Overview

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What is a General Plan?

The City, with the help of specialized consultants, is working on updating its General Plan. Every city and county in California must have a General Plan, which is a policy document that establishes a citywide vision and consistent direction for future development. It reflects community priorities and values, and includes supporting goals, policies, and implementation measures to achieve the community's vision. Typically, a General Plan is designed to address the issues facing the city for the next 20+ years. The State of California requires cities to addresses certain topics, called "Elements" in their General Plans. Glendale’s current General Plan includes the Elements listed below. Those that are required are marked with as asterisk (*).

 

 

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More information about each of the current General Plan Element can be found on the City of Glendale's General Plan website. The adopted goals and policies in each of these Elements provide the foundation upon which the City Council and Planning Commission will base their land use decisions. Furthermore, all city plans, the zoning ordinance, and private development must be consistent with the diagrams and policies in the General Plan. Please note that the City is not updating all Elements at this time. Please see the General Plan Elements page for more information. ​

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Why is the City Updating the General Plan?

Certain elements of Glendale’s General Plan date back to the 80s and 90s, and a lot has changed since then. New housing developments have been built, new businesses and industries are thriving, new modes of transportation are the norm, and the City has grown significantly. Glendale is facing important demands and challenges (some new, some long-standing) on its land use pattern, infrastructure, circulation network, and housing needs. The impacts of climate change are also being experienced in Glendale and those impacts are expected to worsen over time, requiring new approaches to better prepare the community.

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Despite the lack of a recent comprehensive update to the General Plan, Glendale has maintained a strong commitment to sustainability, multimodal mobility, and responsible growth management, and has successfully implemented this vision in various neighborhoods of the City. The City is now looking forward to consolidating progressive policies within updated elements that will guide how Glendale should develop and evolve, and where funds and resources for infrastructure, services, and programs should be directed.

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What is Being Updated in the General Plan?

The City is updating a number of current General Plan Elements, and also introducing a new Element, that will guide the City through 2040 and beyond. Since the General Plan Elements are interrelated, Glendale has an opportunity to ensure all of the updated elements will be consistent and work well together. The City is busy at work on the following items: 
 

• Updates to the Land Use, Mobility, and Safety Elements of the City's General Plan are underway.

• A brand new element is being drafted – the Environmental Justice Element.

• Work will soon begin on updates to the Open Space and Conservation Element and the Recreation Element. The City will be issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant to update these documents.

• The City’s Transportation Model is being updated to use Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) thresholds. 

• A Transportation Impact Mitigation Fees for incoming and future development projects is being developed.

• Environmental Analyses assessing the impacts of each of these components will be completed.

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Environmental Analysis

Each of the new or amended General Plan Elements will be evaluated as projects and reviewed for potential environmental impacts as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Under CEQA, the potential environmental impacts of all projects must be assessed, disclosed, and appropriately mitigated. Environmental documents will be produced and available for the public to review before the General Plan Elements are adopted by the City Council. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be prepared to address all potential environmental impacts associated with implementation of the updated Elements.

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When Will the General Plan Update be Completed?

The Glendale General Plan Update will take place over a multiyear period. A detailed timeline related to each component of the project can be found by clicking the links and visiting the corresponding webpage.

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• The Land Use, Mobility, Safety, and Environmental Justice Elements are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025.

• The comprehensive updates of the Open Space and Conservation Element and Recreation Elements are anticipated to start the second half of 2024 and to be completed by the end of 2026.

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General Plan Update History

If you would like to know more about the history of the General Plan Update, please click here.

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