1979 Progress Guide & General Plan

Timely and effective planning is critical to assist a city in its evolution, as well as to protect the health, safety and welfare of its residents. Recognizing this, the state of California requires that each city have a general plan to guide its future growth and development. The state also requires each city to update its general plan periodically to ensure relevance and utility.

What is the City’s General Plan?

The City of San Diego from Point Loma

The General Plan is the master document to shape growth in a city or region. The City Council adopts the General Plan as a long term vision of how it intends the City to change or be preserved in the next 20 years. State law requires all cities and counties to have general plans. It is a strategy to respond to public concerns over growth, housing density and development patterns and environmental protection. General plans specify targets and locations for housing, commercial and industrial development. Changes to the 1979 Progress Guide and General Plan began in 1998, include a key element entitled the Strategic Framework Element.

Factors Influencing the General Plan update

• Population forecasts indicate that the City’s population will continue to increase.
• Less than 10 percent of the City’s land is vacant and available for new development, meaning the City must shift from developing vacant land to reinvesting in existing communities.
• The City faces a significant shortfall in public facilities and services.
• The need to address traffic congestion and other quality of life concerns.
• Housing is increasingly unaffordable and unavailable.