COMMUNITY PLANNING

Need for Valley Springs Community Plan Update
Community Plan Funding Obtained
2009-2010 Community Planning
Current Community Plan Status

Need for Valley Springs Community Plan Update

Do you know our existing Valley Springs Community Area Plan was written in 1974, 35 years ago? It still says we have a daily train running through town! Growth and development decisions and changes that affect our community's future have been based on this outdated Community Plan and our outdated Calaveras County General Plan. Past map amendments did nothing to update the vision or direction for growth. Residents need updated plans and sound planning decisions to protect our rural quality of life!

Since December 2005, MyValleySprings.com has worked towards a community plan update for Valley Springs, doing educational and community outreach, sponsoring planning workshops and reports, and looking for funding sources.

Click here for Valley Springs Community Plan Pre-Grant Timeline 2005-2008

Click here for Valley Springs Community Plan Update 2009-2010 Outreach Timeline

Read the existing 1974 VALLEY SPRINGS COMMUNITY AREA PLAN

How did things get started for a community plan update?

Community Plan Funding Obtained

Area residents and county supervisors were in support of a community plan update, but county funds and staff time were not available, so MyValleySprings.com searched for other sources of funding.  Efforts to find funding for a Valley Springs area community plan update were successful, culminating in the September 2008 award of a $204,648 Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant! A local $51,162 match was provided by the Calaveras Council of Governments, which is administering the grant funds.  Work on the Valley Springs Community Plan Update started in January 2009!!

Watch Valley Springs Community Planning meetings on your computer

To view Valley Springs Community Plan project photos, background maps, FAQ sheet, slideshows and meeting presentations, questionnaire results, and project documents, visit the CCOG Valley Springs Community Plan page on the Calaveras Council of Governments (CCOG) website.

2009-2010 Community Planning

Community Plan project partners and consultants met in January-February 2009 to coordinate.  In March-May stakeholder and focus group meetings were held and community area questionnaires were mailed. The public “kickoff” for the Valley Springs Area Community Plan was May 28th-June 2nd 2009. Public participation was high at the three events: 'Opening Community Meeting', 'Community Design Workshop', and ‘Presentation of Plan Concepts'. The design team also hosted four venues with additional public drop-in hours to provide everyone an opportunity to give input and ask questions.

In June and July, stakeholder and focus group meetings continued, giving feedback on presentations, communications and outreach.  The fourth public Valley Springs Community Plan workshop ‘Planning for the Future’ was held August 27th, 2009.  Design consultants discussed future growth projections, what it means to be in a Community Plan, and presented Community Plan Boundary Alternatives for public discussion and selection. ‘Boundary C’ was the preferred alternative and included Gold Creek, La Contenta, Rancho Calaveras, and other areas. In the fall, further discussions took place about the community plan boundary, and stakeholder meetings continued.

Additional Valley Springs Community Plan update public workshops were held February 23, 25, and 27th, 2010.  Attendance was high at community plan meetings, ‘Planning Boundaries and Guiding Principles’, ‘Planning for Valley Springs Future, Land Use and Circulation Maps’, and ‘Open House: View the Maps and give input.’  At the meetings, ‘Boundary B’ was chosen as the preferred community plan boundary (removing Rancho Calaveras and Quail Oaks), handouts were distributed and feedback received on draft Vision and Guiding Principles, and discussions were held on Alternative Draft Land Use and Circulation Maps.

In April, 2010, Valley Springs area residents and landowners participated in a Land Use Questionnaire designed to refine preferences for the community plan diagram.  Land use Options were presented and input received.  Results were compiled and evaluated, and a “community consensus map” was created, based on over a year’s worth of public input and direction.  The Valley Springs Community Plan Update ‘Draft Land Use and Circulation Diagram’ was presented by the CCOG May 4 to the Planning Department and the Board of Supervisors, for use in the county’s General Plan Update.

Later in May, a second map with different boundaries and land use designations was developed by District 1 Supervisor Tofanelli, with the assistance of a steering committee put together to represent interests in the community.  This Citizens Committee May 27 map was then presented to the Board of Supervisors on June 1, 2010.  The Board accepted both Valley Springs Community Plan Update maps, with the May 27 map being the ‘Preferred Map’, and the May 4 map being the ‘Alternative Map’ for use in the county General Plan Update.

Consultants continued to work through the summer of 2010 completing the community-based Consensus Plan administered by the CCOG, based on previous input from more than a thousand community members.  On August 24, the Public Review Draft Valley Springs Consensus Plan was released for review and comment.  A public meeting was held September 15 to present, discuss, and receive comments on the Plan.  Written comment letters were responded to and minor revisions to the plan were made in response to questions and comments.

The Final Draft Valley Springs Community Plan was submitted to the Board of Supervisors and Planning Department on October 19, 2010.

Click here for video of VSCP submittal to BOS

Click here to access VSCP on CCOG website

Click to compare maps/ plans on CAP website

Current Community Plan Status

The community-based Final Draft Valley Springs Community Plan is posted on the Calaveras Council of Governments website and is available at the Calaveras County Planning Department, CCOG, Valley Springs Library, The Valley Springs News, Common Grounds, Starbucks, Showtime Video, and Umpqua Bank.  The Tofanelli Citizens Committee Draft Plan is also available at the Planning Department and locations around town. Both plans (and maps) are posted for comparison on CAP’s Valley Springs Community Plan Information page. 

Both draft Valley Springs Community Plans will be reviewed during the Calaveras County General Plan Update process.

For current information and meetings, please check MyValleySprings.com's Special Meetings and Events.

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More info on the Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant

In September 2008, the Calaveras Council of Governments learned their application for a Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant to update the Valley Springs Community Plan was successful.  The grant project is titled, “Rural Smart Growth: A Community-Based Plan for Valley Springs”.  The project partners include MyValleySprings.com, the Local Government Commission, and Calaveras County.  MVS.com and the LGC wrote the grant proposal. The grant is intended to produce a community planning document consistent with the Calaveras County General Plan and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).  The grant award was $204,648 and CCOG provided a local match of $51,162 for a total project budget of $255,810.  CCOG is administering the grant funds.  The heart of the effort is a highly participatory series of meetings, workshops, and design sessions in which a professional design team (headed by EDAW, Inc.) works with the public onsite to produce a collaborative plan.  The project began in January 2009 and is anticipated to finish in early 2010.  This project is the culmination of a three-year effort by MVS.com to update the community plan.