Submitted By: Community Development
Prepared By: Christopher Wright, Senior Planner
Subject:
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CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM (SIP) FOR FISCAL YEARS 2026-27 AND 2027-28
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Summary:
The Strategic Implementation Program (SIP) is a list of City projects to complete within five fiscal years, before FY 2031-32, to achieve the community goals established in the Centennial General Plan. The SIP is a five-year implementation work program that is updated every two years as part of the City’s budget process.
Background:
On February 4, 2014, the City Council adopted the Centennial General Plan, the City’s comprehensive long-term policy document. A goal in the Governance Element is to “achieve continuous progress in implementing the Centennial General Plan by following the plan’s Strategic Implementation Program and by the sustained commitment to its values and visions.”
Discussion:
The SIP identifies projects on which the City should focus available resources, separate from recurring work necessary for regular City operations. Each department reviews the program and recommends which projects to include and prioritize in the five-year SIP and which projects to defer beyond the five-year period. After the SIP is drafted, the Planning Commission reviews the proposed SIP at a public meeting and forwards recommendations to the City Council. The SIP was updated during the budget process but was not acted upon, so staff requests a City Council decision.
On March 4, 2026, the Planning Commission adopted a resolution supporting the proposed SIP update and recommended adding a project to develop a zoning amendment or other incentives to support economic development along El Camino Real. The attached SIP was updated to include this change.
Table 1, below, identifies projects to complete within five fiscal years or to defer beyond five years. The projects are sorted by lead City department that would oversee completion of the project. Additional project details are provided in the SIP documents provided as Attachment 2, Exhibits 1 through 3. Attachment 3 summarizes changes proposed in this SIP update.
Table 1
|
Lead Department |
Projects to Include in SIP (i.e. Complete before FY 2031-32) |
Projects to Defer |
|
Beaches Parks and Recreation |
• Continue updates to site-specific park master plans. • Add educational signage on habitats along beach trail and Vista Hermosa Park. • Consider public art ordinance. • Digitize BPR documents. • Complete City-wide facilities lease reviews. • Update Golf Course Master Plan. • Plan and execute the City's centennial celebration and support the LA28 Olympics in San Clemente. |
• Establish community garden program. |
|
City Manager |
• Adopt an Economic Development Strategy to support a thriving local economy and promote the City’s fiscal health. • Develop public engagement manual, and strategies to improve outreach. |
• Establish location for historic resource library. • Develop a digital wayfinding program. |
|
Community Development |
• Prepare and certify Local Coastal Program. • Evaluate the Inclusionary Housing Program. • Process a dark sky lighting ordinance. • Complete a parking management plan for the coastal zone. • Update the historic resource survey. • Prepare a Zoning Amendment for a gateway overlay to incentivize hotel development within gateways. • Prepare a Zoning Amendment or other incentives to support economic development opportunities along El Camino Real. (PC Recommended Change) • Prepare a Zoning Amendment for short-term lodging units during large regional events to enhance transient occupancy tax revenue. • Implement the Real Estate Asset Management Plan. • Implement the Emergency Management Strategic Plan. |
• Survey potential historic structures that are unlisted, such as mid-century modern. • Update the City Design Guidelines. • Implement a sign program for North Beach historic district. • Update the General Plan. |
|
Public Works |
• Develop Urban Forest Management Plan and tree ordinance. • Continue lifeguard headquarters feasibility study. • Update Climate Action Plan. • Adopt a living streets model design manual. |
• Develop feasibility study for potential utility undergrounding. |
Progress on General Plan Implementation:
The City has completed several SIP projects since the General Plan’s adoption. For a list of project accomplishments, see Attachment 2, Exhibit 2. The City’s State-required Annual Progress Report <https://www.sanclemente.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1531/Annual-Progress-Report-PDFss-Report-PDF> is also available on the City’s website.
Considerations Identified by Staff:
Staff analyzed the status of existing projects, staff capacity for new projects, required resources, Council direction since the prior SIP update, community needs and interests, legal requirements, and Planning Commission and community input in preparing the SIP update. Adoption of the SIP establishes the City’s near-term priorities for implementation of the Centennial General Plan and provides a coordinated framework for directing staff time and resources toward those priorities. Periodic updates also provide the City Council an opportunity to adjust implementation priorities in response to changing conditions, available resources, and community needs while maintaining progress toward the General Plan’s long-term goals.
Council Options:
• Adopt the proposed Resolution (Attachment 1) to approve the SIP as presented in Attachment 2, Exhibit 1. This is the recommended action.
• Adopt the resolution to approve the SIP with changes, such as adding or removing projects, or modifying their scope or timing, while considering each department’s available resources during the five-year period.
• Continue the item and direct staff to provide additional information.
Environmental Review/Analysis:
The SIP does not require further environmental analysis because the SIP is not a “project” under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. Alternatively, the SIP is exempt under Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule exemption. The SIP is limited to an organizational and administrative government activity to list and prioritize General Plan implementation measures, evaluate progress, and to direct resources through the budget process to meet City goals. General Plan implementation activities are separately processed and evaluated according to CEQA.
Fiscal Impact:
None. If a SIP project requires professional services that are not included in the adopted budget, the necessary funding would be presented to the City Council when staff seeks authorization to retain a consultant and initiate that project.
Potential Action(s):
If the SIP is consistent with priorities of the City Council, the appropriate action would be to adopt Resolution No. 26-161, entitled “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING THE STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM (SIP) FOR FISCAL YEARS 2026-27 AND 2027-28 AND FINDING THE SIP IS EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA) UNDER SECTION 15378 AND SECTION 15061(b)(3) OF THE STATE CEQA GUIDELINES.”
recommendation
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Attachments:
1. Proposed Resolution No. 26-161
2. Strategic Implementation Program (SIP) for Fiscal Years 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Exhibit 1 - SIP Project List.
Exhibit 2 - Completed SIP Projects.
Exhibit 3 - Ongoing General Plan Implementation Measures.
3. Proposed Changes to SIP for Fiscal Year 2026-27 and 2027-28.
4. March 4, 2026 Planning Commission meeting minutes
Notification:
None.