Garden Grove General Plan

The plan document

Read Garden Grove's official General Plan: Garden Grove General Plan → · 2008 (General Plan 2030 base); Land Use, Safety, and new Environmental Justice Elements adopted November 9, 2021 (Resolution No. 9713-21) · 2023-10-10 (2021-2029 Housing Element, Resolution No. 9825-23)

Elements · 6 Verifier-checked summaries

• Chapter 2: Land Use Element (General Plan 2030, 2021 update) → Land Use 2021-11-09

  Garden Grove's Land Use Element (Chapter 2), part of General Plan 2030 and updated November 9, 2021, sets the framework directing development over the next 20 years, using the Land Use Diagram (Exhibit LU-3) and goals/policies. A 2020 vacant land survey found only 36.4 of 11,464.1 net acres vacant (0.3 percent). It forecasts population growth from 174,801 (2020) to 238,619 (2030) and identifies 15 Focus Areas (A through O). Residential land is classified into five categories: Low Density Residential (1.0-11.0 du/acre, R-1), Low Medium Density (11.1-21.0 du/acre, R-2/R-3), Medium Density, Medium High Density (32.1-42.0, up to 60 via PUD), and Community Residential (42.1-60.0 du/acre). Light Commercial allows FAR up to 0.55, Heavy Commercial up to 1.0 for hotels, Office Professional up to 0.50. International West Mixed Use is a new resort-area designation; the Plan allows vertical and horizontal mixed use.

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• Chapter 12: 2021-2029 Housing Element (6th cycle) → Housing 2023-10-10

  Garden Grove's 2021-2029 Housing Element (Chapter 12, 6th cycle) was adopted October 10, 2023 by Resolution No. 9825-23, covering the planning period June 30, 2021 through October 15, 2029. It identifies strategies to encourage varied housing, provide housing for lower- and moderate-income persons, preserve existing housing stock, minimize governmental constraints, and promote equal housing opportunity. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation derives from SCAG's regional determination of 1,344,740 units (HCD identified October 2019); SCAG's Final Allocation Plan was adopted March 4, 2021 and approved by HCD March 22, 2021. Goal H-1 preserves and enhances housing and neighborhoods, including pollution-protection design within 500 feet of freeways, railroads, arterials, or industrial uses (H-1.11). Goal H-2 accommodates housing at all affordability levels, providing density bonuses and incentives for affordable housing (H-2.3). Goal H-3 provides a range of housing types, densities, and affordability levels, ensuring adequate sites for all income groups (H-3.2).

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• Chapter 10: Conservation Element (General Plan 2030) → Conservation 2008

  Garden Grove's Conservation Element (Chapter 10, General Plan 2030, 2008) directs conservation of natural, historical, and cultural resources, addressing water, energy, solid waste, biological, green building, and cultural/historical topics, fulfilling Government Code Section 65302(d). Over half the City's water supply comes from local groundwater wells in the Santa Ana River basin, the rest imported. The City met Assembly Bill 939 by diverting over 50 percent of its waste from landfills by 2000; in 2005 about 199,737 tons went to a landfill. A 1986 inventory documented 132 locally-significant buildings. Goal CON-1 seeks to conserve water resources for equitable clean water, with policies to reduce potable water waste through efficient technologies (CON-1.2), promote conservation in new development (CON-1.3), and continue a Water Conservation Program (CON-1.4). Goal CON-2 protects and improves water quality through enhanced infiltration (CON-2.1) and agency compliance (CON-2.4). CON-IMP-1C promotes drought-tolerant native plants citywide.

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• Chapter 9: Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Element (General Plan 2030) → Open Space 2008

  Garden Grove's Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Element (Chapter 9, General Plan 2030, 2008) addresses parkland, recreation, and open space, fulfilling Government Code Section 65560(b)(3). The City owns 14 park properties and uses 5 public schools via joint-use agreements, totaling 157.1 acres of parkland. Parks are classed as community (10-40 acres), neighborhood (1-10 acres), and mini (under 1 acre) per NRPA. The 1995 General Plan set a 5.0 acres-per-1,000-persons ratio for both parkland and open space; as of 2008 parkland was 0.91 acres per 1,000, so General Plan 2030 sets a revised parkland goal of 2.0 acres per 1,000 persons. Open space (parks, school properties, OCTA right-of-way, flood control facilities, utility easements, water wells/reservoirs) totals 979.3 acres, about 5.66 acres per 1,000 persons in 2008 and projected at 4.98 by 2030; the City aims to maintain 5.0. There are currently no dedicated recreational trails.

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• Chapter 7: Noise Element (General Plan 2030) → Noise 2008

  Garden Grove's Noise Element (Chapter 7, General Plan 2030, 2008) identifies and appraises noise sources to reduce conflicts, fulfilling Government Code Section 65302(f). It uses the Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL), a 24-hour energy-average dBA metric that penalizes evening noise (7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.) by about 5 dB and nighttime (10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.) by 10 dB. The City's noise environment is dominated by traffic along SR-22 and major/primary arterials. A 50-60 dBA CNEL environment is 'normally acceptable' for residential uses; locating residences, parks, and institutions where exterior levels exceed 65 dBA CNEL is undesirable. Per Title 25, Section 1092 CCR, multi-family units must be designed to reduce interior noise to 45 dBA CNEL. The City's Noise Ordinance (Municipal Code Section 8.47) sets standards (Table 7-2): residential 55 dBA daytime / 50 dBA nighttime; institutional 65 dBA any time.

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• Chapter 11: Safety Element (General Plan 2030, 2021 update) → Safety 2021-11-09
• Chapter 13: Environmental Justice Element (General Plan 2030, 2021) → Environmental Justice 2021-11-09

  Garden Grove's Environmental Justice Element (Chapter 13), a new element adopted November 9, 2021, applies the State definition of environmental justice as the fair treatment of all races, cultures, and incomes in environmental policy. Goal EJ-1 seeks reduced concentrations of pollution sources as health risks to residential neighborhoods and disadvantaged communities, with policies to minimize pollution burdens via building design near industrial uses or corridors (EJ-1.2), mitigate SR-22 freeway noise and air pollution using landscape buffers and sound walls (EJ-1.3), and reduce industrial pollution exposure (EJ-1.4). Goal EJ-2 improves access to public facilities and services in underserved areas, prioritizing new parks in disadvantaged communities (EJ-2.2) and expanding tree canopy (EJ-2.6). Goal EJ-3 improves access to healthy food, encouraging community gardens (EJ-3.1), farmers' markets (EJ-3.4), and small ethnic grocery stores (EJ-3.5).

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Element summaries are generated from the official document text and held unless every fact is grounded in the source. Links open the jurisdiction's own published documents.