City of Santa Maria holds ‘Community Visioning Workshop’, residents share ideas for city’s future

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The City of Santa Maria held a workshop Wednesday night. It's asking residents to help envision the city’s future.

“The city is updating its general plan. this is part of the first phase which is public outreach and engagement,” said City of Santa Maria Public Information Manager Mark van de Kamp.

The general plan is a blueprint that outlines policies which will determine how the city will be built into the future for the next 20 to 30 years.

“We are looking for input on what kind of community you want to see in the future and that includes input on what types of housing” said van de Kamp. “What kind of jobs, it could be the economy and what kinds of facilities.”

In the Zoom meeting, residents were asked to participate in polls and later on were separated into small groups to talk about their ideas and priorities they would like for Santa Maria.

“We have heard over the years that the people would like to see more educational opportunities,” said van de Kamp. “We are also working with Allan Hancock College where we can partner and maybe bring a 4-year university.”

If you would like to participate and input your ideas, a second and final workshop will be on December 3rd at 6:30 p.m. over Zoom.

Click here for more details.