ensuring that specific projects brought forward match that.”
Among the things Frost said he would like to see in the updated plan is having “policies in place for the small person to be successful,” he said. “That starts with the general plan. It sets the future of the community.”
Frost said he believes excess regulations in the city’s building and zoning codes make it harder for residents and business owners to get things through City Hall.
Vickie McMurchie, executive director of the Dana Point…
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