1. Land Use Planning 101:
Understanding The
Relationship Between The
General Plan and Zoning
April 25, 2013
Alexander P. Meyerhoff, AICP
City Manager
City of Holtville, Ca
www.holtville.ca.gov

2. Overview
 General Plan
 Legal basis of the General Plan
 Mandatory elements
 Zoning Ordinance
 Permitted uses
 Development standards
 Time, place and manner
 Land Use Entitlements
 Getting your project approved
 Sensitivity to adjacent uses
 Highest and best use

3. Planning in antiquity
 Map of Piraeus
 Port of Athens
 Grid plan of city

4. Philadelphia (1682)

5. Washington DC (1793)

6. General Plan
 Modern Planning (1902)
 Garden City concept
 Ebenezer Howard
 British Land Planning
 Illustrates urban growth

7. General Plan
 Official policy of jurisdiction governing
 Policy of Board of Supervisors/City Council
 Governing physical development of jurisdiction
 Outlines quality of life
 Establishes the vision of a community
 Goals and Objectives
 Aspiration document

8.  California’s Mandatory General Plan Elements
 Land Use
 Circulation
 Housing
 Noise
 Safety
 Open Space
 Conservation
 Optional Elements
 Economic Development, Design, Preservation
 www.opr.ca.gov

10. General Plans and Sustainability:
Source: California Sustainability Alliance:
http://sustainca.org/tools/green_general_plan_toolkit/ggp_introduction

11. Zoning
 Let’s Talk About Zoning

12. Zoning
 Regulates land use, time, place and manner
 Establishes land use districts “zones”,
including residential, commercial, industrial,
opens space
 Establishes development standards
 Scale, density and intensity of land use

13. Early Zoning Laws
 San Francisco Zoning Ordinance (1863)
 Make all regulations necessary for the
preservation of public health and prevention of
contagious disease

14. Los Angeles Zoning Ordinance 1909
 Limited industrial uses to four areas
 Supreme Court upheld in 1915
 “There must be progress and if in its march
private interests are in the way, they must
yield to the good of the community.”
(Hadacheck v. Sebastian 239 US 349 (1915))

15. Zoning: Legal basis
 The Standard City Planning Enabling Act (SCPEA) was
published in 1928. The SCPEA covered six subjects:
 the organization and power of the planning commission,
which was directed to prepare and adopt a "master plan"
 the content of the master plan for development of the
territory
 adoption of a master street plan by the governing body
 approval of all public improvements by the planning
commission
 control of private subdivision of land
 establishment of a regional planning commission and a
regional plan

16. Assumptions of Early Zoning Laws
 Segregation of uses would improve
quality of environment
 Intelligent decision to which the market
would conform
 Local Governments would rarely change
the rules
 Non-conforming uses would go away
 Municipal power would be sufficient to
accommodate these objectives

18. Zoning
 Regulates Land Uses
 Residential: R1, R2, R3, R4
 Commercial: C1, C2, C3,
 Industrial: BP, M1, M2
 Public/Inst.: Hospitals, Schools, Libraries, Courts
 Conservation
 Open Space
 Agriculture
 Mixed Use
 Other: Transportation, Airport, Highways

19. Zoning
 Establishes land uses for each zone
 Permitted
 Conditional
 Prohibited

20. Zoning
 Development Standards
 Setbacks
 Density (Dwelling units per acre)
 Floor Area Ratio (Building area to lot size)
 Building Height
 Lot Coverage
 Open Space
 Scale and Relationship to adjacent development

21. Zoning
 Smart Growth
 Transect Planning
 Performance Zoning
 Regulate form of development
 Less emphasis on land use

22. Zoning: Illustration of Principals

23. Thank You!