MISSION VIEJO : Planners to Survey Public on Priorities

City planners, trying to put together a long-term plan for the city’s growth, are preparing to poll residents about their priorities for the future.

Glen K. Godfrey, a planning consultant who is head of the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee, said a questionnaire will be mailed to about 5,000 residents next week. The survey will ask randomly selected residents to list the areas they believe need the city’s attention. Most city officials expect traffic to top that list, but air pollution, open space, school planning, park development and other topics are on many residents’ minds, as well.

The tab for the survey, which will reach approximately every fourth household in the city, will depend on how many residents respond, Godfrey said, but will probably run from $3,000 to $5,000.

“My feeling is that traffic, as it is in many Orange County cities, is the No. 1 problem,” Godfrey said. “But we won’t really know until the questionnaire comes back. That’s why we want to hear from people.”

Residents who do not receive a survey can pick one up at the city’s offices. Results will be compiled by an accounting firm working with the city and turned over to the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee, which will share them with city officials before releasing them to the public.

The committee plans to hold public discussions in November about the city’s first land-use General Plan, which will not be completed until next year.