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BACKGROUND On April 15, 2003, the City Council directed staff to begin preparation of a comprehensive update of the City's General Plan which had been last updated and adopted in 1996. Although the preparation of the Draft General Plan update has extended beyond the schedule envisioned by the City Council, it is worth noting that the new General Plan addresses several complex topics and emerging issues that were not included in the 1996 General Plan. These are discussed at the conclusion of this agenda report. DISCUSSION Progress on the General Plan Update: As of March 2008, the Draft General Plan is largely complete, and the Draft Environmental Impact Report is in progress and expected to be available for public review in May, 2008. Progress on the General Plan includes: Completion of all the Draft Elements of the General Plan. With the completion of the Draft Noise and Air Quality Elements of the General Plan, all thirteen elements have been drafted. Staff is now in the process of creating a reformatted, consolidated Draft General Plan that will be the subject of the Draft Environmental Impact Report being prepared by our environmental consultants, PBS&J. Continuing outreach to the Pleasanton Community. This has included: public input at numerous Commission and City Council meetings; five community meetings held in various locations in the City; a community meeting held to discuss the General Plan Vision; and use of the City's website to provide information on the project schedule and background reports on the General Plan. Outreach to the general community and to stakeholders such as property owners and outside agencies and organizations will continue through General Plan adoption. As an example, feedback from the Pleasanton Unified School District will be sought when the General Plan update is discussed at the Joint Meeting of the City Council with the Pleasanton Unified School District on March 31. The work needed to complete the General Plan Update and a schedule for doing so are discussed below. A. Review of Remaining General Plan Elements by Planning Commission. The Planning Commission's review of the Draft Air Quality and Draft Noise Elements was completed on February 20th, 2008. Staff is currently amending the Draft Elements as recommended by the Planning Commission. Task Timing: February 2008. B. Preparation of DEIR. The Draft EIR is currently in preparation by PBS&J, environmental consultants, and will be completed by early May 2008. Task timing: January to May, 2008. Product: Draft EIR for public release. Page 2 of 4