PMC was hired by the City of Chico to prepare the City’s 2030 General Plan Update. To better preserve the character of and encourage synergistic new development in Chico’s Downtown, the City requested that the update include a new Downtown Element.

The Downtown Element addresses key issues related to Downtown that were identified and evaluated by the Downtown Ad Hoc Committee and the larger community as part of the General Plan Update, including mixed-use development, the distinguishing characteristics of Downtown’s districts, circulation and traffic calming, placemaking, wayfinding, and Downtown’s relationship with California State University Chico. These concepts are addressed through the element’s goals, policies, and actions and in a Land Use Diagram. The design issues informed the development of the Downtown Vision Illustration and corresponding Vision Concepts that, when considered together, represent Chico’s future vision for Downtown as an evolving, vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood.

The Downtown Vision Illustration graphically depicts the community’s vision for a future Downtown that will result from implementing the General Plan policies. The illustration is not a master plan or a specific blueprint for future development, but rather reflects the community’s aspirations for the future of Downtown.