Note: The City's Transportation Commission meeting scheduled for July 16, 2026 was officially canceled per the agenda and minutes. However, the provided transcript records a joint commission study session on the General Plan 2050 update on the same date. This summary covers that study session, as the source material contains this substantive meeting. The discrepancy is noted: the agenda states the Transportation Commission meeting was canceled, while the transcript reflects a different, multi-commission meeting.
The study session brought together members of the Planning Commission, Design Review Commission, Transportation Commission, Parks, Recreation & Open Space Commission, and Arts Commission to learn about the General Plan 2050 update process and provide feedback on key issues, desired outcomes, and community engagement strategies. No official actions or votes were taken; the session was informational only.
Commissioners from all five commissions shared perspectives on Walnut Creek’s unique character, critical issues, and desired outcomes for the general plan:
Commissioners offered ideas for reaching non‑traditional populations:
Helen, welcome to the July 9th planning commission meeting. Will the Secretary please take the roll? Yes. Commissioner Anderson? Here. Commissioner Moran is absent. Let us know ahead of time. Commissioner Cound. Here. Commissioner Strongman. Here. Commissioner Quok. Here. Vice Chair Cloth. Here. And Chair Needing. Here. Thank you. Do we have anything on the consent calendar? I don't think so. We do not. Okay. Okay. There are two opportunities for the public to provide comment. The first is for each item on the agenda when the agenda comes up, or right now, which is a comment that is within the purview but not on an item on the agenda, which we only have one tonight. So are there any public comments on items not on the agenda? Seeing a lot of shaking heads. Okay. Perfect. So now I'd like to go with item number four. Oh, pardon me. Any ex parte communication. Also, lots of head shaking. So with that, let's move on to item number four, which is the public hearing. We have one item, which is project YCD architecture conditional use permit application number Y261, located at 1402 Newell Avenue. And it sounds like we also have a presentation from staff as well. Thank you. Good evening, Planning Commissioners. My name is Jessica Gonzalez, Senior Planner, and tonight I will be presenting the conditional use permit for YC plus D. Getting started with the project location. The project site is an existing single-story building located at 1402 Newell Avenue. The site is zoned central retail. And so as such, the surrounding uses for the site include various offices, commercial, and retail uses. Just some more project context. I've included some photos of the building on this screen. The photo on the left side shows the building side facing Newell Avenue. The photo on the right side shows the proposed project location and tenant space. So some understanding on the application. YC plus D is an architectural firm that proposes to occupy one of the three existing tenant spaces at the building. A conditional use permit is required to allow office use on the ground floor in the central retail zoning district.