Tracy General Plan Update and EIR

City of Tracy

The City of Tracy, located in the Central Valley of California, is a rapidly-growing community on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past two decades, the city's population has doubled, leading to a number of growth-related issues such as traffic congestion, increased home prices and loss of the small-town character. During the General Plan process, DC&E worked with the City Council, Planning Commission and the public to explore how innovative approaches to development such as smart growth, new urbanism and transit-oriented development could maintain and improve the quality of life in the community. The issues raised at joint City Council/Planning Commission workshops and public meetings were directly translated into detailed policies and actions in the General Plan. One of the cornerstones of the updated General Plan is a comprehensive Community Character Element that addresses all aspects of design and quality of life. This element identifies an urban structure comprised of neighborhoods, urban centers, village centers, mixed use corridors and employment areas, and it includes detailed design guidance that allows staff, the Planning Commission and City Council to review development applications for conformance with General Plan goals. ArcView Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to manage and analyze geospatial data for current and future growth scenarios and to produce presentation-quality maps for reports and public meetings.

To help identify existing neighborhoods, DC&E conducted a GIS analysis showing 1/4? mile buffer around parks, schools, and retail districts.

Illustrative diagrams of potential edge treatments to the City's Sphere of Influence.