What is a General Plan?

The General Plan serves as the “constitution” for the city. It is a set of policies and programs that serves as the blueprint for physical development. Its purpose is to establish a long-range vision for the community and to plan for important community issues, such as new growth, housing needs, public services, and environmental protection. The General Plan expresses broad community values and goals, gives a picture of how the community should look in the future, and outlines steps to get there. Objectives such as “create economic development,” “preserve open space,” and “support sustainable practices” are translated into policies, maps, and specific actions that are tangible and can be implemented. General Plans are mandated by State law.

Why Update the General Plan?

The General Plan is the City's most important planning tool, and keeping the General Plan updated helps ensure that information in the Plan is current and that the Plan's goals and action items are consistent with current City policy.

Many issues facing Pacifica are enduring but the legal environment governing land use, environmental preservation, housing, and other planning issues changes over time. New priorities emerge with new Pacifica residents and stakeholders. Therefore, the General Plan must be updated periodically to sufficiently assess current conditions and express a relevant vision for the future.

What’s the status of pacifica’s General Plan update?

The City Council adopted the updated 2040 General Plan on July 11, 2022. The new General Plan took effect 30 days later on August 10, 2022.

Plan Pacifica - Help Shape Pacifica’s Future!

The current process to update the Housing Element of the General Plan and Local Coastal Land Use Plan relies on vital input, visioning and feedback from the community.

• Sign up for our mailing list here

• Click here to contact us with questions or comments

• See the Resource Library for General Plan materials