In an effort to enhance overall circulation within Grover Beach, the City Council has commissioned an update to our General Plan Circulation Element. As growth and development continue within our City, the need to properly plan and reevaluate the performance of our City's circulation system has become imperative. To conduct this update effort, the City retained the consulting services of OMNI-MEANS, Engineers and Planners, a respected transportation engineering firm that works throughout northern and central California.

As a part of this update effort, existing transportation conditions have been assessed, and a computerized City-wide traffic model has been created. The City-wide traffic model is a tool that will enable the City to forecast future traffic conditions based on continued development within our City and the surrounding region. Based on projected traffic conditions, alternative circulation improvements will be evaluated and recommendations will be made as a part of the update to the City's Circulation Element.

In addition to reviewing overall vehicular circulation to avoid traffic congestion, other circulation and safety concerns made known to the City will also be addressed. Issues relating to truck and recreational vehicle travel through the City, industrial area accessibility, speeding and overall street safety, downtown circulation, and parking design as well as other issues have been raised and are being studied. Circulation, other than vehicular, including public transit, pedestrian, and bicycle travel, will also be evaluated to meet the overall travel needs of the citizens of Grover Beach.

Public Participation Process

One of the keys to success of a City-wide Circulation Element Update is the input and involvement of the public. Therefore, early in the update process, involvement through a public workshop was conducted.

The public workshop was held on August 26, 2003 to inform citizens about the following:

• Purpose of the Circulation Element Update
• Describe the Overall Study Approach, Update Process and Schedule
• Review Public Involvement and Input Opportunities
• Receive Input

Citizen concerns and issues raised initially are now being addressed in the study process. Once the analysis is complete, study findings and recommendations will be presented to both the Planning Commission and City Council for review and approvals. These public hearings will allow continued public input. It is currently anticipated that these public hearings will be held in early February and March of 2004.