Planning Commission Staff Report
Report Prepared by: Leah Brown, Senior Planner, Development Services Department
Title
SUBJECT: Study Session - Draft Vision Statement of the Comprehensive General Plan Update
ACTION: Study Session - Draft Vision Statement of the Comprehensive General Plan Update
RECOMMENDATION
This item is a Study Session regarding the Draft Vision Statement of the Comprehensive General Plan Update. Planning Commission feedback is requested prior to the Draft Vision Statement being presented to City Council for their consideration.
Because this matter is a study session and discussion item - rather than a discretionary permit application or entitlement action - no formal environmental review file number, draft resolution, conditions of approval, or findings are applicable. The Planning Commission is not being asked to take formal approval action at this time; rather, the Commission is asked to review and comment on the Draft Vision Statement and make recommendations to the City Council, which will ultimately consider adoption of the Vision Statement as part of the Comprehensive General Plan Update
Accordingly, the standard recommendation format requiring approval of an environmental review determination, adoption of a draft resolution with conditions and findings, and related exhibits does not apply to this study session item.
Planning staff recommend that the Planning Commission review the Draft Vision Statement of the Comprehensive General Plan Update, provide comments and suggested edits. Staff will forward Planning Commission’s edits to the City Council for consideration and adoption as part of the Merced 2050 General Plan.
Body
DISCUSSION
BACKGROUND: The City of Merced's current Merced Vision 2030 General Plan was recommended for adoption by the Planning Commission on July 20, 2011, and adopted by the City Council on January 3, 2012. It was prepared by the City of Merced Development Services Department Planning & Permitting Division. The General Plan serves as the community's long-term blueprint, establishing goals and policies on which the City Council bases decisions relating to land use, economic development, and equity.
The Comprehensive General Plan Update was initiated because conditions have changed significantly since the 2012 adoption. The COVID-19 pandemic altered commercial operations and economic development patterns, new state and federal laws have come into effect, and the community itself has evolved. The update is intended to holistically evaluate every element of the existing General Plan, integrate recent plans and studies adopted between 2012 and 2025, incorporate previously approved annexations (including the Virginia Smith Trust annexation of over 1,130 acres approved by LAFCo in October 2024), and ensure compliance with recent state laws and General Plan Guidelines.
On May 19, 2025, the City Council authorized the formation of the General Plan Update Citizens Advisory Focus Group (CAFG) and authorized recruitment through the City Clerk's Office.
On June 25, 2025, the City Council and Planning Commission held a Special Joint Study Session to formally kick off the Comprehensive General Plan Update. An overview of the update scope, project phases, community engagement strategy, and the role of the Vision Statement and Goals within the process.
On August 27, 2025, the CAFG held its first meeting, receiving an orientation to the General Plan Update project, the six-phase project schedule, and the community engagement strategy, including the "Imagine Merced" branding, project website (imaginemerced.com), social media outreach, newsletters, and community workshops.
A Community Workshop was held on January 28, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., focusing on assets, issues, and opportunities within the community of Merced and beginning to identify where the community would like to see itself in the next 25 to 30 years. The workshop was complemented by an online survey available in English, Spanish, and Hmong, which was open for over five weeks. Outreach efforts for this phase included eight e-blasts distributed over a period of more than two months, multilingual flyers, social media promotion on the City's Instagram and other platforms, and updates on the project website.
On February 25, 2026, the CAFG held a meeting, during which members discussed assets, issues, and opportunities for the community of Merced. The consultant team indicated that feedback from the CAFG, community workshops, and an online survey would be synthesized into a draft Vision Statement and Guiding Principles.
On May 27, 2026, the CAFG held a meeting, at which the Draft Vision Statement was presented and discussed by the 14-member advisory body. CAFG members provided feedback and suggested modifications, including requests to emphasize free public spaces, emerging industries, youth and the next generation, access to services, walkability and bikeability, the North/South Merced divide, diversity, culture, affordable housing, and tourism, and to make the language more affirmative by removing "will continue" phrasing.
Following CAFG review, the revised Draft Vision Statement was sent via email for further feedback, and a 14-day public review period was established, concluding on July 14, 2026.
The Draft Vision Statement is now before the Planning Commission for a study session, after which it will proceed to the City Council for formal consideration and adoption as part of the Merced 2050 General Plan.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The subject of this study session is the Draft Vision Statement for the City of Merced's Comprehensive General Plan Update, branded as "Imagine Merced." The Comprehensive General Plan Update is a citywide planning effort to comprehensively update all elements of the existing Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, which was adopted by the City Council on January 3, 2012.
The vision statement is an aspirational, future-looking narrative that describes what the City of Merced aspires to become within the planning horizon of the next 25 years. While a vision statement is not legally required as part of a general plan under California law, it is a widely recognized best practice that allows a community to coalesce behind a common theme and goal, providing a foundation upon which future goals, policies, and programs can be built with consistency.
The Draft Vision Statement was prepared in a longer narrative format spanning three paragraphs, rather than a short two-sentence statement, because the depth and breadth of community feedback received warranted a more comprehensive articulation of the community's vision. The narrative addresses themes including Merced's evolving identity and downtown character, the city's educational and economic anchors (including Merced College and UC Merced), agricultural roots and expanding industrial and technological sectors, intentional and inclusive growth, housing opportunities for residents of all incomes and backgrounds, quality of life amenities such as parks, trails, and public gathering spaces, and Merced's aspiration to become a statewide model for innovation, fiscal responsibility, sustainable growth, high-quality transportation, and community-centered planning.
The Planning Commission is requested to review and discuss the Draft Vision Statement, provide edits and recommendations, and forward its input for City Council consideration.
ENVIORNMETNAL DETERMINATION: This study session does not constitute a "project" as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and therefore no environmental review is required for this action.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY: It is consistent with the goals of the General Plan Update.
ATTACHMENTS
A) Presentation