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Land Use and Community Planning Element

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Table of Contents

Introduction .....................................................................................LU-5

A. City of Villages Strategy ....................................................................LU-11

B. General Plan Land Use Categories ...........................................................LU-23

C. Community Planning .......................................................................LU-35

D. Plan Amendment Process ...................................................................LU-45

E. Planning for Coastal Resources .............................................................LU-53

F. Consistency ...............................................................................LU-57

G. Airport Land Use Compatibility ............................................................LU-61

H. Balanced Communities and Equitable Development ...........................................LU-69

I. Proposition A - The Managed Growth Initiative (1985) ........................................LU-77

J. Annexations and Reorganizations ...........................................................LU-85

List of Figures

• Figure LU-1 Village Climate Goal Propensity ........................................ LU-17
• Figure LU-2 General Plan Land Use and Street System ................................. LU-27
• Figure LU-3 Planning Areas and Prospective Annexation Areas .......................... LU-37
• Figure LU-4 Proposition A Lands .................................................... LU-83

List of Tables

• Table LU-1 Existing Land Uses (as of 2023) ........................................ LU-7
• Table LU-2 Adopted Community Plan Land Uses ........................................ LU-8
• Table LU-3 Breakdown of Vacant Developable Land in Terms of Existing Community Plan Land Use Designations (April 2023) .................................. LU-9
• Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions ........................................................................ LU-28

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Introduction

Introduction

PURPOSE

To guide future growth and development into a sustainable citywide development pattern, while enhancing the quality of life in our communities.

INTRODUCTION

The Land Use and Community Planning Element (Land Use Element) provides policies to guide the City of San Diego’s growth and implement the City of Villages strategy within the context of San Diego’s community planning program. The Land Use Element addresses land use issues that apply to the city as a whole. The community planning program is the mechanism to refine citywide policies, designate land uses, and make additional site-specific recommendations as needed. The Land Use Element establishes the structure to respect the diversity of each community and includes policy direction to govern the preparation of community plans. The element also provides policy direction in areas including zoning and policy consistency, the plan amendment process, coastal planning, airport-land use planning, annexation policies, balanced communities, equitable development, and environmental justice.

Land Use -- Present and Planned

Parks, open space, and recreation areas comprise nearly 28 percent of the existing land uses in the city. Residential acreage forms the next largest use of land at 25 percent. A full breakdown of existing land use distribution across the City is shown in Table LU-1 ‘Existing Land Uses.’ Table LU-2, ‘Adopted Community Plan Land Uses’, summarizes the city’s acreage distribution in terms of planned land use designations as they are grouped into seven General Plan land use categories. Existing uses represent those uses as they are currently developed throughout the city. Planned land uses are the recommended land use designations as identified in the adopted community plans. It should be noted that existing uses may not always match the planned land use designations for certain sites as specified in the adopted community plans.

For example, a site may have commercial uses on it while the planned land use designation calls for multiple use, including residential, in the future. Existing uses may be located on sites with planned land use designations that allow other types of uses that have not yet been implemented in accordance with the adopted community plans.

Table LU-1 Existing Land Uses (as of 2023)

Source: San Diego Association of Government's (SANDAG's) Regional Land Use Database, April 2023

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The City of Villages Strategy is the overarching framework that the General Plan uses to address future growth.

Introduction

Table LU-2 Adopted Community Plan Land Uses

¹ This land use category includes 26,547 of existing acres of military use. ² This land use category includes 2,578 acres of water bodies that are recreational areas and located within park and open space areas. ³ Not a General Plan land use category, however, it is included to provide an accurate account for total acreage in the city. Water bodies identified here are not for recreational purposes.

Source: SANDAG’s Regional Land Use Database

The following are trends related to the existing and planned land uses in adopted community plans, as shown in Tables LU-1 and LU-2 above, respectively:

• Agriculture use designations are mostly located in the extreme northern and southern portions of the city, will experience a decline. • Commercial Employment, Retail, and Services use designations are distributed throughout the city to address the commercial related needs of the various community planning areas. This existing use is sometimes built on sites designatedIndustrial use designations are mostly found in the northern and southern portions of the city where research and development, manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facilities have traditionally been established due to availability of large parcels of land and ease of access to major freeway corridors. • Institutional, Public and Semi-Public Facilities use designations do not substantially change as the majority of lands have been designated for these types of facilities. Over time, however, additional uses may be proposed on these sites to help meet community needs for housing, recreation, etc. • Mixed Use / Multiple Use designations are focused within the

central urbanized communities and downtown area. Existing land use data may not fully capture all the mixed-use areas because existing land use data identifies mixed-use areas based on their prominent non-residential use. As community plans are updated and village sites are designated, the Multiple Use designation is expected to expand significantly in terms of total area.

• Residential use designations will increase in area as community plans are updated.
• Vacant land that is identified on Table LU-1 is comprised of lands considered to be developable, as well as undevelopable vacant land in the city.

Developable vacant land comprises a very limited portion of the city. Table LU-3, Breakdown of Vacant Developable Land, summarizes how the available acreage of developable vacant land is designated per the adopted land use plans in order to allow for future growth and development. It shows that 37 percent of total developable land is designated for industrial uses, followed by 21 percent of total vacant developable land designated for residential uses. Development is not limited to vacant land. It is anticipated that most development will occur through infill development and redevelopment to help provide for needed homes, jobs, and services in our communities while reducing our environmental impact and improving air quality. Guidance for how this development should occur is provided by the City of Villages strategy.

Table LU-3 Breakdown of Vacant Developable Land in Terms of Existing Community Plan Land Use Designations (April 2023)

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A City of Villages Strategy

City of Villages Strategy

Goals

• A sustainable land use pattern that helps the city meet the needs of current and future generations, while helping advance climate goals.
• Mixed-use villages located throughout the city that are connected by high-quality transit.
• Mixed-use villages that serve a wide variety of daily community needs for homes, jobs, public facilities, recreation, and other services and amenities.
• Mixed-use villages that offer a variety of homes that are affordable for people with different incomes and needs.
• Pedestrian-friendly mixed-use villages that are characterized by inviting, accessible, and attractive public streets and spaces.

Discussion

The City strives to be a leader in sustainability and proactively address the challenges presented by climate change. Much of the city is shaped by homes located away from places of work, school, and other daily needs. This pattern has resulted in significant traffic congestion and harmful pollutants, or greenhouse gas emissions, that worsen our environment and air quality. The limited availability of homes to serve the needs of the city’s diverse population has further worsened emissions by creating long distances and lengthy travel times to daily destinations. Due to the limited availability of developable vacant land, infill and redevelopment must play an increasing role in providing homes and jobs to support the city’s future growth.

The City of Villages strategy focuses growth in pedestrian-friendly mixed-use activity centers that are connected to the regional transit system. This strategy makes it possible for larger numbers of people to make fewer and shorter auto trips, and improves opportunities to walk/roll, bike, and take transit (see Mobility Element and Conservation Element). The strategy draws upon the strengths of San Diego’s natural environment, neighborhoods, commercial centers, institutions, and employment centers. The strategy also focuses on the long-term economic, environmental, and social health of the city and its many communities. It recognizes the value of San Diego’s distinctive neighborhoods and open spaces that together form the city as a whole. Implementation of the City of Villages strategy is an important component of the City’s strategy to reduce local contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.

What is a Village?

A “village” is defined as the mixed-use heart of a community where residential, commercial, employment, and civic uses are all present and integrated. Each village will be unique

to the community in which it is located. All villages will be pedestrian-friendly and characterized by inviting, accessible, and attractive streets and public spaces. These spaces will vary from village to village and may consist of public parks or plazas, community meeting spaces, outdoor gathering spaces, passive or active open space areas that contain desirable landscape and streetscape design amenities, or outdoor dining and market activities. Individual villages will offer a variety of housing types and rents/prices. Over time, villages will be increasingly connected to each other by an expanded regional transit system. The village land use pattern and densities will help make transit operate more efficiently, which in turn will allow for improved and more cost-effective transit services, as well as more safe and enjoyable streets for people to get around. The mix of land use will also take into consideration needed public facilities such as schools, libraries, or other community facilities as appropriate in each community.

Village Types and Mixed-Use Locations Implementation of the City of Villages strategy relies upon the designation and development of village sites. To address the variety of local conditions and contexts across the city, a hierarchy of village types is described below. These village types are intended to be further refined to reflect local conditions through community plans.

Downtown

Downtown San Diego has a unique role to play in the 21st century development of the San Diego region. In addition to being the administrative, legal, cultural, and entertainment center in the region, Downtown also offers the most convenient and extensive transit connections and has emerged as an exciting pedestrian environment. The Downtown Community Plan provides detailed site-specific land use designations and recommendations. Due to its unique role in the region, the Downtown community will continue to have a planning framework that is specialized to its context.

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Downtown continues to be the administrative, legal, cultural, and entertainment center in the region and offers the most convenient and extensive transit connections.

Subregional Employment Areas

Subregional Employment Areas are major employment and/or commercial districts within the region containing corporate or multiple-use office, industrial, and retail uses. Key Subregional Employment Areas include Kearny Mesa, Midway-Pacific Highway, Otay Mesa, Mission Valley/Morena/Grantville, and University/Sorrento Mesa. In addition to the Land Use and Community Planning Element, policies specific to Subregional Employment Areas are discussed in greater detail in the Economic Prosperity Element.

Urban Village Centers

Urban Village Centers are higher-density/intensity areas. Urban Village Centers are characterized by a cluster of more intensive employment, residential, regional and subregional commercial uses that maximize walkability and support transit. These Centers play a key role in supporting the vitality of broader Subregional Employment Areas and the city by improving jobs-housing balance and providing services and amenities for community members, employees, and visitors alike. Urban Village Centers may be located outside subregional employment areas where large employers, such as hospitals and universities, are located.

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Subregional Employment Areas, such as University/Sorrento Mesa, include a variety of employment serving uses such as office, industrial, and retail. These areas support the city’s economic growth and provide jobs.

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Urban Village Centers provide higher density/intensity areas that cluster a variety of uses together. Mission Valley, for example, provides a variety of residential and office jobs as well as higher density residential homes within close proximity to each other. Multiple transit connections, retail services, other amenities also support this area.

Community and Neighborhood Village Centers

Community and Neighborhood Village Centers should be located in almost every community plan area. They are community and neighborhood-oriented areas that support daily needs and enjoyment by providing local commercial, office, and multifamily residential uses, including some structures with office or residential space above commercial space. Village Centers contain public gathering spaces and/ or civic uses. Uses are integrated to the maximum extent possible in order to encourage a pedestrian-oriented design and encourage transit ridership. Community and Neighborhood Village Centers range in size from just a few acres to more than 100 acres. Community Village Centers are intended to serve a larger area than Neighborhood Village Centers. Community Village Centers may also have a more significant employment component than a neighborhood village. integrated to the maximum extent possible in order to encourage a pedestrian-oriented design and encourage transit ridership.

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Community and Neighborhood Village Centers range in size. Both play a vital role in fulfilling local needs for homes, jobs, amenities, and services. COMM22 in Logan Heights, for example, provides a variety of homes, community-serving retail space, and public space next to the 25th Street & Commercial Street Trolley Station.

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Transit Corridors, such as University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard, connect a variety of homes, jobs, and other uses throughout the city.

Transit Corridors

The city contains a significant number of linear commercial areas that are lively and vital, pedestrian-friendly, and home to a rich variety of small businesses, restaurants, and homes. They are located along streets and major roads and are served by higher speed and more frequent transit service. These Transit Corridors provide valuable new home opportunities with fewer impacts to the regional freeway system because of their available transit service.

Village Locations Figure LU-1, the Village Climate Goal Propensity Map, shows areas where future growth could occur and be supported by convenient and affordable opportunities to walk/roll, bike and ride transit to conduct daily activities, including work, school, shopping, and play. This map identifies areas across the city with the following features, including:

• Access to homes, jobs, and mixed-use destinations.
• Available high-frequency transit services based on the 2050 regional transportation network.
• Competitive transit access to job centers based on the 2050 regional transportation network.
• Connections between transit and destinations based on intersection density, which measures the number of intersections in an area to assess street connectivity.

Areas shown in purple and blue have the highest likelihood of supporting the greatest walking/rolling, biking and transit usage compared to driving. These areas have the potential to support future growth in a manner aligned with the broader goals of the City of Villages strategy and expand mobility options across the city in alignment with the City’s Climate Action Plan. Village areas can also play a significant role in expanding housing opportunities for households of all incomes and family sizes.

Figure LU-1 is intended to provide guidance regarding the general siting of village locations across the city in a manner that can best achieve the City’s climate goals in the Climate Action Plan. Actual village locations will be designated in community plans with input from the public. Through the community plan update process, other factors for siting villages can be considered, such as planned improvements, existing and planned public facilities, and environmental considerations and opportunities.

By focusing growth into areas with a higher likelihood of supporting walking/rolling, biking, and transit use, the City can make progress towards its climate goals and create opportunities for all San Diegans. In addition to the land use policies identified in this Element, the City of Villages strategy is supported through the wide variety of other policies discussed throughout the other General Plan Elements. As the city changes over time, the City of Villages strategy serves as the overarching framework to guide future decision-making and growth.

Figure LU-1 Village Climate Goal Propensity

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Policies

Village Types and Locations

LU-A.1 Designate a hierarchy of village sites for citywide implementation that promotes a sustainable land use pattern and progress towards climate goals and greenhouse gas emission reductions identified in the Climate Action Plan.

a. Affirm the position of Downtown San Diego as the regional hub by maintaining and enhancing its role as the major business center in the region and encouraging its continued development as a major urban residential center with the largest concentration of high-density multifamily housing in the region.

b. Encourage further intensification of employment uses throughout Subregional Employment Districts. Where appropriate, consider collocating medium- to high- density residential uses with employment uses, especially where supported by existing or planned transit (see also Economic Prosperity Element).

c. Designate Urban Village Centers that cluster more intensive employment, residential, and regional and subregional commercial uses in order to maximize walkability, support transit, and promote the vitality of broader Subregional Employment Areas and the city.

d. Designate Neighborhood and Community Village Centers, as appropriate, in community plans throughout the city. with a mix of commercial and residential uses that provide goods and services responsive to community needs.

e. Revitalize transit corridors through the application of plan designations and zoning that permits a higher intensity of mixed-use development. Include some combination of residential above commercial development, employment uses, commercial uses, and higher density-residential development.

LU-A.2 Determine the appropriate mix of land uses and densities/intensities to achieve the citywide climate goals for land use and mobility established by the Climate Action Plan during the community plan update process.

LU-A.3 Evaluate potential village sites during the Community Plan Update process by considering the following characteristics:

• Shopping centers, districts, or corridors that could be enhanced or expanded;
• Community or mixed-use centers that may have adjacent existing or planned residential neighborhoods;
• Vacant or underutilized sites that are outside of open space areas;
• Areas that have significant remaining development capacity based upon the adopted community plan;
• Areas that are not subject to major development limitations due to topographic, environmental, or other physical constraints;
• Areas that are served by multiple transit routes with high frequencies (headways of at least once every 15-minutes);
• Areas with a gridded street network and/or potential to establish a pedestrian network; and
• Areas with economic and social indicators that demonstrate high access to quality resources, such as parks, public spaces, high-performing public schools, access to healthy food, and good job opportunities.

LU-A.4 Locate village sites where they can be served by existing or planned public facilities and services, including transit services.

LU-A.5 Conduct environmental review and focused study during the community plan update process, of potential village locations, with input from recognized community planning groups, community-based organizations, and the general public, to determine if these locations are appropriate for mixed-use development and village design.

Village Land Use Mix and Design

LU-A.6 Recognize that various villages, or individual projects within village areas, may serve specific functions in the community and city; some villages may have an employment orientation, while others may be major shopping destinations, or primarily residential in nature.

LU-A.7 Establish a mix of uses within village areas, or individual projects within village areas, to promote walking/rolling, biking, and transit usage and support progress towards climate goals and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

LU-A.8 Consider higher densities/intensities in village areas to support the production of new homes that are affordable to people of all incomes.

LU-A.9 Determine the appropriate mix and densities/intensities of village land uses at the community plan level, or at the project level when adequate direction is not provided in the community plan.

a. Consider the role of the village in the city and region; surrounding neighborhood uses; uses that are lacking in the community; uses and policies that can enhance the community; and balanced community goals.

b. Achieve transit-supportive density and design. Due to the distinctive nature of each of the community planning areas, population density and building intensity will differ by each community, in alignment with the Village Climate Goal Propensity Map (Figure LU-1).

c. Evaluate the quality of existing and planned transit service.

d. Evaluate the quality of existing public facilities and the potential to expand these facilities to support future growth.

e. Engage public agencies for facility planning efforts (refer to Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element).

LU-A.10 Determine at the community plan level where commercial uses should be intensified within villages and other areas served by transit, and where commercial uses should be limited or converted to other uses.

LU-A.11 Integrate public gathering spaces and civic uses into village design (see also Urban Design Element).

LU-A.12 Design infill projects that are located along transit corridors to enhance or maintain a "Main Street" character through attention to site and building design, land use mix, housing opportunities, and streetscape improvements.

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Villages connect San Diegans to homes, jobs, and other daily needs while providing opportunities to take transit, walk, bike, and roll.

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B General Plan Land Use Categories

B General Plan Land Use Categories

Goals

• Land use categories and designations consistent with City of Villages strategy.
• Land use categories and designations that provide consistency between the General Plan, community plans, and the City’s climate goals set forth in the Climate Action Plan.

Discussion

The City's community plans use a wide variety of different land use designations to plan for the intensity and distribution of land uses. However, many of these designations share similar definitions. To retain the diversity of plan land uses, while striving for citywide consistency in nomenclature, these designations have been grouped into 40 recommended community land use designations. For purposes of illustrating land use distribution at the citywide level, these 40 designations are further grouped into seven General Plan land use categories as follows: Parks, Open Space and Recreation; Agriculture; Residential; Commercial Employment, Retail, and Services; Industrial Employment; Institutional, Public and Semi-Public Facilities; and Multiple Use. Figure LU-2 illustrates land use distribution across the city based upon these seven categories.

The General and Community Land Use Categories are defined in table LU-4; Tables LU-5 through LU-11 indicate land use densities and allowed land uses by category. These tables establish the linkage between the General Plan land use categories and the 40 standardized community plan designations that are to be applied through the community plan update process. Table LU-4 includes a short general description of each land use designation for further reference.

Tables LU-5 through LU-11 sort the General Plan land use designations into the same seven groups as Table LU-4: Residential; Multiple Use; Commercial Employment, Retail, & Services; Industrial Employment; Park, Open Space, and Recreation; Institutional and Public and Semi-Public Facilities; and Agriculture. Each Table indicates the land use designation color / pattern for Community Plans, the primary and the secondary land uses allowed by designation, whether the particular designation allows residential uses and, if residential uses are allowed, the General Plan density range associated with each use.

These standardized designations will be applied as community plans are updated or amended. Land uses such as those existing community plan designations that are not necessarily defined as a Village land use, but identified in the Multiple Use General Plan category, can be further tailored to meet community needs through specific recommendations in plan text and/or footnotes on a land use map to denote emphasis or to limit uses.

The General Plan has established standardized designations so that, over time, community plans will share a common terminology, enabling better citywide land use analysis and measurement against regional programs.

Due to the distinctive nature of each of the community planning areas, population density and building intensity will differ by each community. This can be attributed to each community's development patterns, household size, and existing population. SANDAG prepares and maintains long-term demographic forecasts for population, housing, and employment. Each community plan contains existing and forecasted demographic data. As the recommended land use designations and implementing zoning are applied to each community during the community plan update process, associated population and building intensity standards will be established.

General Plan Land Use and Street System Map

The General Plan Land Use and Street System Map (see Figure LU-2) depicts the distribution of the General Plan land use categories and identifies the planned freeways, expressways, arterials, and collector streets needed to serve vehicular transportation demand resulting from the buildout of the city in accordance with this General Plan. The map is based upon a composite of the more detailed land use and circulation system maps adopted for each community. The land use categories depicted on this map are not precise enough to guide project level development; however, together they serve as a tool to assist in citywide and regional analysis. It will be the role of the community plans to refine General Plan goals and policies into site-specific recommendations that will guide the development of each community.

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Land use categories identify how land across the city can be used for different purposes.

Policies

LU-B.1 Use the recommended Community Plan Designations identified in Table LU-4 so that over time, all community plans will use a common nomenclature to describe similar land uses and densities.

a. Use community plan text and graphics to provide greater specificity than is provided in Table LU-4, as needed.

b. Identify the lower and upper ends of the allowable density ranges in community plans, with environmental review.

c. Allow community plans to analyze and define a narrower residential density range within the ranges established in Table LU-4.

d. Use icons to identify various types of institutional uses.

e. Establish standards for population density and building intensity for each land use designation as community plans are updated.

LU-B.2 Identify a more refined street system than is included in the General Plan Land Use and Streets Map through the community plan update and amendment process (see also Mobility Element).

LU-B.3 Plan for and develop mixed-use projects where a site or sites are developed in an integrated, compatible, and comprehensively planned manner involving two or more land uses.

Figure LU-2 General Plan Land Use and Street System

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FIGURE LU-2 General Plan Land Use and Street System

The General Plan Land Use Map depicts generalized land use within the City of San Diego. The information is a composite of the land use maps adopted for each of the community, specific, precise, subarea and park plan areas. It is intended as a representation of the distribution of land uses throughout the city; although consistent with, it is not a replacement or substitution for community or other adopted land use plans. Please refer to the relevant community or other adopted land use plan documents for more detail regarding planned land uses and land use planning proposals.

Street System — Freeways — Prime Arterials — Major Arterials — Collectors (local and rural)

General Plan Land Use █ Residential █ Commercial Employment, Retail, & Services █ Multiple Use █ Industrial Employment █ Institutional & Public and Semi-Public Facilities █ Park, Open Space, & Recreation █ Agriculture █ Military Use

Source: SANDAG, SanGIS, City of San Diego

Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions

Table LU-4 includes a short description of each land use designation for further reference.

Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions (cont.)

Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions (cont.)

Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions (cont.)

Table LU-4 General Plan and Community Plan Land Use Category Descriptions (cont.)

General Plan Land Use Categories

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Residential development in Mira Mesa.

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C Community Planning

Community Planning

Goals

• Community plans that are clearly established as essential components of the General Plan to provide focus upon community-specific issues.
• Community plans that are structurally consistent yet diverse in their presentation and refinement of citywide policies to address specific community goals.
• Community plans that increase planned density of residential land uses in appropriate locations.
• Community plans that promote sustainable and equitable development and address public facilities needs.
• Community plans that are kept consistent with the future vision of the General Plan through comprehensive updates or amendments.

Discussion

Roles and Relationships - General Plan and Community Plans

The city has 49 planning areas, as illustrated on Figure LU-3, Planning Areas Map. The community planning program has a long and diverse history, with the earliest community plans being adopted in the 1960s. Each document is a unique reflection of the issues and trends facing the community and corresponding strategies to implement community goals.

Some planning areas have additionally benefited by the inclusion of even smaller area plans called "precise plans" or "specific plans." These plans were created to aid these areas due to unique characteristics or needs, or timing of development. They are also part of the General Plan and use of the term "community plan" in the General Plan includes these plans. Community plans represent a significant and vital component of the Land Use Element since they contain more detailed land use designations and site-specific policy recommendations than is possible at the citywide level. This structure is necessary because of the city’s diverse geography, development patterns, and cultural and ethnic communities, and other variations. While the community plan addresses specific community needs, its policies and recommendations must be in harmony with other community plans, the overall General Plan, and citywide policies. Overall, the General Plan and community plans are intended to be used as a means to improve quality of life and to nurture balanced communities that offer opportunities for all San Diegans.

In order to maintain consistency with the City of Villages strategy and state housing law, as well as to further the City’s climate goals and greenhouse gas reductions, community plans must identify areas appropriate for a mix of uses, including opportunities for homes that are suitable for households

Figure LU-3 Planning Areas and Prospective Annexation Areas

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Figure LU-3

Planning Areas and Prospective Annexation Areas

PLANNING AREAS 1 Balboa Park 2 Barrio Logan 3 Black Mountain Ranch 4 Carmel Mountain Ranch 5 Carmel Valley 6 Clairemont Mesa 7 College Area 8 Del Mar Mesa 9 Downtown 10 East Elliot 11 Encanto Neighborhoods[^] 12 Fairbanks Ranch Country Club 13 Greater Golden Hill 14 Kearny Mesa 15 La Jolla 16 Linda Vista 17 Los Penasquitos Canyon 18 Mid-City: City Heights[^] 19 Mid-City: Eastern Area[^] 20 Mid-City: Kensington-Talmadge[^] 21 Mid-City Normal Heights[^] 22 Midway-Pacific Highway 23 Military Facilities 24 Mira Mesa 25 Miramar Ranch North 26 Mission Bay Park 27 Mission Beach 28 Mission Valley 29 Navajo 30 NCFUA Subarea II 31 North Park 32 Ocean Beach 33 Old Town San Diego 34 Otay Mesa 35 Otay Mesa-Nestor 36 Pacific Beach 37 Pacific Highlands Ranch 38 Peninsula 39 Rancho Bernardo 40 Rancho Encantada 41 Rancho Penasquitos 42 Reserve 47 Sabre Springs 48 San Pasqual 49 San Ysidro 50 Scripps Miramar Ranch 51 Serra Mesa 52 Skyline-Paradise Hills 53 Southeastern San Diego[^] 54 Tierrasanta 55 Tijuana River Valley 56 Torrey Highlands 57 Torrey Hills 58 Torrey Pines 59 University 60 Uptown 61 Via De La Valle

[^*] Mid-City Community Plan [^**] Southeastern San Diego Community Plan

PROSPECTIVE ANNEXATIONS A 4S Ranch B Davis Ranch Island C East Otay Mesa

of all income levels. Community plans must also consider and provide opportunities for people to live near their workplace, where appropriate. Community plans should consider opportunities for homes and mixed-use development primarily in already-developed areas where additional infill potential exists.

Community plans are also the vehicle for implementing state law pertaining to provision of housing opportunities, and meeting the City's housing needs and regional share goal. Regional share goals are determined for each local jurisdiction within the San Diego region by SANDAG. These goals are the projected share of regional housing needs for all income groups, calculated for each eight-year Housing Element cycle. As community plans designate land uses and assign densities, they must increase planned capacity of residential land uses as needed to ensure compliance with the City's regional share goal for new homes. Implementation of community-based goals may cause a shift in densities within or between community planning areas, but together they must increase overall new home capacity as needed. It is also important for the City to provide balanced communities by creating and maintaining economically and socially diverse communities, which can be achieved by providing a mix of housing types that are suitable for households of all income levels to provide more opportunities for people to live near their workplace.

Roles and Relationships - General Plan and Community Plans

Community plans are to be updated on a regular basis. Community plans are to apply the land use designations discussed in Section B (see Table LU-4 and Tables LU-5 through LU-11 for General and Community Plan Land Use Categories) in a pattern consistent with the City of Villages Strategy and Figure LU-1, Village Climate Goal Propensity, which illustrates the most sustainable areas in San Diego to be developed. Community Plans should pair community-specific designated land uses with on-the-ground recommendations and policies to make the implementation of community goals and the General Plan possible.

In areas that provide opportunities for sustainable and equitable development consistent with the City of Villages Strategy, existing land use designations and implementing zoning may change as a result of the update process. As a result, established structures or uses that were in compliance with the applicable regulations at the time of their development may no longer comply with existing regulations. When this occurs, the community plans should provide direction on whether there are specific nonconforming structures or uses that could be retained or expanded without adversely affecting the community plan. The Land Development Code describes such uses or structures as "previously

conforming” and includes procedures to address how they are regulated. Community plans must be structured to work in concert with the General Plan and to avoid redundancies between the documents. For example, the General Plan contains overall policies for public spaces, while the community plan would identify specific sites where the public space should be located. Community plans also provide the level of information and community-specific detail that is needed in order to review and assess proposed public and private development projects.

Public input from multiple sources is essential in ensuring that tailored community needs are addressed in the community plan. Diverse stakeholders in a community, along with the recognized community planning group, play a major role and are key partners in creating a plan that sets forth a joint vision for the future of a community. Community plans should be prepared through equitable and inclusive community engagement with people that are representative of the demographics of the population of the community.

Public Facilities Planning

The city has a comprehensive network of public spaces and facilities that provide important services to the city. Expanding public spaces and facilities to meet the growing needs of the city is critical to providing a high quality of life. Community plans may incorporate community priorities and preferences regarding needed facilities and community-specific criteria to define and describe the desired character and location of needed facilities. Additionally, each new development proposal must be comprehensively evaluated to ensure any impacts to public facilities and services are identified and addressed. More information on providing facilities and services can be found under the Public Facilities, Services, and Safety Element.

Plan Implementation

Community plans are frequently used by recognized community planning groups, community stakeholders, the City Council, the Planning Commission, City staff, property owners, developers, other public agencies, and others. Therefore, community plans must be understandable documents that deliver clear recommendations which will be implemented via their translation into everyday decisions made pertaining to their communities. Plan implementation will occur through a variety of mechanisms including private and public development projects and programs, application of zoning and development regulations, and public and private partnerships.

Policies

LU-C.1 Establish each community plan as an essential and integral component of the City's General Plan with clear implementation recommendations and links to General Plan goals and policies.

a. Develop community plan policies that implement citywide goals and address community or neighborhood-specific issues; such policies may be more detailed or restrictive than the General Plan as needed.

b. Rely on community plans for site-specific land use and density designations and recommendations.

c. Maintain consistency between community plans and the General Plan, as together they represent the City's comprehensive plan. In the event of an inconsistency between the General Plan and a community plan, action must be taken to either: 1) amend the community plan, or 2) amend the General Plan in a manner that is consistent with the General Plan's Guiding Principles.

d. Prioritize Community Plan Updates in higher resource areas to promote affordable housing in those areas and affirmatively further fair housing.

LU-C.2 Prepare community plans to address aspects of development that are specific to the community, including: distribution and arrangement of land uses (both public and private); the local street and transit network; existing and planned public facilities; community and site-specific urban design guidelines; urban design guidelines addressing the public realm; community and site-specific recommendations to preserve and enhance natural and cultural resources; and coastal resource policies (when within the Coastal Zone).

a. Apply land use designations at the parcel level to guide sustainable and equitable development within a community.

1. Include land use designations that support infill residential, and mixed-use development near employment, shopping, schools, recreation, transit, and walking/rolling and bicycling infrastructure.

2. Include a variety of residential densities to increase the amount of housing types and sizes and provide opportunities for more affordable homes in all communities and affirmatively further fair housing.

3. Designate open space and evaluate publicly owned land for future

dedication and privately-owned lands for acquisition or protection through easements.

4. Evaluate employment land and designate according to its role in the community and in the region.

5. Designate land uses with careful consideration to fire evacuation routes in accordance with Section D: Fire-Rescue of the Public Facilities, Safety and Services Element; also consider hazard areas including areas affected by flooding and seismic risk as identified by Figure CE-5 Flood Hazard Areas and Figure PF-9 Geo-technical and Relative Risk Areas.

b. Draft each community plan with achievable goals and avoid creating a plan that is a "wish list" or a vague view of the future.

c. Provide plan policies and land use maps that are detailed enough to provide the foundation for fair and predictable land use planning.

d. Provide detailed, site-specific recommendations for village sites.

e. Recommend appropriate implementation mechanisms to efficiently implement General Plan and community plan recommendations.

f. Establish a mobility network to effectively move workers and community members.

g. Incorporate input from the community regarding needed/desired public facilities to accommodate future growth as part of ongoing community plan implementation.

LU-C.3 Increase the city's supply of land designated for various residential densities as community plans are prepared, updated, or amended.

LU-C.4 Ensure efficient use of remaining land available for residential development and redevelopment by requiring that new development meet the density minimums of applicable plan designations.

LU-C.5 Draft, update, and adopt community plans with a schedule that ensures that a community's land use policies are up-to-date and relevant, and that implementation can be achieved.

a. Obtain public input from a variety of sources, including but not limited to, community-based organizations, community planning groups, surveys, in-person events and online forums, as well as

electronic, written, and verbal communication from individuals and organizations to ensure public participation that is representative of the demographics of the community’s population.

b. Utilize the recognized community planning group meeting as a vehicle to ensure public participation, in addition to engaging with general community members in ways that will best ensure that input received is representative of the community’s demographics.

c. Include all community members, property owners, business owners, civic groups, community-based organizations, and agencies who wish to participate in both land use planning and implementing the community vision.

d. Concurrently update plans of contiguous planning areas in order to comprehensively address common opportunities and common constraints.

LU-C.6 Review existing and apply new zoning at the time of a community plan update to assure that revised land use designations or newly applicable policies can be implemented through appropriate zones and development regulations.

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Community plans address community-specific issues and refine the broader citywide goals and policies of the General Plan.

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D Plan Amendment Process

D Plan Amendment Process

Goals

• Approve plan amendments that better implement the General Plan and community plan goals and policies.
• Clearly define the process for amendments to community plans.
• Allow for changes that will assist in enhancing and implementing the vision for a community plan.

Discussion

The General Plan is a comprehensive and long-range document; it is adopted to express a citywide vision for the future and to guide how that vision is implemented through private and public development. Although the vision remains constant, the means of its achievement are more subject to changing demographics, technologies, economics, and federal and state laws. As such, the General Plan must be a flexible document, allowing for changes that ultimately assist in enhancing and implementing the vision. Too many, too frequent or inappropriate changes, however, can diminish the expressed vision, and sidetrack its implementation. Additionally, the City's approach to community-based land use plans means that any changes to land use or density or intensity is made to one of the City's 50+ community plans. An amendment to a precise plan or specific plan is also a community plan and General Plan amendment.

It is necessary, therefore, to establish a fair, orderly, and well-defined process to govern how amendments occur. This process will ensure that all proposed amendments are reviewed for internal consistency with the vision, values and goals of the General Plan. The General Plan Amendment Manual, a companion document to the General Plan, contains specific guidance on when an amendment is required, issues to be addressed through processing, and recommended timelines.

Initiation of Privately-Proposed Plan Amendments

The city is one of a few jurisdictions that requires either Planning Commission or City Council initiation of a plan amendment before a privately-proposed plan amendment process and accompanying project may actually proceed. The initiation process has been in effect since 1986 in response to intense development activity in the 1979 Progress Guide & General Plan’s “Planned Urbanizing Area.” The process was first placed in Council Policy 600-35 which also required “batching” of privately-proposed community plan amendments. Subsequently, it was moved to the Land Development Code prior to being moved into the 2008 General Plan.

While the initiation is the first point of consideration by a decision-maker (the Planning Commission or City Council), it is a limited decision. It is neither an

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The City is one of a few jurisdictions that requires either Planning Commission or City Council initiation of a plan amendment before a privately-proposed plan amendment process and accompanying project may actually proceed.

approval nor denial of the subsequent plan amendment and accompanying development proposal. Occasionally, privately initiated plan amendments are presented without a development proposal, if an applicant wants to see if the amendment will be approved prior to submitting a project. The purpose of the hearing is not to discuss the details of the development proposal, but rather focus upon the more fundamental question of whether the proposed change to the General Plan is worthy of further analysis based upon compliance with the initiation criteria (provided below).

Although applicants have the right to submit amendment requests to the City, not all requests merit study and consideration by City staff and the decision-makers. The initiation process allows for the City to deny an application for amendment if it is clearly inconsistent with the major goals and policies of the General Plan. Most importantly, the initiation process allows for early public knowledge and involvement in the process as a whole. Additionally, the Planning Commission has the opportunity to advise City staff to evaluate specific factors during the processing of the proposed plan amendment.

Initiation of City-Proposed Plan Amendments

Most City-proposed plan amendments occur through established work programs and do not undergo an initiation process. However, initiation is still required when a City-proposed plan amendment includes land use designation changes in order to allow an opportunity for early input from the Planning Commission or City Council, the recognized community planning group for the area, and the broader public.

Technical Amendment Initiation Process

This process was established to correct errors or omissions, or to benefit the public health, safety and welfare as expeditiously as possible. In this narrowly constructed process, the decision to initiate is a staff-level one; however, the actual plan amendment process is the same as for privately-proposed plan amendments. Initiation is typically based on City identification of an issue; however, a request may be considered from a private party.

Public Hearing Process for Plan Amendments

After initiation, a plan amendment may be processed and brought forward to a public hearing, subject to the permit processing, environmental review, and public hearing procedures specified in the Land Development Code. The Planning Commission and the City Council will consider the factors as described in LU-D.10 and LU-D.13 in making a determination to approve or deny the proposed amendment during the public hearings.

The post-initiation process for City-proposed land use plan amendments is identical to that for privately-proposed amendments. Where an amendment is community-specific, City staff will work with the affected community. When an amendment addresses a citywide issue or has larger-area implications, City staff will work with multiple communities or the Community Planners Committee, and the Planning Commission during the review and hearing process.

Policies

Land Use Plan Amendment

LU-D.1 Require a General Plan and community plan amendment for proposals that involve: a change in community plan adopted land use or density/intensity range; a change in the adopted community plan development phasing schedule; or a change in plan policies, maps, and diagrams. (Note: state law mandates that General Plan and community plan amendments are not to be required for projects utilizing state mandated housing density bonuses.)

LU-D.2 Evaluate the public facilities needs associated with any amendment and identify additional investments needed to serve any new development.

LU-D.3 Evaluate privately-proposed plan amendments through the plan amendment initiation process and present the proposal to the Planning Commission or City Council for consideration.

LU-D.4 Maintain and update on a regular basis a database of land use plan amendments approved by the City in order to create regular reports for tracking land use plan amendments.

Technical Amendment Initiation

LU-D.5 Initiate a technical amendment without the need for a public Planning Commission hearing when the City determines that the proposed amendment is appropriate in order to:

a. Correct a map or text error, and/or omission made when the land use plan was adopted or during subsequent amendments and/or implementation;

b. Address other technical corrections discovered during implementation;

c. Ensure the public health, safety, and welfare;

d. Establish the location and design of a public facility already identified in the adopted Capital Improvements Program;

e. Comply with changes in state or federal law or applicable findings of a court of law; or

f. Revise language concerned solely with a process or procedural matter or an appendix to update information.

LU-D.6 Subject technical amendments to the same post-initiation processing, review, and input procedures that are required for privately-proposed plan amendments, except where there is an obvious mistake that can be corrected by references to City Council approved documents on file, or by reference to the legislative record.

Criteria for Initiation of Amendments

LU-D.7 Require that General Plan and community plan amendment initiations (except those determined to be technical as specified in LU-D.5, or initiated by City Council) be decided by the Planning Commission with the ability for the applicant to submit a request to the City Clerk for the City Council to consider the initiation if it is denied. The applicant must file the request with the City Clerk within 10 business days of the Planning Commission denial.

LU-D.8 General Plan and community plan amendments that increase residential density and/or mixed-use intensity in community plan designated Village areas are exempt from the initiation requirement if they demonstrate conformance with all of the three initiation criteria in Policy LU-D.11 through a preliminary review.

LU-D.9 Requests for specific plan amendments or a repeal in community plan areas that have undergone a community plan update since the General Plan was adopted in 2008 are exempt from the initiation requirement if they demonstrate conformance with all of the three initiation criteria in Policy LU-D.11 through a preliminary review.

LU-D.10 Recognize the ability of the City Council to initiate a General Plan and community plan amendment when direction is received through a vote of the City Council without demonstration of meeting the initiation criteria to prepare a plan amendment.

LU-D.11 Require that the recommendation of approval or denial to the Planning Commission be based upon compliance with all of the three initiation criteria as follows:

a. The amendment request appears to be consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan and community plan;

b. The proposed amendment provides additional public benefit to the community as compared to the existing land use designation, density/intensity range, plan policy or site design; and

c. Public facilities appear to be available to serve the proposed increase in density/intensity, or their provision will be addressed as a component of the amendment process.

LU-D.12 Acknowledge that initiation of a plan amendment in no way confers adoption of a plan amendment, that neither staff nor the Planning Commission is committed to recommend in favor or denial of the proposed amendment, and that the City Council is not committed to adopt or deny the proposed amendment.

Plan Amendment Processing

LU-D.13 Evaluate specific issues that were identified through the initiation process, whether the proposed amendment helps achieve long term community goals, as well as any additional community-specific amendment evaluation factors.

LU-D.14 Address the following standard plan amendment issues prior to the Planning Commission decision at a public hearing related to:

• Level and diversity of community support;
• Appropriate size and boundary for the amendment site;
• Provision of additional benefit to the community;
• Implementation of major General Plan and community plan goals, especially as related to the vision, values and City of Villages strategy; and
• Provision of public facilities.

LU-D.15 Consider consolidating multiple concurrent land use plan amendment proposals to analyze and assess the impacts of the development projects and the land use changes cumulatively.

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E Planning for Coastal Resources

Planning for Coastal Resources

Goals

• Certification of community plans as the City of San Diego’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) Land Use Plans.
• Preservation and enhancement of coastal resources.

Discussion

The land uses and implementing zones, which are adopted as part of each community plan update, meet the Coastal Act’s requirement that coastal land use provisions be sufficiently detailed to indicate the kind, location, and intensity of land uses. Coastal protection and enhancement strategies vary within each of the 18 planning areas within the Coastal Zone, but all are prepared consistent with a standardized framework of issues modeled upon the Coastal Act policies. Community planning areas wholly or partially located within the Coastal Zone include: Barrio Logan, Ocean Beach, Carmel Valley, Otay Mesa/ Nestor, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Midway-Pacific Highway , Peninsula, Mira Mesa, Torrey Hills, Mission Bay Park, Tijuana River Valley, Mission Beach, Torrey Pines, University, and Proposition A Lands – formerly known as “North City Future Urbanizing Area” (See Section J).

Within the Coastal Zone, there are several categories of land associated with different types of permit authority. The City has the authority to issue Coastal Development Permits for areas of the Coastal Zone where the Coastal Commission has certified the LCP land use plan and related Implementation Program in the form of code regulations. This constitutes a majority of the area within the Coastal Zone and these areas are known as “Coastal Commission certified areas.” These certified areas can lie within appealable as well as non-appealable areas. For instance, if a coastal development permit falls within the appealable area, then the decision involving this development is appealable to the Coastal Commission. On the other hand, if a coastal development permit falls within the non-appealable area, then the final decision rests with the City and is not appealable to the Coastal Commission.

“Areas of deferred certification” constitute another category of land in the Coastal Zone. In these areas, the Coastal Commission has not yet certified the City’s land use plan, and therefore retains coastal development permit authority. “Areas of original jurisdiction” or “Coastal Commission permit jurisdiction” are not a part of the City’s LCP and where the Coastal Act intends jurisdiction and permit authority to remain with the Coastal Commission.

Policies

LU-E.1 Incorporate community-specific policies into Coastal Zone community plans during community plan updates and/or amendments to address the Coastal Act.

LU-E.2 Ensure consistency of all coastal planning policies with the regional, citywide, and other community-specific planning policies included in each General Plan Element.

LU-E.3 Ensure that community plans contain policies to implement Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act and that the Land Development Code contains provisions to fully implement those policies.

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The City has a wide array of uses - including recreation opportunities, cultural and environmental resources, homes, and jobs - within its coastal area.

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F Consistency

F Consistency

Goals

• Zoning concurrent with community plan updates and amendments to ensure consistency with community plan land use designations.
• Zones or development regulations to better implement updated community plans.

Discussion

As the California General Plan Guidelines 2017 state, "the success of a general plan, and in particular the land use element, rests in part upon the effectiveness of a consistent zoning ordinance in translating the long-term objectives and policies contained in the plan into everyday decisions." Despite the fact that state law exempts charter cities from a zoning consistency requirement, it is the City's practice to apply zoning that is consistent with community plan land use designations to ensure their implementation.

The General Plan provides an overarching land use pattern and growth strategy based on the City of Villages Strategy. The City's adopted land use plans provide guidance and set the framework for the implementing regulations found in the Land Development Code. The Land Development Code structure was established purposefully to enable the addition of use packages or development regulation packages when plan policies call for zoning solutions beyond those already adopted in the code.

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Policies

LU-F.1 Apply existing or new Land Development Code zone packages or other regulations as needed to better implement the City of Villages strategy and policies of the General Plan; land use designations of the community plans; other goals and policies of the community plans; and community-specific policies and recommendations.

LU-F.2 Review public and private projects to ensure that they do not adversely affect the General Plan and community plans. Evaluate whether proposed projects implement specified land use, density/intensity, design guidelines, and other General Plan and community plan policies including open space preservation, community identity, mobility, and public facilities.

LU-F.3 Create and apply incentive zoning measures to achieve the desired mix of land uses, housing and public benefits consistent with the City of Villages Strategy.

a. Continue to provide incentives to development proposals that contribute to the provision of:

• Affordable and diverse housing types, overall housing production,
• Environmental enhancement, energy conservation and assist in meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals,
• Urban design and public spaces, and
• Public facilities and amenities over and above regulatory requirements.

b. Ensure that the granting of development incentives does not result in an adverse impact upon health, welfare, and safety of the surrounding community or upon any designated cultural and/or historic resource to the extent required by state law.

c. The provision of development incentives should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to be certain that the granting of incentives remains in proportion with the benefits derived.

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G Airport Land Use Compatibility

Airport Land Use Compatibility

Goals

• Protection of the health, safety, and welfare of persons within an airport influence area by minimizing the public’s exposure to high levels of noise and risk of aircraft accidents.
• Protection of public use airports and military air installations from the encroachment of incompatible land uses within an airport influence area that could unduly constrain airport operations.

Discussion

Airports affect future land uses and, at the same time, land uses can affect airports in that incompatible land uses can restrict airport operations or lead to the closure of an airport. The City evaluates the siting and expansion of public and private-use airports, heliports, and helipads/helistops. The state requires that the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board, as the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC), prepare Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans for each public-use airport and military air installation in the county. For military air installations, the state also requires that the ALUC prepare the compatibility plans consistent with the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone study prepared by the military. Refer to the Mobility Element, Section H for the location and description of the airports and military air installations in the city.

A compatibility plan addresses compatibility between airports and future land uses that surround them by addressing noise, overflight, safety, and airspace protection concerns to minimize the public’s exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards within the airport influence area for each airport over a 20-year horizon. Since the ALUC does not have land use authority, the City implements the compatibility plan through land use plans, development regulations, and zoning ordinances.

When a compatibility plan is amended or updated, the City is required to submit the land use plans (general plan and community plans) that are within an airport influence area to the ALUC for a consistency determination. At the same time an action is proposed to amend or update a land use plan, airport plan, development regulation, and zoning ordinance within an airport influence area, the City is required to submit these actions to the ALUC for a consistency determination prior to adoption of the action. The City can revise the proposed action or amend the affected land use plans to meet the ALUC’s determination, or the City Council may overrule their determination by a two-thirds vote if it makes specific findings that the proposed action is consistent with the purposes of: protecting public health, safety, and welfare; minimizing the public’s exposure to excessive noise; and minimizing safety hazards within areas surrounding the airport. When

a compatibility plan is amended or updated, the City is required to submit development projects that are within an airport influence area to the ALUC for a consistency determination prior to the City Council amending the affected land use plans to meet the ALUC’s determination, or the City Council overruling the ALUC determination.

Compatibility Factors

The compatibility factors (safety, airspace protection, noise, and overflights) vary by airport. Though the intent to protect public health, safety, and welfare is the same, land use policies are specific to each airport and community plan. The following sections identify the planning process and factors the City would consider when evaluating General Plan and community plan policies and future land use designations to ensure consistency with a compatibility plan.

Safety

When designating future land uses, the City evaluates the consequences and severity of an accident if one were to occur, the number of people in high accident risk areas, the proposed land use densities and intensities, and the consistency with the compatibility plan for the area. The City evaluates critical land uses and infrastructure in high accident risk areas to limit future locations. Critical land uses include children’s schools, childcare centers, hospitals, convalescent homes, places of worship, and other uses in which the mobility of occupants is effectively limited. Critical infrastructure includes power plants, electrical substations, public communications facilities, and other facilities in which the damage or destruction of the facility would cause adverse effects to public health and welfare beyond the vicinity of the facility.

Airspace Protection

Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has no authority to regulate or control the use of land around airports, using defined height standards, it informs development project applicants, the Airport Land Use Commission, and the City whether a proposed development would be an obstruction to air navigation and, if so, whether the obstruction would create a hazard. The FAA requires that project applicants notify the FAA prior to seeking a permit for construction. If the FAA determines that a proposed development is a hazard to air navigation, the state requires that the proposed development obtain state approval and the ALUC requires that the development obtain a consistency determination with the compatibility plan for the area. The particular hazards of concern are structures that pose an airspace obstruction, land uses that create wildlife hazards, particularly related to birds, and land use characteristics that create visual or electronic interference with air navigation. The FAA relies on the state and cities to implement

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Special notices and disclosures may be required in airport influence areas.

its height standards as defined in Code of Federal Regulations Title 14, Part 77. For existing or future uses, airport operators can purchase or have avigation easements dedicated from a property owner to prohibit the development of structures or growth of trees, or prohibit visual and electrical interference in the acquired airspace.

Noise

Refer to the Noise Element for an additional discussion regarding airport noise associated with aircraft operations within the city, and the Land Use - Noise Compatibility Guidelines for determining land use compatibility.

Overflights

Overflights of aircraft can be bothersome to people who are sensitive to the presence of aircraft overhead. Depending on the location, dedication of avigation easements or recorded deed, notices can be required to assure that future property owners are aware of the possibility that aircraft operating may be overhead. The state also requires real estate disclosures for all property transactions within an airport influence area.

Policies

LU-G.1 Work with the ALUC to develop policies that are consistent with the state and federal regulations and guidelines, that balance airport land use compatibility goals with other citywide and regional goals, and that emphasize the major airport land use compatibility factors.

LU-G.2 Submit all amendments and updates to the General Plan, community plans, specific plans, airport plans, development regulations and zoning ordinances affected by an airport influence area to the ALUC to ensure that they are consistent with the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan or have the City Council take steps to overrule the ALUC.

LU-G.3 Submit the General Plan, community plans, and specific plans affected by an airport influence area to the ALUC after the adoption or amendment to an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan to ensure that they are consistent or have the City Council take steps to overrule the ALUC.

LU-G.4 Submit development projects affected by an airport influence area to the ALUC after the adoption or amendment to an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan to ensure that they are consistent up until the time that the ALUC has determined the General Plan, community plans, and specific plans consistent with the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan or have the City Council take steps to overrule the ALUC.

LU-G.5 Implement the height standards used by the FAA as defined by Code of Federal Regulations Title 14, Part 77 through development regulations and zoning ordinances.

LU-G.6 Require that all proposed development projects (ministerial and discretionary actions) notify the FAA in areas where the proposed development meets the notification criteria as defined by Code of Federal Regulation Title 14, Part 77.

a. Require that all proposed development projects that are subject to FAA notification requirement provide documentation that FAA has determined that the project is not a Hazard to Air Navigation prior to project approval.

b. Require that the Planning Commission and City Council approve any proposed development that the FAA has determined to be a Hazard to Air Navigation once state and ALUC requirements are satisfied.

LU-G.7 Evaluate the siting and expansions of airports, heliports, and helipads/ helistops on the basis of aviation and land use need and potential safety and noise impacts on existing and planned surrounding land uses.

LU-G.8 Submit all airport/heliport master plans and development plans to the ALUC prior to City Council adoption.

LU-G.9 Coordinate with the Navy and Marine Corps to ensure that future land use and General Plan, community plan, specific plan, development regulations and zoning ordinances amendments are consistent with the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone study for military air installations.

LU-G.10 Encourage civilian and military airport operators, to the extent practical, to:

• Ensure safe airport operations to minimize noise and safety concerns;
• Purchase land within the airport runway protection zone, given available funding sources, to protect airport operations; and
• Obtain avigation easements or deed restrictions from property owners within the airport influence area to prevent air navigation obstructions and increase awareness of aircraft operating overhead.

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The San Diego International Aiport strives to be a community leader in sustainability and has undergone several improvements, including the replacement of Terminal 1 and the construction of a new airport access road.

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H Balanced Communities and Equitable Development

Balanced Communities and Equitable Development

Goal

A just and equitable society through inclusive public outreach and participation in the planning process.

Discussion

“Balanced communities” typically refer to communities that have a diverse collection of housing types that are suitable for households of various income levels. Balanced communities can contribute toward achievement of a fair and equal society and have the additional advantage of providing more people with the opportunity to live near their work. Equitable development refers to new development that contributes to the economic and social diversity and stability of the community, particularly on current lower-income community members.

The City strives to eliminate disparities and to provide access to necessary services and resources, including housing. Fair housing occurs when individuals of similar income levels in the same housing market have the same range of housing choice available to them regardless of their characteristics as protected under local, State, and Federal laws. It is important to the City that all community members have fair housing choice, free from discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status or disability, and other characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Government Code, and other State and Federal fair housing and planning laws.

Affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions that together address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity by replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns; transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity; and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws. The City adopted Council Policy 600-19 in 1972 to foster balanced community development in the city, with a primary objective to distribute low and moderate-income housing throughout the city. However, this policy has proven difficult to implement. Initiatives to increase the supply and distribution of affordable housing include the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (adopted in 2003, amended in 2022), the City of Villages strategy (2002), the remainder of the General Plan update (2008), and the Housing Element update (2021). More recent citywide initiatives to support the development of balanced and equitable communities and affirmatively further fair housing include Parks for All of Us, which included the adoption of a Parks Master Plan and amendment to the

Recreation Element (2021), Build Better SD, which included an amendment to the Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element (2022), and a variety of other efforts.

An important program that supports the development of affordable housing across the city is the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (adopted in 2003 and amended in 2022). The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requires all new residential developments of five units or more within the Coastal Overlay Zone and ten units or more outside of the Coastal Overlay Zone to provide affordable housing through a variety of methods. The required affordable homes are either provided on the same site as the market-rate units, on a different site within the same community planning area, or through developer payment of in-lieu fees which are deposited into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The City of Villages strategy also strives to increase housing supply and diversity through the development of compact, mixed-use villages in targeted areas. This strategy helps to achieve some of the jobs/housing benefits of balanced communities at a broader scale by encouraging better links from homes to jobs and services throughout the region. Even if they are not located in the same community, jobs, housing, and specialized services could be made more accessible to each other through an interlinked network of villages. It is anticipated that individual villages located throughout the city will offer unique mixes of uses and services, as well as opportunities for affordable housing and employment. Village sites are to contribute to citywide needs and are to function as an integrated part of the community and city.

Implementation of the City of Villages strategy carries a risk of gentrification. The term gentrification has various definitions. Gentrification is typically considered the process by which higher-income households displace lower-income households of a neighborhood, especially when the neighborhood changes to reflect the preferences and needs of the higher-income households while the preferences and needs of lower-income households are overlooked. The negative aspects of gentrification can be minimized if equitable development is achieved, which can and should be addressed through various anti-displacement measures. The City aims to create multi-generational urban communities that prioritize the well-being and quality of life for all community members. Policy LU-H.8 focuses on fostering inclusive neighborhoods that support families with children and intergenerational households, encourage community interaction, and provide safe, convenient, enjoyable and accessible public amenities.

Balanced commercial development in the city’s communities and quality of life assets, such as recreational opportunities, mobility, unique

neighborhoods, and an active public life are important components vital to the future of San Diego. As San Diego’s population grows and developable vacant land continues to decrease, many communities have experienced changes in the mix of commercial land uses because of rising rents. Actions can be taken to address the shortage of affordable commercial spaces available to new entrepreneurs and growing businesses. The community plan update process will provide an opportunity to identify what type of business growth is desirable in each community through a public process.

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Village sites have a variety of resources and amenities that can help support the development of balanced and equitable communities.

Policies

LU-H.1 Affirmatively further fair housing choice, promote equal housing opportunity, and promote the development of balanced and equitable communities that take into account community-wide involvement, participation, and needs.

a. Plan village development with the involvement of a broad range of neighborhood and business stakeholders, including traditionally underserved communities, and take into consideration the needs of individual neighborhoods, available resources, and willing partners.

b. Invest strategically in public infrastructure and offer development incentives that are consistent with the neighborhood’s vision.

c. Recognize the important role that schools play in neighborhood life and look for opportunities to form closer partnerships among local schools, community members, neighborhood groups, and the City with the goal of improving public education.

d. Ensure that neighborhood development and redevelopment addresses the needs of older people, particularly those disadvantaged by age, disability, or poverty, and children and young adults.

e. Provide affordable housing opportunities within the community to help offset the displacement of the existing population.

f. Provide a full range of senior housing from active adult to convalescent care in an environment conducive to the specific needs of the senior population.

g. Plan for more homes in village areas that are located in communities with high economic opportunity.

LU-H.2 Provide affordable housing throughout the city, especially in high-resource areas and in proximity to transit and walking/rolling and biking infrastructure.

LU-H.3 Provide a variety of housing types and sizes with varying levels of affordability in residential and village developments.

LU-H.4 Strive for balanced commercial development (see also Economic Prosperity Element, Section B).

a. Support communities’ efforts to identify the desired business growth model for their area and implement a strategy to achieve that goal.

b. Encourage greater opportunities for local ownership of businesses and/or assets.

c. Ensure that commercial districts are balanced and do not exclude the retail, employment, and service needs of local community members.

d. Encourage local employment within new developments and provide entrepreneurial opportunities for local community members.

e. Assist existing business owners in accessing programs that can provide financial assistance and business consulting services. Such programs include Small Business Administration loans, façade renovation, and other Redevelopment Agency financial assistance.

f. Consider, in redevelopment and community plan update and amendment processes, where businesses displaced by commercial gentrification can be relocated.

LU-H 5 Strive for accessible and equitably distributed social services throughout the city.

LU-H.6 Provide linkages among employment sites, housing, and villages via an integrated transit system and a well-defined pedestrian and bicycle network.

LU-H.7 Provide a variety of different types of land uses within a community in order to offer opportunities for a diverse mix of uses and to help create a balance of land uses within a community.

LU-H.8 Ensure fair and equal treatment for people of all genders in all aspects of life within the community by supporting the diversity of gender identities and expressions, and promoting an environment where everyone feels respected and included. Ensure there is equitable access to opportunities, services, and facilities for individuals of all genders.

LU-H.9 Consider and account for the comfort, safety, and needs of all genders in all aspects of community planning.

Thriving Communities for Families and Multi-Generational Homes

LU-H.10 Foster inclusive neighborhoods that support families with children and intergenerational households, encourage community interaction, and provide safe, convenient, enjoyable and accessible public amenities.

a. Inclusive Housing: Plan for homes suitable for all households,

including families with children and intergenerational households, to support flexible living arrangements and amenities that promote happy and healthy homes.

b. Child Friendly and Women+ Friendly Communities: Create spaces where children can grow, learn, create, imagine and play across all neighborhoods and communities. Foster environments where children and women+ feel safe to enjoy and use surrounding public spaces so they can most fully experience and participate in their community.

c. Community-Serving Infrastructure: Build infrastructure to meet the needs of existing and new homes and businesses.

d. Community-Serving Businesses/Stores: Support commercial services, including access to healthy, affordable and fresh food, that people can safely and conveniently access in their community.

e. Accessible Parks: Provide safe and enjoyable parks that can be reached safely by walking/rolling and biking.

f. Interconnected Communities: Provide a variety of activities within parks and public spaces that promote community interaction and social cohesion by encouraging people of different ages and backgrounds to engage, connect and grow.

g. Noise-Sensitive Homes: Plan for homes that are free from noise to ensure children and adults are able to sleep without unreasonable interruption; promote the use of noise-reducing materials and construction techniques in housing design to create peaceful and restful living environments and ensure compatibility between types of development.

h. Vibrant Streetscapes: Maintain streets so that they are clean and free of litter, with public art and recreational amenities that make them enjoyable to spend time using.

i. Accessible Libraries: Build libraries equipped with diverse resources and programming for community members of all ages that cater to the interests and needs of the local community.

j. Safe School Routes: Provide safe routes to schools so children and parents can walk/roll and bike to school.

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I | Proposition A - The Managed Growth Initiative (1985)

I Proposition A - The Managed Growth Initiative (1985)

Goals

• Future growth and development that is consistent with current land use intensity or that is subject to a “phase shift” process to approve increased intensity.
• Continued adherence to the North City Future Urbanizing Area (NCFUA) Framework Plan and other adopted subarea plans.

Discussion

The 1979 Progress Guide and General Plan

The 1979 Progress Guide and General Plan (1979 General Plan) included Guidelines for Future Development that divided the city into three planning areas, or tiers, for the purposes of managing growth: Urbanized, Planned Urbanizing, and Future Urbanizing. Growth was to be directed to the Urbanized (developed) communities as in fill development, and to the planned Urbanizing Areas where comprehensive community plans were to be developed. The Future Urbanizing Area was set aside as an urban reserve. Major objectives of the growth management system were to prevent premature urban development, conserve open space and natural environmental features, and protect the fiscal resources of the City by precluding costly sprawl and/or leapfrog urban development.

To help implement the growth strategy embodied in the tier system, the City adopted a series of Council Policies, including two in 1981 that played key roles in development timing and phasing: 600-29 “Maintenance of Future Urbanizing Areas as an Urban Reserve,” and 600-30 “General Plan Amendments to Shift Land from Future Urbanizing to Planned Urbanizing Area”.

During the 1980s, it became apparent that the objectives of maintaining an urban reserve were being jeopardized through incremental approvals of General Plan amendments to shift land from Future Urbanizing to Planned Urbanizing. These approvals reduced the City’s opportunities to plan for the area comprehensively and to provide a viable open space network for conservation of natural resources. In response to citizen concerns, in 1983 the City strengthened Council Policy 600-30 by adding a “Threshold Determination” which was a two-step process to evaluate the need of a phase shift by analyzing the need for developable land and the fiscal and environment impacts of proposed shifts.

The Managed Growth Initiative

The public remained concerned with the extent of phase shifts that were occurring and, in 1985, the electorate approved Proposition A, The Managed Growth Initiative. This initiative amended the 1979 General Plan to state that: “no property shall be

changed from the “future urbanizing” land use designation in the Progress Guide and General Plan to any other land use designation, and the provisions restricting development in the future urbanizing area shall not be amended except by majority vote of the people...” In addition to restrictions on land use designation changes, Proposition A (Section 3, Implementation) directed the City to implement the proposition by taking actions “including but to limited to adoption and implementation on any amendments to the General Plan and zoning ordinance or City Code reasonably necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this initiative measure.” A comprehensive package of legislative and regulatory actions implementing Proposition A was adopted by the City Council in 1990, including amendments to: the 1979 General Plan Guidelines for Future Development; Council Policy 600-29 “Maintenance of Future Urbanizing Area as an Urban Reserve”; and zoning regulations for Planned Residential Developments, A-1 zones, and Conditional Use Permits. The full text of Proposition A is included in Appendix B.

Land Use Policy Development Following the Passage of Proposition A

Proposition A was effective in ensuring that full evaluation of general plan amendments proposing phase shifts on individual properties would occur. However, the opportunity to comprehensively plan the urban reserve was in jeopardy due to approvals of residential subdivisions at rural densities consistent with existing Agriculture zones and proposition A. As a result, a public planning process took place and the City adopted the North City Future Urbanizing Area Framework Plan (NCFUA) in 1992. This plan established the vision for the city’s 12,000 acre northern urban reserve and identified five subareas where more detailed land use, transportation and open space planning was to occur. It also called for the establishment of an interconnected open space system. This system was referred to as an “Environmental Tier” of the General Plan.

The NCFUA Framework Plan is still in effect for Subarea II. Additional planning took place in the remaining four subareas resulting in voter-approved phase shifts for property within Black Mountain Ranch (Subarea I), Pacific Highlands Ranch (Subarea III), and Torrey Highlands (Subarea IV). A specific plan for Del Mar Mesa (NCFUA Subarea V) was adopted that limits residential development to rural densities and identifies MSCP core habitat area for conservation without need to process a phase shift.

The NCFUA encompasses about one-quarter of all non-shifted acres. Other planning areas that contain Proposition A lands are: Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve; Tijuana River Valley; Rancho Encantada; and the San Pasqual Valley. The City, in collaboration with landowners and other agencies,

completed additional planning efforts to address land use in the Future Urbanizing Area, including:

• A comprehensive update to the San Pasqual Valley Plan that calls for preservation of the valley for agricultural, open space, and habitat uses;
• The Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and associated preserve system that encompassed much of the land called out as a part of the potential “environmental tier”
• The San Dieguito River Park Concept Plan; and
• Open space and habitat preservation actions in the Tijuana River Valley.

Proposed “environmental tier” lands have become protected through the MSCP, dedications or easements, or through Open Space land use designation. In addition, Environmentally Sensitive Lands regulations and new open space zoning tools were added to the Land Development Code. While the “Environmental Tier” was not formally added to the General Plan, the MSCP and the Environmentally Sensitive Lands regulations have become the primary means of implementing the Environmental Tier concept and protecting open space lands.

The two remaining areas of Proposition A lands shown on Figure LU-4 are Military Use Facilities and County lands (both County Islands and Prospective Annexation Areas). Since military lands are not presently subject to the City’s land use authority, the City has chosen to follow the development intensity restrictions and the requirements for a vote of the people to approve an amendment to shift the area from Proposition A lands upon receipt of jurisdiction of former military installations. County lands that have not been annexed into the city are unlikely to do so in the future. However, the annexation evaluation criteria required through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) process appropriately address the future land use and impact on City services issues that are key to the City’s desire to annex.

By 2005, phase shifts, per Proposition A and the 1979 General Plan, occurred for the land determined to be appropriate for more urban levels of development within the planning horizon of this General Plan. Completion of these large-scale comprehensive planning efforts and public land acquisition of open space has changed the planning focus in the remaining undeveloped Proposition A lands from maintain an urban reserve for future growth to implementing NCFUA and General Plan policies for natural resource conservation, public recreation and protection of agriculture and open space lands. The City also completed planning efforts to address land use in the remainder of the Future Urbanizing Area subject to its jurisdiction. The City Council adopted a comprehensive

Proposition A - The Managed Growth Initiative (1985)

update to the San Pasqual Valley Plan that requires the preservation of the San Pasqual Valley for agricultural use, open space, and Multi-Habitat Planning Area (MHPA) (see Conservation Element for more detail). Additionally, the City adopted a specific plan for Del Mar Mesa that severely limits residential development to rural densities and sets aside over half of the plan area as MHPA. Furthermore, federal, state, county, and other jurisdictions have participated with the City in planning for open space and habitat preservation in the San Dieguito and Tijuana River Valley.

As described previously, the phased development areas system has, for the most part, become an outdated system to address future growth and development. The City has grown into a jurisdiction with primarily two tiers, see Figure LU-4, Proposition A Lands Map:

• Proposition A (Managed Growth Initiative) characterized by very low- density, residential, open space, natural resource-based park, and agricultural uses; and

• Urbanized Lands – characterized by older, recently developed, and developing communities at urban and suburban levels of density and intensity.

By 2006, communities formerly known as Planned Urbanizing were largely completed according to the adopted community plan, and of that group, the oldest were beginning to experience limited redevelopment on smaller sites. For information on how the tier system was linked to public facilities financing, see the Public Facilities Element.

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The Black Mountain Ranch neighborhood is one of the City's northernmost areas, adjacent to the 2,352 acre Black Mountain Open Space Park.

Policies

LU-I.1 Identify non-phase shifted lands as Proposition A lands and no longer refer to them as Future Urbanizing Area.

LU-I.2 Follow a public planning and voter approval process consistent with the provisions of this Land Use Element for reuse planning of additional military lands identified as Proposition A lands, and other areas if and when they become subject to the City’s jurisdiction.

LU-I.3 Continue to implement Proposition A –The Managed Growth Initiative of 1985 (see Appendix B).

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Del Mar Mesa Preserve

Proposition A - The Managed Growth Initiative (1985)

Figure LU-4 Proposition A Lands

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Figure LU-4

Proposition A Lands

PLANNING AREAS 1 Balboa Park 2 Barrio Logan 3 Black Mountain Ranch 4 Carmel Mountain Ranch 5 Carmel Valley 6 Clairemont Mesa 7 College Area 8 Del Mar Mesa 9 Downtown 10 East Elliot 11 Encanto Neighborhoods 12 Fairbanks Ranch Country Club 13 Greater Golden Hill 14 Kearny Mesa 15 La Jolla 16 Linda Vista 17 Los Penasquitos Canyon 18 Mid-City: City Heights 19 Mid-City: Eastern Area 20 Mid-City: Kensington-Talmadge 21 Mid-City Normal Heights 22 Midway-Pacific Highway 23 Military Facilities 24 Mira Mesa 25 Miramar Ranch North 26 Mission Bay Park 27 Mission Beach 28 Mission Valley 29 Navajo 30 NCFUA Subarea II 31 North Park 32 Ocean Beach 33 Old Town San Diego 34 Otay Mesa 35 Otay Mesa-Nestor 36 Pacific Beach 37 Pacific Highlands Ranch 38 Peninsula 39 Rancho Bernardo 40 Rancho Encantada 41 Rancho Penasquitos 42 Reserve 47 Sabre Springs 48 San Pasqual 49 San Ysidro 50 Scripps Miramar Ranch 51 Serra Mesa 52 Skyline-Paradise Hills 53 Southeastern San Diego 54 Tierrasanta 55 Tijuana River Valley 56 Torrey Highlands 57 Torrey Hills 58 Torrey Pines 59 University 60 Uptown 61 Via De La Valle

PROSPECTIVE ANNEXATIONS A 4S Ranch B Davis Ranch Island C East Otay Mesa

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J Annexations and Reorganizations

Annexations and Reorganizations

Goals

• Identification of prospective annexation areas to limit urban sprawl, avoid duplication of urban services in an efficient manner, and preserve open space.
• Annexation of county islands within the City boundaries.

Discussion

Prospective annexation areas include a county island of unincorporated land within the city, and unincorporated areas that share common geographic features and are bordered by the same natural boundaries as the contiguous City area (see Figure LU-3). Land located within these prospective areas can be reviewed for the possibility of annexation upon the initiative of either the landowner or the City. Additionally, discussions regarding reorganizations or boundary adjustments between the City and other adjacent jurisdictions will occur over time and will require further evaluation. The City has a single county island known as Davis Ranch which is an approximately 77-acre property located adjacent to Interstate 15 within the Scripps Miramar Ranch Community Planning Area.

Policies

LU-J.1 Identify prospective annexation areas for long-range planning purposes that will avoid duplication of services with special districts; promote orderly growth and development and preserve open space, as necessary, on its periphery; and promote a more cost-efficient delivery of urban services to both existing areas that already have urban services and future development areas that require urban service extensions from contiguous City areas.

LU-J.2 Evaluate whether or not to submit an annexation application to the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).

a. Analyze the present and planned land uses for the proposed annexation.

b. Assess the present and future need for urban services and facilities.

c. Review the fiscal impact of the proposed annexation to the City.

d. Identify whether the proposal represents an orderly and logical extension of City boundaries.

e. Assess the ability of the City to provide urban level services.

f. Determine whether the proposal would induce residential growth.

g. Determine whether the proposal would provide provisions for affordable housing.

h. Determine whether the proposal would provide provisions for open space.

i. Evaluate the effect of the annexation to any relevant social or economic aspects of interest.

j. Identify appropriate zones for the property.

k. Verify and determine the level of support on the part of affected property owners and area community members.

LU-J.3 Include areas, upon their annexation, in the appropriate community planning area, and ensure that future development implements the policies and recommendations of the General Plan and applicable community plan.

LU-J.4 Pursue annexation of the county island known as Davis Ranch based upon a review of the preceding factors, and the fact that the City has provided efficient delivery of urban services, roadways and other major public facilities to this area for many years.