City Council starts discussion on General Plan 2045

By Camille DeVaul · Thu Oct 30 2025

Councilmembers focus on zoning proposals, especially in north El Camino Real area

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council began its look into the future makeup of the city during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as staff introduced the draft of its General Plan 2045, which Community Development Director Phil Dunsmore called “Authentic Atascadero.”

The item, which was under Management Report, and discussion took up most of the 3 1/2 meeting, including questions and comments from councilmembers, and six speakers from public comment.

The city began the five-phased General Plan Update process in July 2021. At the City Council’s November 2024 meeting, the City endorsed a “preferred alternative” land use map and corresponding growth assumptions, completing Phase 3 of the project. At that time the City Council weighed in on key policy topics to inform the General and EIR analysis. Since then, staff and the consultant team have been working on developing the General Plan policies for each of the required Elements (chapters) and have begun preparation of the EIR (Phase 4) as required by CEQA.

In introducing the General Plan proposal, Dunsmore noted that this was a draft document and open for amendment.

“I’ll keep underlining the word ‘general’” he said. “If we have some proposals on here, it doesn’t mean they’re going to happen. They might be things that we think maybe should happen or could happen in future.”

Dunsmore broke down the General Plan into nine chapters: Introduction, General Plan Vision and Guiding Principles, Land Use, Economic Development, Housing, Mobility Element, Recreation and Open Space Element, Public Services and Infrastructure, and Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Dunsmore identified his vision of Atascadero as finding more of a “jobs and housing balance” for the city

“Right now, we’re a commuter community,” he said of Atascadero. “I’d like to attract industries and higher-wage jobs to keep people in the city.”

To that end, Dunsmore proposed more of a mix of housing types, improve mobility — promoting more bicyclists and pedestrians in town — and providing access and safety in that vein, and addressing public infrastructure needs.

During council and public questioning and comments, most of the discusssion centered on zoning proposals.

“Zoning most important aspect,” Mayor Charles Bourbeau said. “How does this affect my property or neighborhood? This should provide overview. Which are the most significant changes in zoning? Which areas of the city are most affected.”

Dunsmore agreed and began to explain that certain areas were going to be a mix of land-use categories, which he coined “placetypes” for the general plan.

He pointed out the area of north El Camino Real, south of Del Rio Road, in between San Benito and San Anselmo roads, which featured a mix of medium- and low-density multi-family, single-family residential, commercial and what is called “Innovation/Flex” which would give developers flexibility of what can be built on a lot, whether it’s residential or business.

Councilmember Seth Peek was open to the Innovation/Flex in certain areas but was concerned about the effect on heavy residential areas.

“Shouldn’t we prioritize a buffer of mixed use over buffer of homes?” he asked. “Light industrial could be so many different things, where residents might want more of a buffer from certain businesses.”

The zoning of residences along El Camino Real south of Del Rio Road was also a concern during public comment, where residents of Silla Road, south of San Benito Road, spoke out against rezoning of their neighborhood. The area is mainly single-family homes with undeveloped roads.

Deborah Hintergardt, who lives on Silla Road, was concerned about the possibility of mutiple units going up in the area if it was changed from single-family to multi-family.

“This is a quiet area, we have yards with trees, and we keep animals on our property; it is rural and the addition of an apartment complex can affect that character,” she said. “I request you maintain the area by not changing the zoning and to remain RSF-1 [single-family].”

Councilmember Susan Funk brought up a couple more issues within the city — one of which was the number of undeveloped and unpaved roads in the city.

“We’re planning 20 years into the future, and parts of this town look like Tijuana with the unmaintained roads,” she said. Her concerns on the roads were echoed by the other councilmembers during the course of the meeting.

Funk also asked about the zoning of Traffic Way, which she noted was a dedicated truck route, and how that would jibe with plans for mobility with bike lanes and connections to nearby schools. Dunsmore said pathways were being worked on for the schools.

At the end, Planning Manager Kelly Gleason listed the areas the council touched on and staff would research: In addition to zoning, roads, and mobility, the topics brought up in discussion included explore child care for any new businesses, possible purchase of the Armory property and plans for the Atascadero Fine Arts Academy, acknowledge churches for as place ypes, allowances for off-grid homes, exploring the undergrounding of existing utilities.

The City Council will meet next on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m.