PASADENA – Housing density, open space, and transportation – all of these often hotly debated subjects in Pasadena will again be on the table as the city works to complete a five-year update to its General Plan. This time around, however, City Council members hope the plan will get wide public input. This past week, the council created the Planning Update Policy Committee, comprised of 12 non-council members who will seek out ways to get residents involved and also be responsible for working directly with staff to formulate the General Plan update.

The process will take more than a year, city officials say, but already long-time activists are unhappy with the direction the process is heading. Many feel that the committee, which will be made up largely of members of existing city commissions, will leave residents out.

“At heart, this is the people’s plan, not the staff’s plan,” said Marsha Rood, the city’s former development administrator. “This should not be written by consultants.”

The commission will be made up of 12 members, but nine will be appointed from established city commissions, including planning, design, environmental advisory, community development, transportation advisory, historic preservation, Northwest, recreation and parks, and open space and conservation.

One member will come from the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and two will be at-large members appointed by the council, one whom may come from the Pasadena Unified School District school board.