Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED IN A GENERAL PLAN?
California law requires that the General Plan include a minimum of nine state-mandated elements: Land Use, Open Space, Conservation, Housing, Environmental Justice, Circulation, Noise, Air Quality and Safety. Beyond the mandatory elements of the General Plan, there is a great deal of flexibility to address local conditions and circumstances through additional elements.
The General Plan may include additional elements related to land-use development, including economic development, military readiness, cultural resources, sustainability, and implementation. There is also a great deal of flexibility in creating the format of the General Plan so that certain topics can be better integrated.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD THE GENERAL PLAN BE UPDATED?
The State Office of Planning and Research (OPR) recommends that General Plans be comprehensively updated every 10-15 years to reflect changes in community values, economic conditions, and emerging issues and challenges. However, with the exception of the Housing Element, there is no legal requirement from the State to regularly update the General Plan.
HOW LONG WILL THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE TAKE?
The General Plan process will be ongoing and take approximately three years to complete.
ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR HOW THE GENERAL PLAN IS ORGANIZED?
No. Each jurisdiction may decide on the overall structure of the General Plan (i.e., how the “elements” are organized) so long as all requirements are included. Communities are encouraged to organize the General Plan in any way that reflects the values of the community and is usable by the jurisdiction.
IS ANY TOPIC MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER?
No. While some believe that land use and circulation are the most important topics, all elements (and individual goals, objectives, policies and actions) carry equal weight. Once added to the General Plan, each element, regardless of whether it is optional or required, assumes the same legal standing.
DOES THE STATE REVIEW AND APPROVE THE GENERAL PLAN?
The only Element that is reviewed and approved by the State is the Housing Element. Other elements are subject to review and comment by State agencies but there is no ability to approve or deny the General Plan in its entirety.
ARE THERE CONSEQUENCES FROM THE STATE FOR NOT MAINTAINING AN UP-TO-DATE GENERAL PLAN?
Except for the Housing Element, which is required to be updated every 8 years, there are no legal consequences if the City does not update its General Plan on a regular basis. However, having an up-to-date General Plan allows for the City to stay current with the evolving needs of the community, reflect current community values, vision for land use and development, and update technical information. A current General Plan also allows the City to gain access to funding for activities such as affordable housing.
WHAT RECENT STATE LEGISLATION MUST BE ADDRESSED IN THE GENERAL PLAN?
The State legislature regularly modifies or creates new General Plan requirements. The requirements must be included at the next update of the General Plan. The following is a list of some, but not all, of the recent State legislation that must be included:
Environmental Justice Element (SB 1000). Requires local governments to explore “environmental justice” issues and prepare an Environmental Justice Element if certain conditions are present in the community.
Complete Streets (AB 1358). Requires the jurisdictions include “complete streets” concepts into the General Plan, which necessitates an update to the City’s Circulation Element.
Climate Change and Resilience (SB 379). Requires that the General Plan address climate adaptation and resilience strategies in the Safety Element.
County Islands (SB 244 and SB 1190). Requires the Land use Element to include an analysis of the presence of any island, fringe or legacy unincorporated communities.
Tribal Consultation (AB 52 and SB 18). Requires consultation with local Native American tribes in and around the City.
Housing Density Bonuses (AB 2501). Requires local governments to adopt procedures and timelines for process a density bonus application and requires that local governments provide concessions and incentives (including increased height and modified development standards) for affordable housing projects.
Fire Hazards (SB 1241). Requires that the Safety Element include the most recent version of the State’s “Fire Hazard Planning” document.
IS THE GENERAL PLAN SUBJECT TO CEQA?
Yes. Like other decisions in a community, the General Plan is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and a full program Environmental Impact Assessment (EIR) is usually required for adoption of a comprehensive or major update to a General Plan.
WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR)?
Public agencies must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a statute that requires state and local agencies to identify potential environmental impacts, and to avoid or mitigate those impacts, if feasible. A City certifies an EIR as part of a General Plan Update process in order to ensure compliance with CEQA.
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) identifies and analyzes the environmental impacts that can result from the implementation of the General Plan. It serves to inform governmental agencies and the public of the potential environmental impacts to existing or proposed changes to the built environment. The EIR also proposes mitigation measures to avoid or offset any negative environmental impacts.
WHAT IS THE HOUSING ELEMENT?
The Housing Element of the City’s General Plan is the primary planning guide to meet the current and future housing needs of everyone in Palmdale. It outlines goals, policies, and programs to meet these needs while balancing other community objectives and resources. Housing Elements are intended to support various housing types for all income groups, help develop lower and moderate-income housing, remove constraints to housing, conserve and improve existing housing, and promote fair housing opportunities.
The City’s current Housing Element (5th Cycle) was adopted by the City Council and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City is currently implementing the actions and programs for the current planning cycle. To comply with State law, the City’s Housing Element must be updated to ensure Palmdale’s policies and programs can accommodate estimated housing growth need identified in the Southern California Association of Government’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period.
WHY IS THE CITY UPDATING THE HOUSING ELEMENT?
Every eight years, the State of California requires local agencies (e.g., cities and counties) to update their Housing Elements following the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The City is currently preparing its 2021-2029 Housing Element for the General Plan Update (GPU) project to meet HCD’s mandated adoption deadline.
WHAT IS THE REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT (RHNA)?
In order to create a Housing Element that meets community needs, communities must know how much housing it needs to plan for, based on household income levels. The RHNA, mandated by California housing law, quantifies the need for housing across all income levels in every community. Every community must plan for the RHNA allocation in its Housing Element to ensure there are enough sites and adequate zoning to accommodate the RHNA.
The sixth Housing Element update cycle (2021-2029) represents a new paradigm in housing production planning across California and includes more substantial penalties for non-compliance. It also allocates more housing units to communities to address California's housing crisis.
To make up for cities’ shortcomings in past cycles, the sixth Housing Element cycle increases allocations and added stricter penalties for cities’ non-compliance.
New penalties include HCD’s mandate that if a housing element is adopted after the 120-day grace period ending February 12, 2022, it must be updated in four years instead of eight. Assembly Bill 725 (AB 725) also added a new penalty, mandating that any housing element adopted on or after January 1, 2022, must allocate 25% of its RHNA share for moderate- and above moderate-income housing to sites zoned to support at least four on-site multi-family housing units.
Housing is also considered in other General Plan elements, such as land use, mobility, and environmental justice. For example, a new requirement enacted since the last Housing Element update is Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000). SB 1000 requires policies to ensure healthy and safe housing.
DOES RHNA REQUIRE HOUSING TO BE BUILT?
Housing Elements must show cities have the regulatory and land use policies to accommodate RHNA and sites where units can be built. The City, however, cannot require units to be produced on those sites. The type of housing actually built ultimately depends on the housing market and local economy.
WHO CAN GET INVOLVED IN THE UPDATE AND HOW?
The General Plan Update is an opportunity for community members and other major stakeholders to discuss how the City will grow through 2045. There will be many opportunities to participate, including community workshops, pop-up events, online engagement, and public hearings. You can join the email list to receive updates on upcoming events.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, or would like to provide us with comments, please contact the General Plan Team at generalplan@cityofpalmdale.org