The California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) released the completion of the first comprehensive update to the State General Plan Guidelines (GPG) since 2003.  OPR is statutorily required to adopt and periodically revise the GPG for the preparation and content of general plans for counties and cities in California.  The general plan is local government’s long-term plan for the community’s vision of future growth, and the GPG serve as the resource for drafting a general plan.  Legislative changes, new technical advisories, guidance documents, a data mapping tool, and additional resources have been incorporated into this new GPG. 

The new GPG was developed with considerable outreach and collaboration.  The public comment draft of the update to the GPG was posted in October 2015.  OPR held multiple community outreach events and public workshops in 2015 and 2016 for the draft GPG update.  Planners, practitioners, and community members have participated in the development of the 2017 GPG.   The 2017 GPG sets out statutory requirements in detail for mandatory elements of the general plan, provides OPR recommended policy language, and includes online links to county and city general plans that have adopted similar policies. Users can also click the links provided for more detailed policies and plans.  The GPG also provides the same detail for common optional elements of the general plan.  As more resources become available, they will be added to the GPG through periodic updates.     

OPR will be conducting workshops around the state over the next year to update communities on the new GPG.  Detailed information on the new GPG can be accessed here.