General Plan Update

Background:

The City Council firmly believes that the current General Plan, created and adopted in 1975, is a masterpiece of visionary planning that has served the City well over the past 31 years. However, the Council also acknowledges that certain portions of the General Plan are either outdated or factually incorrect and need a fresh look. Some portions of the Plan that need to be reviewed and updated include traffic, geology and open space from the aspect of existing conditions as well as a vision for the future.

Included in the 1975 General Plan is a list of 28 Goals and 190 policies. These goals and policies were generated by a “grass-roots” organization of over 200 City residents who formed themselves into thirteen committees to look at different elements of the General Plan including land use, recreation and parks, safety and fiscal policy and offer their ideas to guide the future of the City.

As a first step toward updating the General Plan the City Council created a 15-member General Plan Update Steering Committee. The purpose of the committee was to review the existing Goals and Policies of the General Plan and determine which Goals and Policies need to be eliminated, revised or maintained, and if any new Goals and Policies should be proposed, and what technical areas of the General Plan need updating. After over two years of work, on November 4, 2004, the General Plan Update Steering Committee completed their task of reviewing all of the existing goals and policies of the 1975 General Plan. The Steering Committee’s recommendations, along with a General Plan Update Program, were presented to the City Council on December 21, 2004. To find out exactly what changes have been proposed by the Steering Committee, you can access the most recent copy of the "General Plan Goals and Policies - As modified by the General Plan Steering Committee" by clicking below.

At the December 21, 2004 City Council meeting, the Council (1) Directed Staff to proceed with drafting proposed amendments to the General Plan Goals and Policies as recommended by the General Plan Update Steering Committee for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council; (2) Directed Staff to proceed with an update of the factual information within the General Plan for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council; (3) Directed Staff to proceed with the proposed improvements to the general format of the General Plan and the mandatory elements for future review by the Planning Commission and City Council in order to make the Plan more user friendly; (4) Directed Staff to release an RFQ to obtain consultant assistance with updating portions of the General Plan; and (5) Disbanded the General Plan Update Steering Committee.

Progress on the General Plan Update was delayed since the December 21, 2004 Council meeting while Staff focused its attention on a variety of high profile development projects and other issues. In April 2006, Staff sent out a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to obtain consultant assistance with updating the General Plan, and on February 20, 2007, the City Council entered into an agreement with three consulting firms to assist Staff with the update.  Since 2007, Staff has been working with the consultants on revising the document.  

On September 29, 2009, the City Council and Planning Commission held a Workshop with the main purpose of providing a “Kick-off” to the General Plan Update process.  At the Workshop, the Council provided direction to Staff on various items regarding the update process including providing direction on the schedule of the process by posing a date to complete the General Plan Update prior to December 2010.  Click here to view a copy of the “Draft” Schedule.

Current Status Update and Schedule (As of July 23, 2010):

The General Plan Update is now at a point where various “Draft” Elements are being reviewed by the Planning Commission at public meetings.  Typically, the process for review of each Element is as follows:

1. Staff prepares “Draft” Element
2. Staff “Draft” Elements are reviewed and approved by the Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC), the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC), and the Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) as applicable to the Safety, Fiscal and Circulation Elements, respectively.
3. The Staff “Draft”, or the EPC/FAC/TSC “Draft” (as applicable to the Safety, Fiscal and Circulation Elements) are then presented to the Planning Commission at a first meeting.
4. The Planning Commission Sub-committee assigned to review the specific Element works with Staff over the following month to prepare a Sub-committee “Draft” Element.
5. The Planning Commission Sub-committee “Draft” Element is presented to the Planning Commission for review and approval.
6. Once the text of all Elements have obtained Planning Commission approval (Steps 1-5 above), Staff will bring back the “Draft” Elements to the Commission in one cohesive document with revised graphics, photographs and maps for final review and approval.
7. The Planning Commission approved “Draft” General Plan will then be presented to the City Council for review over a series of public meetings.  During the Council’s review of the “Draft”, Staff will prepare the associated environmental documentation as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
8. After the City Council has completed their review of the “Draft”, the Council will then certify the required CEQA document and adopt the final General Plan.

Below is a current status report of each of the “Draft” elements:

• Introduction Element (“Draft”):
• Staff prepared “Draft” submitted to Planning Commission at their November 10, 2009 meeting. 
• Planning Commission approved the Sub-committee revised “Draft” at their December 8, 2009 meeting (Click here to view a copy).
• Housing Element (“Final”):
• Planning Commission approved the “Draft” on December 8, 2009.
• City Council adopted the “Final” on January 19, 2010. 
• State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) certified the “Final” on March 24, 2010. To view a copy of the “Final” Housing Element, please click here.
• Conservation and Open Space Element (“Draft”):
• Staff prepared “Draft” submitted to Planning Commission at their January 26, 2010 meeting.
• Planning Commission approved the “Draft” Conservation and Open Space Element on May 25, 2010 , please click here
• Safety Element (“Draft”):
• Staff prepared “Draft” submitted to Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) at their March 18, 2010 meeting wherein they provided proposed revisions.
• EPC approved the revised “Draft” at their April 15, 2010 meeting.
• EPC “Draft” presented to the Planning Commission at their May 11, 2010 meeting.
• Planning Commission approved the “Draft” Safety Element on June 8, 2010.  To view a copy of the June 8, 2010 version, please click here
• Fiscal Element (“Draft”):
• Staff prepared “Draft” submitted to the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) at their March 10, 2010 meeting wherein they provided proposed revisions.
• FAC approved the revised “Draft at their April 7, 2010 meeting.
• FAC “Draft” presented to the Planning Commission at their May 25, 2010 meeting. 
• The Planning Commission will review the “Draft” again at their July 27, 2010 meeting.  To view a copy of the July 27, 2010 version, please click here
• Land Use Element (“Draft”):
• Staff prepared “Draft” submitted to the Planning Commission at their June 8, 2010 meeting.
• The Planning Commission will review the “Draft” again at their July 27, 2010 meeting.  To view a copy of the July 27, 2010 version, please click here,
• Circulation Element (“Draft”):
• “Draft” Traffic Study has been completed and will be reviewed by the Traffic Safety Commission at their July 26, 2010 meeting.  To view a copy of the “Draft” Traffic Study, please Click here. 
• The “Draft” Circulation Element is currently being prepared by Staff and is expected to be presented to the Planning Commission for their first review on August 24, 2010.
• Visual Resources Element (“Draft”):
• Being prepared by Staff
• Noise Element (“Draft”):
• Being prepared by Staff

More Information:

The City’s project manager overseeing the General Plan Update is Deputy Community Development Director Gregory Pfost. He may be contacted by telephone at (310) 544-5228, via e-mail at gregp@rpv.com, or via U.S. Mail at City of Rancho Palos Verdes, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, California, 90275.

If you would like to be placed on an "interested parties" list to receive any future notices related to the General Plan Update project via e-mail, you may subscribe by joining the list server group here.

Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Conservation and Open Space Element
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Safety Element
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Fiscal Element
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Land Use Element
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” General Plan Update Traffic Study
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Schedule
Click here. to view a copy of the certified Housing Element
Click here to view a copy of the most current “Draft” Schedule
Click here to view a copy of the current Rancho Palos Verdes General Plan.
Click here to view a list of all of the Goals and Policies contained within the General Plan.
Click here to view the “General Plan Goals and Policies - As modified by the General Plan Steering Committee"

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