What is a General Plan and why do we care?
If you’ve been paying attention to the land use discussions in San Diego County the question of GPAs has come up. However, many ask “what exactly is a GPA?” Here is a brief summary which will be fleshed out with more detail over time.
What is a General Plan?
In a nutshell, a General Plan is a sort of “constitution” of land use which establishes the best and most efficient places to build in a particular jurisdiction. Every city and county in California is required to have one under under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which was signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1970. Each of the 19 cities in the County of San Diego have their own general plans. Here’s what the County of San Diego says about the General Plan:
What is the San Diego County General Plan?
And the County also has its own General Plan for the unincorporated areas. The County spent $18 million of taxpayer money in studies and 13 years getting input from all stakeholders: including respected housing experts, the Building Industry Association itself and of course, the communities likely to be affected. This created a map for smart growth that all parties agreed to with the objective or placing housing close to jobs, infrastructure and away from high fire danger zones. The General Plan provides for over 232,300 homes throughout the unincorporated County which more than accommodates housing growth for the foreseeable future. Being a negotiation, no one got everything they wanted, but overall, it created a sensible way to grow our population. It was implemented in 2011 by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors who voted to approve it 4-1.
What are the principals of the General Plan?
The general plan has principals which generally are meant to take into account the vision that the residents and other stakeholders of the County have for the future of the region. This vision was arrived at through 13 years of workshops with communities, working groups with real estate and construction professionals, environmental groups and other stakeholders. These principals focus on keeping people safe from fire risk, by locating housing density away from high fire hazard areas. They aim to limit congestion and traffic by placing housing near transit corridors and road infrastructure that can support it. They aim to preserve the unique character of certain communities in the region. They also seek to limit the destruction of open space and agricultural land. There is a lot more, to be tackled at a later date. Here is what the General Plan says about its themes and principles:
The General Plan provides a consistent framework for land use and development decisions consistent with an established community vision. As the equivalent of a local “constitution” for land use and development, the General Plan’s diagrams, goals, and policies form the basis for the County’s zoning, subdivision, and infrastructure decisions. https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/pds/generalplan.html
A number of important themes that are integral components of the County’s vision for its future are woven throughout the General Plan rather than structured as separate elements such as community character, environmental sustainability, and global warming. As required by State law, the seven required elements of the General Plan are highly correlated and are presented in six chapters of the San Diego County General Plan.
Copyright 2020, Grow the San Diego Way
