A draft Specific Plan for the North 40 Area was prepared in 1999, but was not adopted. In 2010, the Town Council adopted the 2020 General Plan. The 2020 General Plan required the preparation of a Specific Plan for the North 40 Area and included goals, policies, general guidelines, and implementation strategies to inform the preparation of the Specific Plan.
The North 40 Specific Plan Advisory Committee (N40 AC) was established by the Town Council on March 7, 2011. The goal of the N40 AC was to serve as an Advisory Committee to the Town Council and the Planning Commission through coordination with staff and interaction with the community. The N40 AC consisted of nine members from the General Plan Committee, and up to six members of the community from the General Plan Update Advisory Committee. The N40 AC began meeting in March of 2011 and concluded their work on October 15, 2013. All meetings were open to the public and community members provided input at the meetings and in writing. The N40 AC considered all public comments in its deliberations. The N40 AC meeting minutes and reports are available here.
An Environmental Impact report (EIR) for the Draft Specific Plan was prepared and circulated for public comment in early 2014. The document received 35 comments. The Planning Commission considered the Draft Specific Plan and EIR at two meetings in July and August of 2014 at which 25 people provided public testimony. The Commission also considered all written public comments as documented in the reports available on the North 40 website. The Planning Commission deliberated on all of the information and public comments, and forwarded its recommendations to the Town Council for the Council’s consideration which occurred on August 13, 2014.
The Town Council considered the Draft Specific Plan and EIR on eight occasions between September 2014 and June 2015. During these proceedings, the public had multiple opportunities to submit written comments and provide verbal testimony as documented on the North 40 website, Council videos, and written reports and summaries. The Final EIR was certified on January 5, 2015 and the North 40 Specific Plan was adopted on June 17, 2015, incorporating the modifications approved by the Council based on its deliberations, consideration of public testimony, Planning Commission recommendations, and all other information contained in the record.