Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Feel free to contact us if you don’t find your specific answers here.
What is a neighborhood village?
Neighborhood Villages, which are referred to by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) as “Neighborhood Mobility Areas,” represent targeted areas in the City to encourage transportation alternatives. These areas are characterized by homes surrounded by local retail establishments with short blocks and multiple intersections to improve safety and access.
Neighborhood Villages contain both Neighborhoods, which in this case refers to geographically-defined residential areas with mostly single-family homes or lower-density multi-family housing, and Villages, compact neighborhood centers with a sense of place and community where residents can meet daily needs such as going to the market, restaurants and banks on foot, by bicycle or other non-automotive means.
How were the neighborhood villages selected?
Neighborhood Villages were selected based on areas that met the majority of the characteristics of Neighborhood Mobility Areas in the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. These characteristics are:
- Largely residential neighborhoods with small- to medium-lot single-family homes
- Accessibility to neighborhood retail establishments
- Developed between the late 1890’s and early 1960’s
- Contain a denser grid network of local roads
- High intersection density
- Lack of convenient access to high frequency transit options
While all of the City’s residential neighborhoods contain some of these characteristics, the selected neighborhoods are the ones that best meet the criteria.
What sorts of strategies are being considered to create neighborhood villages?
A variety of strategies including regulatory changes, new programs, innovative partnerships, and improvements to roadways and other existing infrastructure are being considered. The strategies coalesce around creating an environment that is supportive of new local services and destinations and improving safety and access for people who are not driving automobiles to local destinations.
I am a property owner. Will your project result in changing the zoning on my property?
Not directly. While no zoning amendments will be considered as a part of this process, we will make recommendations to the General Plan Update process for the General Plan Land Use Element, which will then be used to update the City’s zoning code.
I am a resident. How will this project affect me?
Implementation of the recommendations of this process is likely to occur over decades, so changes may not be immediate. However, in the long run, the goal of this project is to bring more services and opportunities into close proximity to residents’ homes, and to improve the ability of residents to walk, bike, etc. to destinations in their neighborhoods.
I am a business owner. How will this project affect me?
Implementation of the recommendations of this process is likely to occur over decades, so changes may not be immediate. However, in the long run, Neighborhood Villages will support businesses by creating better environments, increasing local clientele for customer-facing businesses, and increasing the options for access to the business by customers, employees and others. In particular, Neighborhood Villages will include multiple strategies to support the viability of local service-oriented businesses.
How can I get involved?
We are soliciting community participation in all phases of Neighborhood Villages and General Plan development. Please visit the Participate page for details on upcoming events or contact us directly with your thoughts or questions.