Guiding Principles Community Survey

The Sand City 2050 General Plan Update builds upon recent planning efforts, including the Vibrancy Plan (2019), Sustainable Transportation Plan (2021), West End Parking Plan (2023), and the 6th Cycle Housing Element (2024). The following draft Guiding Principles reflect priorities identified through these plans and previous community input, and will help guide the City’s long-term vision, policies, and future growth. The City is seeking public feedback to help refine and strengthen these draft Guiding Principles as part of the 2050 General Plan Update process.

Please review the following proposed draft Guiding Principles and share your feedback with a short six question survey below.

1. Foster a Vibrant Mixed-Use Community
Support the continued evolution of Sand City as a vibrant mixed-use community that integrates residential, commercial, arts, entertainment, and visitor-serving uses, particularly in the West End and other key activity areas.

2. Celebrate Sand City’s Arts and Creative Identity
Preserve and strengthen Sand City’s distinctive identity as an arts-centered and maker-oriented community by supporting artists, creative businesses, maker spaces, public art, and opportunities for live/work spaces and cultural activity.

3. Expand A Diverse Mix of Housing Types and Affordable Housing Opportunities
Promote the development of a broader range of housing types—including apartments, townhomes, accessory dwelling units, live/work units, and senior housing—to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and accommodate households of different incomes and life stages.

4. Create a Safe and Connected Multimodal Transportation Network
Enhance walking, bicycling, transit, and vehicular connections within Sand City and to surrounding communities, to improve safety, accessibility, and mobility for residents, workers, and visitors.

5. Support Walkability and Livable Neighborhoods
Create a primary pedestrian corridor and a cohesive network of walking trails and bicycle paths, along with designing streets, public spaces, and development patterns that promote walkability, encourage social interaction, and create welcoming environments integrating landscaping, shade, human-scaled design, with connected corridors linking residents and visitors to jobs, parks, businesses, and the coastline.

6. Protect Coastal Resources and Expand Public Access
Protect and preserve Sand City’s coastal habitats, dunes, and other sensitive natural resources while supporting responsible public access to the coastline. Encourage improvements that expand recreational opportunities, enhance connections to regional trail systems, and integrating habitat-sensitive landscaping and design, allowing residents and visitors to experience the City’s natural environment in a manner that is both enjoyable and environmentally responsible.

7. Sustain and Strengthen Sand City's Retail and Commercial Hub
Sand City's major retail and shopping center corridor is the economic engine of the City, generating the sales tax revenue that funds municipal services and community investments. Support the long-term viability of this corridor by creating flexible land use and development frameworks that adapt to evolving retail trends, attract new commercial and visitor-serving uses, and encourage reinvestment in existing properties. Promote hotels, entertainment, dining, and other visitor-serving uses that leverage the City's coastal location and draw customers and investment to the corridor for decades to come.

8. Honor Sand City’s Industrial Heritage While Nurturing the West End’s Evolution
Sand City's identity was shaped by its business and industrial community — a legacy of craftspeople, manufacturers, and service businesses that established the City's economic foundation. As the West End continues to evolve toward mixed-use, residential, and creative uses, the City will work to ensure this transition preserves space and opportunity for maker, trade, and other established businesses that continue to contribute to the community. Encourage the growth of arts, live/work, and creative enterprises alongside existing uses, maintaining the affordability and flexibility that have long supported Sand City's entrepreneurial character and allowed a diverse range of businesses and residents to thrive.

9. Manage Parking Strategically to Support a Growing District
Improve the efficiency, availability, and management of parking resources in the West End and other activity areas through shared parking strategies, demand-based strategies, and targeted expansion where needed to support businesses, residents, and visitors.

10. Promote Sustainable and Livable Development
Encourage development patterns and infrastructure investments that support environmental sustainability, reduce reliance on automobile travel, enhance public spaces, and improve overall quality of life for residents, workers, and visitors.