A team of City staff and technical consultants prepared the initial drafts of the Hayward 2040 General Plan. However, the majority of the ideas and concepts within the General Plan originated from members of the Hayward community. By engaging in a comprehensive community involvement process, members of the Hayward community provided substantial input that influenced the formation of the General Plan goals, policies, and implementation programs. The City Council-appointed General Plan Update Task Force provided critical input throughout the process and deserves substantial credit for assisting in the preparation of the Plan. Finally, guidance and direction from the City Council and Planning Commission confirmed the City’s priorities and General Plan policy.
As shown in Table 1-2, the Hayward 2040 General Plan was prepared through a seven-phased process. Each phase is described below.
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“Hayward is the perfect place to live, work, and hang-out. There’s something for everyone.”
- Hayward Resident
Phase 2 involved a comprehensive community engagement process that began in November 2012. The purpose of this phase was to gain an understanding of the community’s values, priorities, and aspirations, and to work collectively to formulate a vision for the future of Hayward. Community input was collected by the following visioning efforts:
- Community Workshops
- Community Survey
- Neighborhood Meetings
- Hayward2040.org
- Preparation and Review of Draft 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles
These visioning efforts are described below.
Community Workshops
The City of Hayward conducted six Community Workshops in November and December 2012. The Workshops were held in several locations throughout the City:
- November 29, 2012: City Hall
- December 1, 2012: City Hall
- December 3, 2012: Martin Luther King Middle School
- December 6, 2012: Fairway Park Baptist Church
- December 10, 2012: Southland Mall
- December 12, 2012: Hayward High School
At each workshop, City Staff presented an overview of the General Plan. The presentation described what a General Plan is and why it is important. After the presentation, community members participated in a variety of interactive exercises to provide input on the General Plan and to identify the community’s values, concerns, priorities, and ideas for improving Hayward. After the exercises, community members participated in a large group discussion to summarize the major ideas or themes expressed during the exercises.
Community Survey
The City conducted a Community Survey to gain input related to a variety of topics, including transportation, dining and entertainment, education, housing, parks and open space, sustainability, and emergency readiness. The City distributed the Community Survey at all Community Workshops, City Hall, and the Hayward Public Library. Community members also took the survey on-line.
Neighborhood Meetings
To gain additional input on the General Plan, the City provided the General Plan Update Task Force with an Outreach Toolkit. The Outreach Toolkit contained resources that Task Force members used to organize and conduct small meetings with their neighbors and various community groups. Task Force members organized and conducted ten Neighborhood Meetings in January and February 2013:
- January 16, 2013: Community Services Commission
- January 19, 2013: Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association
- January 22, 2013: Woodland Estates Community Association
- January 24, 2013: Photo Central (HARD)
- January 24, 2013: Keep Hayward Clean and Green Task Force
- January 26, 2013: Cotter Way Neighborhood
- January 30, 2013: Eden Shores Homeowners Association
- January 30, 2013: Hayward Senior Center
- January 31, 2013: Hayward Senior Center
- February 5, 2013: Chabot College
At each meeting, community members discussed the General Plan process and participated in a variety of interactive exercises to identify the community’s values, concerns, priorities, and ideas for improving Hayward.
Hayward2040.org
Hayward2040.org was a discussion forum and idea-generation website that helped the City get citizen input about the General Plan. The City recognized that many members of the Hayward community would not have the time to attend community workshops and neighborhood meetings. Hayward2040.org provided an additional opportunity for residents to participate in the process and express their ideas for improving Hayward. Hayward2040.org was used throughout the General Plan Update process to discuss a variety of topics and ideas related to improving Hayward and establishing a vision for the future of the community.
Preparation and Review of the Draft 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles
City staff and the consultant team organized and summarized all of the comments and ideas that were generated from the community engagement efforts described above. City staff identified the major themes that resonated with the community members and then used these themes to develop the Draft 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles.
The Draft 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles document was then reviewed and refined by General Plan Update Task Force, theCity Council and Planning Commission, and at two public workshops, and several neighborhood meetings organized by Task Force members:
- February 7, 2013: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting
- February 19, 2013: City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session
- March 6, 2013: Community Workshop: City Hall
- March 11, 2013: Community Workshop: Matt Jimenez Community Center
- March 22, 2013: Hayward Senior Center: Neighborhood Meeting
- March 23, 2013: Cotter Way Neighborhood Meeting
- March 29, 2013: Hayward Senior Center Neighborhood Meeting
- April 18, 2013: Highland Boulevard Neighborhood Meeting
The City used Hayward2040.org to present the Draft 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles and to discuss and brainstorm ways to improve and refine the document.
City staff and the consultant team revised the Draft Vision and Guiding Principles based on input received from the work sessions, Task Force meeting, neighborhood meetings, and Hayward2040.org. The Final Vision and Guiding Principles document was then presented to the City Council on April 16, 2013. The final version of the Vision and Guiding Principles is located in Part 2 of the Hayward 2040 General Plan Policy Document.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.”
- Bruce Lee
In May 2013, City staff and the consultant team began the process of preparing draft goals and policies for the General Plan. The community visioning efforts, the Background Report, the 2040 Vision and Guiding Principles, and existing goals and policies of the City were used to guide the formation of the new General Plan goals and policies. A special public workshop on community health was also conducted in April 2013 to gain additional insights from the Hayward community about how to address rising health problems, such as obesity, asthma, cancer, and diabetes. Hayward 2040.org was also used to discuss and brainstorm ideas related to community health.
Once drafted, the General Plan Update Task Force, Planning Commission, and City Council reviewed the goals and policies at the following meetings and work sessions in May, June, and July 2013:
- May 30, 2013: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting to review goals and policies related to Education and Lifelong Learning, Economic Development, and Public Facilities and Services
- June 18, 2013: City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session to review goals and policies related to Education and Lifelong Learning, Economic Development, and Public Facilities and Services
- June 20, 2012: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting to review goals and policies related to Mobility, Community Safety, and Hazards
- July 9, 2013: City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session to review goals and policies related to Mobility, Community Safety, and Hazards
- July 11, 2013: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting to review goals and policies related to Land Use and Community Character, Natural , and Community Health and Quality of Life
- July 30, 2013: City Council and Planning Commission Joint Work Session to review goals and policies related to Land Use and Community Character, Natural , and Community Health and Quality of Life
After each meeting and work session, City staff and the consultant team revised the goals and policies based on input and direction from the Task Force, City Council, and Planning Commission.
In July and August 2013, City staff and the consultant team prepared the draft implementation programs for the General Plan. All City departments participated in the process of reviewing and refining the implementation programs. The goals, policies, and implementation programs were then consolidated and organized to create the Preliminary Draft General Plan Policy Document.
Once completed, the General Plan Update Task Force, Planning Commission, City Council, City Council subcommittees and community organizations reviewed the Preliminary Draft General Plan at several meetings and work sessions between September 2013 and January 2014:
- September 12, 2013: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting
- September 18, 2013: Hayward Democratic Society
- September 19, 2013: Hayward Nonprofit Alliance
- September 26, 2013: General Plan Update Task Force Meeting
- October 2, 2013: Council Sustainability Committee
- October 22, 2013: City Council Work Session
- October 24, 2013: Planning Commission Work Session
- November 4, 2013: Council Economic Development Committee
- November 15, 2013: Latino Business Roundtable
- January 15, 2014: Leadership Hayward
Based on direction and feedback received at the meetings, City staff and the consultant team revised the Preliminary Draft General Plan.
The environmental review of the Hayward 2040 General Plan began in August 2013. The City released a Notice of Preparation on August 5th and held an Environmental Impact Report Scoping Meeting on August 15th. City staff and the consultant team then prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the Hayward 2040 General Plan and to identify mitigation measures to reduce potentially significant impacts. The City published the Draft Environmental Impact Report in February and the 45-day review and comment period occurred between February 4, 2014 and March 21, 2014. Three public meetings were held during the review and comment period to present the major findings of the Draft EIR and to receive comments from the public and members of the Planning Commission and City Council:
- March 8, 2014: General Plan Update Open House
- March 13, 2014: Planning Commission Meeting on the Draft EIR
- March 18, 2014: City Council Meeting on the Draft EIRS
City staff and the consultant team responded to comments on the Draft EIR and prepared and released the Final EIR on May 19, 2014. The Final EIR was certified by the City Council on July 1, 2014.
City staff and the consultant team prepared the Public-Review Draft of the Hayward 2040 General Plan in October and November 2013. The Public-Review Draft of the Hayward 2040 General Plan was released for public review and comment on January 31, 2014. A community Open House was held on March 8, 2014 to present the key concepts of the Hayward 2040 General Plan and the Draft EIR and to receive comments on the documents.
The adoption process for the Hayward 2040 General Plan involved public hearings by the Planning Commission and City Council:
- June 5, 2014: Planning Commission Public Hearing
- July 1, 2014: City Council Public Hearing
The Hayward 2040 General Plan and the Draft and Final EIR were discussed at each meeting. At the June 5th public hearing, the Planning Commission provided a recommendation to the City Council to certify the Final EIR and approve the Hayward 2040 General Plan. At the July 1st public hearing, the City Council certified the Final EIR and approved the Hayward 2040 General Plan.
After the adoption of the General Plan, the document was converted to a web-based format. The web-based format allows users to easily search and find topics of interest.