Santa Barbara today will officially kick off a major planning effort to revise and update its blueprint for growth and development over the next 20 years.

The so-called “Plan Santa Barbara” update will likely take up to two years, a process that will begin this month with public workshops, work sessions and community meetings.

All cities are required by the state to adopt 20-year “general plans,” which provide a guide for future growth, including sometimes contentious rules about design, building setbacks, height and the size of buildings on city lots -- all issues that have caused rancor over the years in Santa Barbara.

City leaders and members of the planning staff are encouraging residents to attend the workshops and provide input.

“This is a historic moment for our community, and possibly the best opportunity for the community to help us shape the future of Santa Barbara,” Paul Casey, the city’s Community Development Director, said in a statement.

The city just completed a sort of “mini general plan” for the Upper State Street area due to a number of proposed developments in the already-clogged corridor. The plan, which took more than year, was released this spring as precursor to the citywide Plan Santa Barbara.
 
The process is “by no means a mandate for change,” Principal Planner John Ledbetter said, “but rather a way for the city to understand the community’s priorities and how urban planning tools can best be used for the benefit of the public.”

There are two issues that will be of primary concern during the process, city staff members said. The first is a city rule set to expire in 2009 that limits the amount of nonresidential square footage that can be built in the city. Also, as the city approaches 39,000 residential housing units, a discussion needs to occur over the future of residential growth.

The nine core elements of the general plan are: land use, parks and recreation, open space, scenic highways, housing, circulation, conversation, noise and seismic safety. The city’s first general plan was adopted in 1964, and the current plan is set to expire in 2010.

The initial workshops will be held throughout June and July, and will be followed by more public meetings and forums. Spanish translation will be provided at all of the workshops.

City staff will also deliver presentations to roughly 100 community groups throughout Santa Barbara. The city has also set up a Web site specifically about the plan: www.YouPlanSB.org.

The first few workshops will be held: from 6 to 9 p.m. June 13 at the Faulkner Gallery, 40 E. Anapamu St; 9 a.m. to noon June 16 at La Casa de la Raza, 601 E. Montecito St.; 6 to 9 p.m. June 28 at the Westside Community Center, 423 W. Victoria St.; and 9 a.m. to noon, Hope School, 3970 La Colina Road.