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PALMDALE 2045 Envision What is a General Plan? Palmdale General Plan Overview What topics will the General Plan cover? California State law (Gov. Code § 65302) requires that every jurisdiction maintain an “up-to-date” General Plan. The purpose of the General Plan is to guide land use and development decisions. As such, it serves as the “constitution” for future development and conservation of a community and sets the stage for zoning, subdivision regulations, Specific Plans, infrastructure plans, among other documents. Further, all decisions on specific development projects and other changes to the built and natural environment (such as roadways, parks, etc.) must be consistent with the General Plan. The Palmdale General Plan Update will cover topics that are important to the community including those mandated by State law. These include land use; community design; mobility and circulation; housing; equity, resilient, and healthy communities; economic development; conservation and open space; parks and recreation; historic and cultural resources; public facilities and infrastructure; noise; air quality; sustainability; safety; military readiness; and implementation. The City of Palmdale is undertaking a comprehensive update to its General Plan. Except for several amendments to individual elements, the existing General Plan (adopted in 1993) has not been updated in more than 25 years. An up- to-date General Plan can produce many benefits for the City of Palmdale including: • Creating a comprehensive vision for growth and development in the City; • Capitalizing on major infrastructure investments such as High-Speed Rail and the Airport; • Increasing opportunities for parks and open space areas; • Ensuring equitable distribution of amenities, goods and services in the City; • Addressing transportation challenges such as traffic congestion, the bicycle network and transit; • Planning for natural emergencies including earthquakes and wildfires; • Expanding opportunities for the City to pursue grants and other funding sources for parks and infrastructure; and • Improving the overall identity and quality of life in Palmdale. The general plan is more than the legal underpinning for land use decisions; it is a vision about how a community will grow, reflecting community priorities and values while shaping the future. OPR GENERAL PLAN GUIDELINES (2017) GENERAL PLAN FACT SHEET WWW.PALMDALE2045.ORG for more info ---PAGE BREAK--- P O L I C Y D E V E L O P M E N T What are the steps in the update process? Community Engagement: Get Involved and Let Your Voice Be Heard How do I find out more about the General Plan? The General Plan update process will take approximately three years to complete, starting in Winter 2019 and ending in the Summer of 2022. The major steps in the process are as follows: The content of the Palmdale General Plan will be guided by the residents of the City. As such, engaging a diverse cross section of the community throughout the project will be critical to success. There will be many opportunities for community members to participate in the General Plan update process. These activities include: WWW.PALMDALE2045.ORG for more info Focus groups Meetings with community groups Online surveys Community workshops Community Forums A General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) Planning Commission study sessions City Council study sessions An interactive project website 1 6 3 8 9 2 7 4 5 • Review the project website at Palmdale2045.org • Sign up for the email list on the project website • Contact the City’s project manager, Carlene Saxton, Senior Planner, at [EMAIL REDACTED] D I S C O V E R Y Explore the City and identify issues and opportunities V I S I O N I N G Develop long-term vision + Guiding Principles A L T E R N A T I V E S Create land use + transportation alternatives Develop policy solutions to a range of topics R E V I E W + A D O P T Public + decision makers to review and adopt the plan P L A N D E V E L O P M E N T Draft General Plan Winter - Spring 2019 Summer - Fall 2019 Fall 2019 - Spring 2020 Summer 2020 Fall 2021 - Fall 2022 Summer 2020 - Fall 2021