San Anselmo launches economic development survey
Town planners in San Anselmo have started an online survey to get public comments about economic development.
The survey also will gather comments about community design, housing, public spaces and other issues. It is intended to shape the draft general plan.
“Engaging the residents and the business community throughout the general plan update process ensures that the updated plan reflects local priorities and aligns with the community’s vision for the town’s future,” said Lindsey Klein, a town planner.
The general plan update is a two-year process. An advisory committee was established in June to provide recommendations to the Town Council on developing the document.
The updated general plan will guide the growth of San Anselmo until 2045. The document will address issues such as land use, housing, open space, conservation, parks, recreation, transportation and environmental hazards.
Klein said integrating economic development into the general plan emphasizes a commitment to establish a framework for both near-term and long-term goals to support commercial areas.
“San Anselmo’s downtown and businesses are deeply valued and regarded as the heart of the community. To reflect this, the town is focused on fostering vibrant, welcoming commercial districts that enrich the quality of life for residents and visitors alike,” Klein said.
The survey includes 18 questions and divides the town into five business districts: downtown, the Hub, the northern Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor, the southern Sir Francis Drake Boulevard corridor and the Greenfield Avenue-Red Hill Avenue corridor.
The questions call for multiple choice responses or written responses about community preferences for each of the sites.
“Surveys like this are a road map which guide how San Anselmo will develop in the future,” said Mayor Tarrell Kullaway.
The Town Council approved a contract of about $1 million in April with O’Rourke and Associates, a consulting firm, to guide the general plan update. The economic development survey and a previous survey on quality-of-life issues are included in the cost, Klein said.
San Anselmo’s general plan was adopted in 1975. It was revised in 1988 under the topics of land use, traffic circulation and open space. The housing element has been revised various times since the 1980s, most recently in 2022 and 2023.
The town will hold a community workshop on commercial districts, economic development and community design at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the council chambers at Town Hall.