The City of Watsonville has released its General Plan 2050, a sweeping update that will guide development, housing, transportation and conservation in the city for the next quarter-century.
The plan replaces the city’s 2005 General Plan and establishes policies governing Watsonville’s growth and investment through 2050.
Under the plan’s buildout projections, Watsonville could accommodate as many as 5,980 new homes and approximately 2.67 million square feet of new commercial and other nonresidential development.
The plan focuses much of the city’s future growth in downtown Watsonville, along the Freedom Boulevard and East Lake Avenue corridors and in designated new growth areas.
It also calls for a wider variety of housing, new employment and commercial development, regional retail, visitor-serving businesses and recreational uses.
Other goals include preserving agricultural land and natural open space, improving parks and community facilities, making streets more accessible to different modes of transportation and rerouting truck traffic around the city.
The General Plan also updates Watsonville’s land-use map and establishes goals, policies and implementation measures that will guide decisions on future development.
The city will hold a community open house Oct. 14 from 5:30-7:30pm in the Civic Plaza Community Room. A presentation is scheduled for 6pm.
Following the presentation, attendees can visit stations focusing on the city’s growth strategy, land use, transportation, parks and conservation, public services and safety, and the Watsonville Municipal Airport.
The draft General Plan is available at watsonville.gov/2440/General-Plan-Update.
Information about participating in the General Plan process is available at bit.ly/WatsonvilleGPUGetInvolved.
