Santa Maria received an extension to complete its plan for accommodating thousands of new residents with housing, businesses, parks and more expected for the growing city through 2045.

The state granted the city an extra three months for the adoption of the updated Santa Maria General Plan by the Planning Commission and City Council, members of the panel heard during a rare joint meeting Thursday night.

“So, we do have a little breathing room,” Community Development Director Chenin Dow said.

The prior schedule called for planning commissioners to review the proposal this month before adoption by the City Council in December. The new schedule projects adoption in late February or early March. 

Staff said during another joint meeting of the council and Planning Commission that the city risked losing a $335,000 grant, which has funded the update or the document providing the vision for Santa Maria through 2045. 

Work on the General Plan update began in 2020 and involved a significant number of meetings with various groups of people.

The updated document will plot out where future housing, businesses and other key community features should go to accommodate up to 58,000 additional residents.

The plan envisions the city annexing 985 acres east of Highway 101, although some council members and commissioners questioned whether the city should add twice as much land. 

Members of the two panels previously criticized the lack of a conceptual map showing future uses for the annexed land, leading to a very preliminary proposal shown Thursday night. It envisioned commercial areas closest to the highway, other areas for new housing, and open space on the eastern edge to create a buffer with ongoing farming operations.

Projections say Santa Maria needs 16,000 additional housing units for it future residents, with roughly 5,600 units currently in the pipeline.

Apparently in response to concerns raised previously, city staff spelled out that a General Plan includes a land-use map, policy document and environment impact report, but does not have the details spelled out in specific plans for a development or area. 

“The General Plan remains the foundation. You cannot approve a project that’s not consistent with a General Plan. You can’t approve a shopping center in a residential district,” Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu said.

At the last meeting, some planning commissioners and council members expressed concern that the process needed to slow down. 

The proposed plan envisions a vibrant downtown, active mixed-use corridors, a thriving airport, a balanced mix of land uses and more for Santa Maria.

Staff members stated that 19% of the land, or 2,721 acres, within the current city limits could handle growth.

However, council members, commissioners and members of the public questioned the number, noting that some of the vacant land identified by the city isn’t available for development for various reasons. 

Planning Commission chair Robert Dickerson asked whether the city should try to annex 2,000 acres, but Dow said the council decided in 2023 on the annexation size after rejecting smaller and larger proposals. 

In 2023, staff presented the council with several options, including focusing only on infill, adding 1,700 acres to the city or a hybrid version that included infill plus annexation of just fewer than 1,000 acres.

“This was kind of the Goldilocks version,” Dow said, adding that the option sought to balance infill development versus expansion of the city’s boundaries.

Land-use consultant Laurie Tamura called for the council to look to the past — specifically, 1993’s previous expansion — when planning for the future.

“I think it’s really important for us to use the tools that were used in the past that proved to be successful,” Tamura said.

The General Plan update and other details are available at imaginesantamaria.com.