What is a General Plan?

Every city and county 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, infrastructure, public services, and resource conservation.  All specific plans, subdivisions, public works projects, and zoning decisions made by the City must be consistent with the General Plan.

The current program is designed to update the City’s 1991 General Plan. The General Plan update program will:

• Provide the public opportunities for meaningful participation in the planning and decision-making process;

• Provide a description of current conditions and trends shaping the City of Ridgecrest;

• Identify planning issues, opportunities, and challenges that should be addressed in the General Plan;

• Explore land use and policy alternatives;

• Ensure that the General Plan is current, internally consistent, and easy to use;

• Provide guidance in the planning and evaluation of future land and resource decisions; and

• Provide a vision and framework for the future growth of the City.

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 topics such as 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 (the proposed General Plan will look out to the year 2030). To reach this envisioned future, the updated General Plan will include policies and actions that address both immediate and long-term needs.

For More Information 

During the General Plan update, questions and comments can be forwarded to Matthew Alexander at the location shown below. An easy way to send a message to the General Plan team is to click on the "Public Comments" button on the top left of this page.

Matthew Alexander, City Planner
City of Ridgecrest
100 W. California Ave.
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
(760) 499-5063
e-mail:
malexander@ridgecrest-ca.gov

What is Covered in the General Plan?

The City of Ridgecrest General Plan will be organized into the following topic areas, called “elements.”

• Land Use. This element covers issues including regional planning, growth management, land use (including types, distribution, and intensity), and economic development. It also provides a land use diagram that will direct future land uses within the community. The focus of this element is on the future growth and physical development of the City.

• Circulation. The Circulation element provides guidance on the movement of people and goods in and through the City. It addresses roads and highways, transit, airports, bicycles, pedestrians, and the movement of goods.

• Conservation. This element explores the managed production of resources and the protection of archaeological resources, cultural and historic resources; water resources (groundwater, rivers, creeks, wetlands); biological resources (flora, fauna, habitat, and endangered or threatened species); and soil resources.

• Open Space, Parks and Recreation. The element establishes a well rounded set of recreational facilities and programs for the City that are designed to meet the needs of all residents and visitors.

• Noise. The Noise Element addresses all types of noise, including transportation related noise (roadway, rail, and air) and industrial and commercial noise sources.

• Safety. This element addresses a number of natural and man-made hazards including geologic and seismic hazards, flooding, wildfire hazards, aircraft operations, crime, and general emergency preparedness.

• Community Design. This element seeks to preserve the City’s small town character and provide for quality design that is appropriate for the City.

• Military Sustainability. This element considers the impact of new growth on military readiness activities, in particular, those occurring at NAWS China Lake. It addresses the City’s dual objective of achieving growth, while protecting the flight corridors and military missions associated with the installation. 

General Plan Consultants 

To help prepare a comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance, the City hired a consulting team lead by MDG and ESA. The team dedicated to updating the General Plan includes expertise in general plan updates, planning and land use law, housing, transportation, environmental resources, economic development and fiscal assessment, and project management. A brief summary of the qualifications offered by the Project Team is provided below.

MDG
     Planning lead, GIS,
     Project management,
     Public participation

ESA
     Environmental issues, EIR