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General
Plan Update
In the summer of 2003, the Tulare County Board of
Supervisors approved a work program to prepare an update of the
County’s General Plan. This
update program, scheduled to conclude in the Fall of 2005,
will provide many opportunities for public input in the
shaping of the final plan.
What
is a General Plan?
Every county and city in California
is required by state law to prepare and maintain a planning
document called a General Plan.
A General Plan is designed to serve as the
jurisdiction’s “constitution” or “blueprint” for
future decisions concerning land use and resource
conservation. Decision
makers in the County will use the General Plan to provide
direction when making future land use and public service
decisions. All
community plans,
specific plans, subdivisions, public works projects, and
zoning decisions must be consistent with the County’s General
Plan.
The
Tulare County General Plan update will serve several
purposes:
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Provide the public opportunities for
meaningful participation in the planning and
decision-making process
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Provide a description of current
conditions and trends impacting the County
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Identify planning issues,
opportunities, and challenges that should be addressed in
the General Plan
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Explore land use and policy
alternatives
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Ensure that the General Plan is
current, internally consistent, and easy to use
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Provide guidance in the planning and
evaluation of future land and resource decisions
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Provide
a vision for the future of
Tulare County
A General Plan typically has three
defining features:
General.
As the name implies, a General Plan provides general
guidance that will be used to direct future land use and
resource decisions.
Comprehensive.
A General Plan covers a wide range of social, economic,
infrastructure, and natural resource factors.
These include land use, housing, circulation,
utilities, public services, recreation, agriculture,
biological resources, and many other topics.
Long-Range.
General plans provide guidance on reaching a future
envisioned 20 or more years in the future. To reach this envisioned future, the General Plan will
include policies and actions that address both immediate and
long-term needs.
General
Plan EIR
The
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the General
Plan will meet the requirements of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Planning Commission and
Board of Supervisors will use the EIR during their
consideration of the draft General Plan to understand the
potential environmental implications associated with the Plan.
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What
is Covered in the General Plan?
The Tulare County General Plan will be
organized into the following seven topic areas, called
“elements.”
Land Use and Urban Boundaries.
This element will cover issues including land use types,
distribution, and intensity; population and building density;
existing specific plans; public land ownership; and provide a
land use diagram. This element will focus on the future
growth and physical development of the County.
Scenic
Landscapes. This element will address the location
and qualities of the townscapes of unincorporated communities,
the working landscape (e.g., agricultural areas), and the
natural landscapes through policy and concept diagrams. This
element will also contain policies concerning the enhancement
of Highways 99, 190, and 198.
Circulation.
The Circulation Element will include a description of the
roadway circulation system needed to meet the future needs of
the community based on the preferred alternative and modeled
future projections. The element will also address other
aspects of the circulation/transportation system, including
bicycles, pedestrians, and mass transit.
Public
Facilities and Services. This element will address
public facilities and services, including water availability
and service;
wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal; storm drainage
and flood protection; schools; general government services;
fire protection; law enforcement; solid and hazardous waste
disposal; utilities (gas, electric); and public facility and
service finance.
Safety.
This element will address a number of public safety issues,
including seismic and geologic hazards (e.g., landslides),
flooding hazards, wildland fire hazards, aircraft crash hazards,
hazardous wastes, and emergency response. Safety overlaps with
other mandated elements such as land use, conservation and
open space. The update will provide that this element is
consistent with the discussion in the other elements.
Environmental
Resource Management. This element will address the
conservation, development, and use of natural resources and
will also deal with plans and measures for preserving open
space and enhancing outdoor recreational opportunities (e.g.,
parkland). It will explore the managed production of
resources, agriculture, archaeological resources, cultural and
historic resources, significant buildings and sites, mineral
resources, water resources (groundwater, rivers, creeks,
wetlands), and biological resources (flora, fauna, habitat,
and endangered or threatened species). The agricultural
resources section of the element will evaluate the
County's farmland preservation programs and Williamson Act
policies. This element will also address outdoor recreation
and air quality
issues. The identification of appropriate goals, objectives,
and policies that define County vision will be the focus of
this element.
Noise.
The noise element will address all types of noise, including
transportation-related noise (roadway, rail, and air) and
industrial and commercial noise sources. This element will
identify standards for acceptable noise levels, provide a list
of land uses that should be considered as noise sensitive
receptors, and identify noise problems within the County. This
element will also discuss land use compatibility, construction
noise impacts, and design solutions.
Area
Plans. During the preparation of the Goals and
Policies Report, the General Plan consultants will also review
the existing Areas Plans (Rural Valley Lands Plan, Foothill
Growth Management Plan, and mountain and corridor plans).
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General
Plan Consultants
To help prepare a comprehensive General Plan update, Tulare
County hired a consulting team led by Mintier &
Associates and URS. The
team dedicated to updating the General Plan includes expertise
in general plan updates, planning and land use law, housing,
transportation, infrastructure, environmental resources,
economic development and fiscal assessment, and project
management.
The
firms making up the consulting team are:
Mintier & Associates
Planning, project management
Matrix Design Group
Planning, project management
URS
Environmental analysis
RACESTUDIO
Urban design and public participation
Omni-Means
Water,
wastewater, drainage,
transportation
ADE
Economic
development
Land
Use Associates
Water
supply
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