Preliminary Planning Commission Draft (2007)

Part 1 - Setting


Part 1 (PDF) of the plan discusses the purpose, form, and content of the General Plan. This includes a review of the plan's intended uses and guiding principles, the plan development process, and a reader's guide. Also included are policies regarding public participation, maintenance and amendments to the plan, and inter-governmental coordination.

Chapter 1: Introduction


The Humboldt County General Plan is the comprehensive guide for the long term growth and development of the county. The California Supreme Court has called the General Plan the "constitution for future development." The General Plan expresses the community's goals, visions, and policies relative to future land uses, both public and private. The General Plan is mandated and prescribed by state law (California Government Code §65300 et seq.), and forms the basis for most local government land use decision making.

Chapter 2: Public Guide to the General Plan


This chapter provides a guide for reading and using the plan. It describes the organization of the plan, the alternatives that are presented in the plan and how to track them, the layout of a typical chapter, and the relationship of this document to other planning documents.

Chapter 3: Governance Policy


This chapter contains policies on how the county intends to administer this plan and what citizens can expect when dealing with the county on land use matters. The chapter also includes sections on amendments to the plan and intergovernmental coordination.

Part 2 - Building Communities


Part 2 is the heart of the plan. This section includes background on population trends and land supply, policies for growth management, the land use element, public facilities and infrastructure, and traffic and pedestrian circulation. The section also includes references to the housing element and the optional elements of community design and economic development.

Chapter 4: Managing Growth


Chapter 4 (PDF) presents planning concepts that address key issues recognized during the public outreach and plan development process:
  • Available land inventory
  • Infrastructure
  • Population growth and land supply
  • Urban and rural boundaries

Chapter 5: Land Use Element


The Land Use Element guides patterns of development for the county, providing a long-range context for decisions made regarding zoning, subdivision and public works. This element is arranged into several components:
  • Urban Land Use (PDF): This component establishes policies regarding land uses in urban areas, including residential, commercial, industrial, mixed use and other land uses.
  • Rural Residential Land Use (PDF): This component provides policies for the planned development of rural lands, including issues related to compatibilities with adjacent working lands and consideration of natural resource issues.
  • Forest Resources Land Use (PDF): This component establishes policies that address the use and protection of the county's timberlands. Pursuant to the Government Code, the Land Use Element is required to "designate in a land use category that provides for timber production those parcels of real property zoned for timber production pursuant to the California Timberland Productivity Act of 1982."
  • Agricultural Land Use (PDF): This component establishes policies to insure the stability and productivity of the county's agricultural lands and industries, with the intention of providing clear guidelines for decisions in agricultural areas. It is also intended to express policies, programs and measures that promote and protect the current and future needs of the agricultural industry.
    • Agricultural land use is also a component of the Conservation and Open Space Element. Agricultural resources may be impacted by land use changes caused by development as well as by open space conservation decisions.
  • Public Lands (PDF): This section contains policies to enable coordination of planning activities in the county with planning activities of public land agencies.

Chapter 6: Maps


The General Plan establishes the kinds, locations, and intensities of land uses as well as applicable resource protection and development policies.

This chapter contains maps and diagrams that support and illustrate the plan. The General Plan includes 2 types of maps, official and background. Official maps show the geographic application of plan policies, while background maps provide supplemental information. Official map sets will include:
  • Biological Resources
  • Circulation / Public Facilities
  • Flood Hazard
  • Geologic
  • Land Use
Background maps are included in the topical chapters.

Chapter 7: Community Infrastructure & Services


The purpose of the Community Infrastructure and Services Element (PDF) is to present policies and implementation measures for providing for infrastructure needs based on a realistic analysis of existing capacity, future demand, and financing options for water, wastewater, police, fire, road, and storm water control infrastructure. This chapter also includes policies relating to telecommunications infrastructure.

The background analysis supporting these policies allows for determination of the location of future facilities and improvements, acceptable levels of service, funding methods and priorities, and the timing of facility and service availability.

Development in Humboldt County is constrained by infrastructure and service limitations. The county has defined specific "urban study areas" to evaluate infrastructure capacity in light of the projected demand for housing for all income levels for the next 20 years.

Chapter 8: Circulation Element


The Circulation Element (PDF) is an infrastructure plan that addresses the circulation of people, goods, and services. This element is developed in coordination with applicable state and regional transportation plans. The element includes information on existing transportation facilities including roadway capacities and levels of service, as well as planned transportation improvements, including pedestrian and bikeway improvements. By statute, the element must correlate directly with the land use element, and is directly related to housing, open space, noise, and safety elements.

Chapter 9: Housing Element


The Housing Element identifies housing needs in the unincorporated areas of the county, and directs the implementation of policies and programs to address those needs. The Housing Element is revised approximately once every 5 years according to state requirements. The most recent version adopted in December 2003 is bound as a separate document.

Chapter 10: Community Design


Chapter 10 (PDF) contains policies and implementation for defining and promoting community character, including the urban / rural edge, street and block design, public areas, and neighborhood and commercial district design.

Chapter 11: Economic Development Element


Chapter 11 (PDF) establishes a consistent set of policies that provide general direction to local government on how the community can focus resources to retain local business, stimulate new firm creation and business expansion within existing and emerging industries, support the tax base, and sustain the ability to provide public services for current and future residents. It will work in tandem with the economic development strategy.

Consideration is given within this element to the cumulative effectiveness of the integration of policies central to land use, circulation, and public facilities.

Part 3 - Environmental Resource Management


Part 3 of the plan focuses on conservation and open space issues, including more detailed policy analysis of several component resource issues.

Chapter 12: Conservation & Open Space Elements


The purpose of Chapter 12 (PDF) is to provide policy and implementation for 2 state-mandated elements, the Conservation Element and the Open Space Element. This chapter addresses issues that are not otherwise addressed in other topical chapters. This chapter also describes the relationship between these elements and other sections of the plan, and provides for the integration of related components.

The Open Space Element addresses open space for the preservation of natural resources, for the managed production of resources, for outdoor recreation, and for public health and safety. The Conservation Element addresses the conservation, development, and use of natural resources, including water, forests, soils, rivers, and mineral deposits.

Chapter 13: Water Resources Element


The primary purpose of the Water Resources Element (PDF) is to ensure that the county's water resources are sustained and protected. To achieve this purpose, water resource management will be implemented in an integrated manner throughout all jurisdictions in the county. Such implementation will proceed on a sustainable yield and quality protection basis, which considers the amount of quality water that can be used over the long term without exceeding the replenishment rates over time nor causing long term decline or degradation in available surface water or groundwater resources.

Chapter 14: Biological Resources


Chapter 14 (PDF) contains policies specific to biological resources, including issues regarding wildlife habitat. A series of biological resource maps showing identified sensitive biological resources are produced as part of the plan.

Chapter 15: Cultural & Scenic Resources


This chapter is presented in 2 sections: cultural resources (PDF) and scenic resources (PDF). The cultural resources section contains policies regarding cultural heritage, historic, archaeological, paleontological, and architectural resources, and is a component of the Open Space Element. The scenic resources section presents policies regarding scenic resources in the county, including policy options to provide inland scenic resource protection.

Chapter 16: Mineral Resources


Chapter 16 (PDF) contains provisions for the conservation and protection of minerals. The Mineral Resource Element is a component of the Conservation and Open Space Elements. Energy production and conservation issues related to mineral resources are addressed in the Energy Element.

Chapter 17: Energy Element


Energy production and conservation issues are addressed in the Energy Element (PDF). Energy resources in Humboldt County include oil and gas, hydropower, wind, biomass, and solar energy. Conservation is also viewed as an energy resource, and is considered in context in the Housing and Circulation elements of this plan. Policies regarding the development of existing and potential energy resources have been designed to mitigate impacts and allow communities to enjoy the benefits of such development.

Chapter 18: Waste Management


Chapter 18 (PDF) describes the policies and programs for the disposal, handling, recycling, and reduction of wastes.

Chapter 19: Air Quality


The purpose of Chapter 19 (PDF) is to describe the existing air quality, the sources of air pollution, and recommended strategies for improving air quality, including strategies affecting the density and location of land uses, the transportation and circulation system, and community design.

Part 4 - Public Health & Safety


Part 4 of the plan address policy issues pertaining to noise and safety, 2 of the mandatory elements, and more closely considers the topic of airport safety in Chapter 22.

Chapter 20: Noise Element


The Noise Element (PDF) is one of the 7 required General Plan elements. The Noise Element is required to identify and appraise noise following the guidelines adopted by the Office of Noise Control in the State Department of Health Services. Noise levels are to be considered in establishing patterns of land uses that minimizes the exposure of community residents to excessive noise.

Chapter 21: Safety Element


The purpose of the Safety Element (PDF) is to reduce the potential risk of death, injuries, property damage, and economic and social dislocation resulting from earthquake, fire, flood, and other hazards. The components of this element include:
  • Airport Safety
  • Emergency Management
  • Fire
  • Flooding and Drainage
  • Geologic / Seismic Hazards
  • Industrial Hazards
This element identifies hazards and hazard abatement provisions to guide local decisions related to zoning, subdivisions, and entitlement permits. Hazard and risk reduction policies supporting hazard implementation measures are contained in this element.

Airport Safety (Previously Chapter 22)


This section provides policies and implementation to protect the community from risk associated with airports.

Part 5 - Impacts & Implementation


Chapter 23: Implementation Plan Summary


This chapter outlines the specifics of how the implementation measures contained in individual elements will be carried out to implement the plan.

Chapter 24: Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Analysis


The EIR analysis document is separate from the General Plan. Preliminary California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis will be included into the initial hearing draft chapters for each element.

The draft EIR addresses adoption of a General Plan for the County of Humboldt. The adopted plan would replace the existing 1984 General Plan, except for the Housing Element, which was updated in December 2003.

Purpose
The purposes of the EIR are to:
  • Inform agencies and the public of significant environmental effects associated with the proposed program
  • Identify ways to minimize significant effects of the program
  • Describe reasonable alternatives to the program that would avoid or reduce the program's significant effects (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15121[a])
The CEQA requires that all state and local government agencies consider the environmental consequences of programs and projects over which they exercise discretionary authority before taking action on them.

Comments & Responses
The draft EIR, comments and responses will be presented in total to the county Board of Supervisors for consideration as they review the proposed General Plan. Prior to approval of this or any version of the General Plan, the Board of Supervisors must certify that an EIR (complete with comments and responses) adequately addresses the General Plan's potential environmental impacts in compliance with CEQA.

The public, along with local, regional, state and federal agencies, are invited to review the draft EIR and to provide comments. Comments should be directed to the County of Humboldt Department of Community Development Services at:
3015 H St.
Eureka, CA 95501

Comments received during the review period will elicit a formal written response in a subsequent document (Response to Comments), which will also be available for public review.

Part 6 - Appendices


Appendix A: Glossary & Definitions


Appendix A contains statutory definitions as needed and defines terms and acronyms used in the General Plan.

Appendix B: Index


Appendix B is a keyword index to the General Plan.

Appendix C: Community Area Plans


Appendix C contains zoning and planning maps and community-specific policies.

Companion Documents


Companion documents to the General Plan include:
  • 2003 Housing Element Technical Background Study 2002-2008: This is part of the Housing Element that provides technical background information and identifies on-going housing goals, policies and programs.
  • Airports Master Plan: Provides guidance for county airport improvements and land use decisions in the vicinity of county airports.
  • Capital Improvement Plan: In conjunction with the Infrastructure and Community Facilities Element, the plan directs financing and construction of public infrastructure and community facilities.
  • Coastal Plans: Land use plans for the Coastal Zone certified by the California Coastal Commission.
  • EIR: Discloses the environmental impacts of the new General Plan and identifies mitigation measures to reduce the adverse environmental impacts.
  • Fire Plan: Acknowledges those delivering essential fire services, identifies their needs for delivery of services, and guides the maintenance and improvement of the services delivered.
  • Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) Energy Element Final Draft (October 2005): Guides the development of the Energy Element of the General Plan.
  • RCEA Energy Element Technical Report (October 2005): Provides technical background information for the Energy Element.