General Plan
California law requires each City and County to adopt a comprehensive long-term general plan for its physical development. A City's General Plan is its blueprint for the future and, through appropriate goals, policies, and programs, it serves as a decision-making tool to guide future growth and development.
The General Plan (map of General Plan) represents an opportunity for a community to formulate a "vision" of what its residents would like to see in the future. The visioning process extends beyond the basic statutory requirements to adopt a General Plan. The Plan must offer innovative and creative solutions for the future that are consistent with the fundamental goal of preserving and protecting the positive and enjoyable aspects of Laguna Niguel. In addition, the Plan must offer preferred solutions for alleviating identified problems facing the City.
Comprehensive General Plan Update
The City of Laguna Niguel's first General Plan was prepared and adopted in 1992. Except for the Housing and Land Use Elements, most of the elements are original per the 1992 adoption. Pursuant to the 2023 iteration of the Laguna Niguel Strategic Plan, Goal #5: Economic and Community Development, Strategy 3, a comprehensive update of the City's General Plan is identified as an action item to be completed between Fiscal Years 2021-2025.
The City's Comprehensive General Plan Update process includes a two-phased approach. Phase 1 of the Update includes a baseline evaluation of information included within the existing General Plan document and the preparation of focused and detailed studies assessing current and future traffic, market, and fiscal conditions. Collectively, these work items will serve as the foundation for the balance of the Update process. Phase 2 of the Update includes community outreach and preparation of the updated General Plan document, Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR), and associated technical documents.
Click here to visit the dedicated General Plan Update Webpage
Specific General Plan Elements
- Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Land Use - including residential and commercial density
- Chapter 3: Open Space and Parks - including both active recreation and the preservation of natural open space areas;
- Chapter 4: Circulation - including vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian circulation routes within the City
- Chapter 5: Public Facilities - including water, sewer, flood control, solid waste, law enforcement, emergency medical, fire protection and educational facilities
- Chapter 6: Noise - including existing and projected noise within the community and identification of appropriate noise restrictions and mitigation
- Chapter 7: Seismic/Public Safety - including identification of potential natural hazards
- Chapter 8: Housing - including projected future housing development in the community
- Chapter 9: Growth Management - including policies to ensure that future traffic conditions are acceptable and that transportation improvements keep pace with new development
- Chapter 10: Community Service Standards - including standards to ensure that all public facilities can adequately accommodate future growth