The General
Plan is a City's most fundamental planning document.
The General Plan establishes a vision for the
City’s
future growth and change. It
provides a blueprint for development throughout
the community
and is the vehicle through
which community needs, desires, and aspirations
are balanced and meshed. The General Plan is a key tool for influencing
the quality of life in a community.
A
General Plan addresses all aspects of development
and community enhancement, including housing, traffic,
natural resources, open space, safety, land uses,
recreation, and public facilities.
The Comprehensive General Plan
Update will cover all of Orange, including the East Orange Area
and all of Orange’s Sphere of Influence.
What
does the General Plan do?
The
General Plan serves to:
- Identify the community's
land use, circulation, housing, environmental,
economic, and social goals and policies as they
relate to land use, development, and overall
quality of life in the community;
- Inform residents, developers,
decision-makers, and other cities and counties
of the ground rules that guide development within
the community.
- Provide a basis for local
government decision-making, including decisions
on development approvals and exactions;
- Provide residents with opportunities
to participate in the planning and decision-making
process for their community; and
- More clearly define the City’s
role in the larger region.
^Top Why
is it being updated?
General
Plans need to be updated periodically to reflect
current community values, update technical information,
and address locally relevant issues. Orange’s General Plan
is being updated to reflect changes in land use,
community needs and values, lifestyles, and the regional
marketplace that have occurred since 1989, when the
City adopted its current General Plan. This update
provides an exciting opportunity for Orange
residents to develop a strategic community vision
for our City’s neighborhoods, commercial districts,
and open space areas, and to identify how we
can implement that vision into the future.
^Top What
are the General Plan Elements?
General
Plan elements are chapters within the plan document
that describe the goals and policies for different
topics. State
planning law requires cities to address the following
seven topics in their general plans:
- Land use
- Circulation/Transportation
- Housing
- Safety
- Noise
- Open Space
- Conservation
However,
cities have the freedom to include additional elements
tailored to the particular needs of a community. These
are typically referred to as “optional” elements.
The
updated Orange General Plan will include the following
elements:
- Land Use Element
- Community Mobility and Circulation Element
- Housing Element
- Resources Element (Open Space and Conservation)
- Public Safety Element (Safety and Noise)
- Growth Management Element
- Historic Preservation Element
- Infrastructure Element
- Urban Design Element
An updated General Plan that clearly
establishes Orange’s vision and provides a meaningful,
directed action plan to achieve this vision will
guide the challenging decisions that lie in Orange’s future including:
- ranking development priorities
- developing transportation
plans
- charting an economic development
course
- preserving the City’s historic
and natural resources
The primary aim of the General
Plan update is to understand and capture the community’s
hopes, needs, and aspirations and craft them into
a single document focused on implementation and
execution of the community’s vision.
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