What is a General Plan?

The General Plan serves as a basis for decisions that affect all aspects of our daily lives such as mobility, economy, parks, neighborhoods, recreation and community facilities, downtown vitality, the environment, public health and safety, and education. The General Plan is a strategic and long term document identifying goals and polices that guides and directs the City in terms of implementing policies, programs and resources.

What is a Specific Plan?

The Specific Plan will guide Arrow Highway Mixed-Use District in a direction that improves the quality of life for employees, residents, and visitors. A specific plan includes policies and strategies to preserve and enhance desired assets, encourage contextual infill development of vacant and underutilized parcels, create jobs, and maintain and support existing compatible businesses and industry, as well as accommodate housing for a variety of income levels. The specific plan will provide a vision for the future as well as predictability for new development.

Resources

Relevant Documents

Websites

Office of Planning and Research, General Plan Guidelines  The CA Planning office includes guidelines for preparing General Plan.

Reinventing the General Plan, California Planning Roundtable  The website features principles, model General Plans, emerging tools and useful articles on General Plan update process.

Organizations

National Charrette Institute is an educational institution that teaches the art and science of Charrettes.  The website features best practices, presentations, videos, articles and reports on charrettes.

CDC’s Designing and Building Healthy Places  website features best practices, presentations, videos, articles and reports on charrettes.

Form-Based Codes Institute is an organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and use of form-based codes. FBCI pursues this objective through developing standards, education, and creating a forum for discussion and advancement of form-based codes.

Center for Neighborhood Technology promotes more livable and sustainable urban communities. The website features research, tools, and urban strategies that use resources more efficiently and more equitably.

America Walks wants to make America a great place for walking.  The website features advice about how to get started and how to be effective with public officials and engineering and design professionals.