General Plan & Supporting Docs

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State Regulations | California State law (Government Code Section 63500) requires each city and county to prepare and adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for physical development every ten years. The General Plan serves as a “blue print" for all land use actions of the city. It is fundamentally a policy document that articulates the goals, strategies, and, in some areas, regulations regarding the distribution of land and its type and intensity of use, both public and private. This long-range planning document is a vision of what National City should become.

2011 Comprehensive General Plan Update: Linked Here

2024 Focused General Plan Update

The components from the update are listed below (asterisk) with supporting documents lined below.

Bicycle Master Plan	Climate Action Plan	Housing Element	House National City Guide
Interactive Zoning Map	Land Use Element	Land Use Map	Safety Element
Transportation Element			Zoning Map

2024 FGPU BACKGROUND | The City’s General Plan serves as the guiding document for achieving the community’s vision for the future. Since the last update in 2011, new State legislation and other regional and local changes have taken effect. As result, in March 2020, National City initiated the FGPU to support housing-related goals, comply with changes in State legislation, update per City planning studies, and coordinate growth through a holistic process. To follow the adoption of the Housing Element on August 3, 2021, the Land Use Element, Transportation Element, Safety Element, Zoning Map, and Climate Action Plan have been updated. A Supplemental Program Environmental Impact Report (SPEIR), was prepared to analyze the Focused General Plan Update (FGPU) and related documents. The goals, policies, and actions in the General Plan will guide development in National City through the horizon year 2050.

FGPU BY THE NUMBERS | The FGPU took approximately four (4) years to complete and cost approximately $2,070,000 plus numerous staff time to complete. Of the total costs to complete the update approximately half of the funds were covered by local and state grants that city employees applied for.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION | In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FGPU was launched. The City of National City and its residents were faced with various declarations of emergency, closure of schools and adjustments to public meeting places, lockdowns, and other restrictions intended to slow the progression of the virus.

The City of National City practiced caution and ensured that the public's safety came first. City elected officials and staff were consistent with COVID-19 official public health guidance, outreach activities, etc. The FGPU outreach shifted from in-person events to virtual platforms, then back to in-person public participation. To address potential barriers to participation and maximize reach, a variety of media and activities were used to share information and gather input. Thorough public participation was sought at every step through the FGPU's Community Engagement Plan and project webpage which is currently inactive {www.nationalcityca.gov/fgpu} to document the project and to act as a guiding document for public participation.

6th CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT | The Housing Element is a chapter of the General Plan. The Housing is required to be updated every eight years. The most recent Housing Element covers the years 2021 to 2029 and was adopted August 3, 2021. - Title 18 of the Municipal code was updated to comply with Housing Element policies and State housing legislation and addresses minor language and conformance discrepancies throughout. The Municipal Code update includes the incorporation of Objective Design Standards and the Floor Area Ratio Bonus Regulations. All updates aim to ease local impacts of the statewide housing crisis by facilitating easier housing development, encouraging deed-restricted affordable housing construction, or allowing for a variety of housing types.

Housing Element 2021 to 2029

LAND AND USE CODE | Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code is the City’s Zoning Ordinance and is the primary tool for implementing the General Plan. The Land Use Code provides detailed standards for development or the use of land. These standards include what types of uses are permitted in a particular zone, minimum lot size, height restrictions, building setbacks, parking requirements, wall heights, sign criteria, and other standards.