Yes, the Malibu General Plan has a Vision Statement. It reads: “Malibu is a unique land and marine environment and residential community whose citizens have historically evidenced a commitment to sacrifice urban and suburban conveniences in order to protect that environment and lifestyle and to preserve unaltered natural resources and rural characteristics. The people of Malibu are a responsible custodian of the area’s natural resources for present and future generations.”
The 2020 Vision team is recommending a process to enable a large number of citizens to create an expanded vision of what Malibu will look like in 10-20 years. Arcata, a Northern California coastal community, is an example of a city engaging in this process. For conceptualization purposes only, I quote, in part, “Arcata Community Vision.”
“Arcata today … is more than just a great place to live. Arcata is home, a sanctuary and a work in progress. Picture Arcata in the year 2020: A safe and inspiring environment for people of all ages and stages …Our choices make Arcata what it is and what it will be. Our decisions reach far beyond our own times, guiding Arcata towards a promising future. We’ll grow but on our own terms. A modest growth rate, up to a population of around 20,000, will support and encourage economic viability, while maintaining our primary focus on community and manageability. We build carefully. Arcata’s environmentally conscious development guidelines, and surrounding permanent greenbelt, promote compact growth and resist the pressures for unplanned sprawl.”
The 2020 Vision team also proposes a citizen process for setting priorities and strategic planning, prerequisites for implementing a General Plan. Hal Conklin, past mayor of Santa Barbara and participant in their long-term planning and visioning work had this to say: “Maintaining clarity of vision is essential to a community’s ability to move forward and accomplish goals … We have entered the era of collaborative decision-making. This is what democracy is all about in the 21st century.”
We can create a neutral forum for communication, education and collaboration. Our community will reap the positive benefits.
Margaret Shultz and Gretchen Hays
Malibu 2020 Vision Team