Riverside County General Plan

The plan document

Read Riverside County's official General Plan: Riverside County General Plan → · 2003-10-07 · 2024-06-25

Elements · 7 Verifier-checked summaries

• Chapter 3: Land Use Element (revised September 28, 2021) → Land Use 2021-09-28

  The Land Use Element, revised September 28, 2021, functions as a guide to the ultimate pattern of development, designating the general distribution, location, and extent of land uses such as housing, business, industry, open space, agriculture, natural resources, recreation, and public/quasi-public uses, and discussing residential density and non-residential intensity standards. The General Plan Land Use Map uses five Foundation Component land uses: Agriculture, Rural, Rural Community, Open Space, and Community Development, subdivided at the area plan level across 19 area plans. It applies countywide and area-plan policies. Open-space policies include LU 9.1 (permanent preservation of open space with natural, cultural, hazard, water, scenic, and recreational values), LU 9.2 (compliance with the Multipurpose Open Space Element, CEQA, NEPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act), LU 9.3 (greenbelt separators), and LU 9.4 (clustering/density transfers). Amendments span GPA No. 960 (2015) through GPA No. 190006 (09/28/21).

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• Chapter 8: Housing Element — 6th Cycle (2021-2029) (adopted June 25, 2024; HCD-certified July 31, 2024) → Housing 2024-06-25

  The 6th Cycle Housing Element (2021-2029) of the Riverside County General Plan establishes the County's policies and an action plan for meeting the housing needs of unincorporated Riverside County through 2029, per California Government Code Section 65583. It is divided into a Policy Document and a Background Report. The element includes five goals: Goal 1, New Construction (facilitate housing in all income categories); Goal 2, Innovative Housing Types (affordable, mixed-income); Goal 3, Affordable Housing (safe, decent, sound); Goal 4, Special-Needs persons; and Goal 5, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. Under Goal 1, policies include H 1.1 (maintain adequately zoned land), H 1.2 (innovative affordable development), H 1.3 (streamline development review), H 1.4 (remove barriers to production), and H 1.5 (higher-density multifamily where infrastructure exists). Quantified objectives reflect the October 15, 2021-October 15, 2029 planning period and the RHNA allocation. The element was adopted June 25, 2024 and HCD-certified July 31, 2024.

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• Chapter 5: Multipurpose Open Space Element (Conservation) (revised December 8, 2015) → Conservation 2015-12-08

  Chapter 5, the Multipurpose Open Space Element (revised December 8, 2015), is the General Plan's conservation element. Its Conservation section addresses Renewable Resources and Water Resources, including Water Supply, Water Conservation, Watershed Management, Water Quality, Groundwater Recharge, Floodplain and Riparian Area Management, and Wetlands. It also covers Agricultural Resources, with subsections on Soil Classifications, Prime Farmlands, Statewide Important Farmlands, Unique Farmlands, Local Important Farmlands, and Williamson Act lands. The Land Use Element describes this element as accommodating a comprehensive, multi-purpose open space system whose functions include a framework for community development, active and passive recreation, separations between communities, and maintaining the historic character of Riverside County. Companion conservation policies referenced in the General Plan EIR include OS 7.1-7.5 addressing conversion of prime, unique, and statewide important farmlands and establishment of an Agricultural Land Mitigation Bank.

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• Chapter 5: Multipurpose Open Space Element (Open Space) (revised December 8, 2015) → Open Space 2015-12-08

  The Multipurpose Open Space Element (Chapter 5, revised December 8, 2015) addresses open space as a multi-purpose system. The Land Use Element states its purpose is to accommodate a comprehensive open space system providing functions including a framework for community development encompassing active and passive recreation, establishing separations between communities, and maintaining the historic character of Riverside County; the Open Space designation covers areas appropriate for preserving open space for habitat, recreation, and scenic resources. Open Space Foundation Component designations include Conservation (OS-C), Conservation Habitat (OS-CH), Water (OS-W), Recreation (OS-R/OS-REC) for parks, trails, athletic fields, and golf courses, Rural (OS-RUR, 20-acre minimum), and Mineral Resources (OS-M/OS-MIN). Related Land Use policies include LU 9.1 (permanent preservation of open space with recreational values) and LU 9.3 (incorporating open space, greenbelt separators, and recreational amenities into Community Development areas).

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• Chapter 7: Noise Element (revised December 8, 2015) → Noise 2015-12-08

  The Noise Element, revised December 8, 2015, addresses noise issues, noise-sensitive land uses, noise compatibility, and noise mitigation strategies. It distinguishes noise producers including stationary noise (community noise inventory, Wind Energy Conversion Systems) and mobile noise (transportation, airports, the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, vehicular, mass transit, and rail). It covers building and design measures (natural barriers and landscaping, temporary construction, building and design techniques, mixed use), vibration, and noise information management. Standards are set in Table N-1 (Land Use Compatibility for Community Noise Exposure), Table N-2 (Stationary Source Land Use Noise Standards), and Table N-3 (Human Reaction to Typical Vibration Levels). The element uses CNEL and Ldn as metrics; CNEL adds five decibels to evening (7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.) and ten decibels to night (10:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.) levels, and the County uses a 10-minute Leq measurement.

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• Chapter 6: Safety Element (revised September 28, 2021; page notes Amended 6/25/2024) → Safety 2021-09-28

  The Safety Element, revised September 28, 2021 (the General Plan page notes a 6/25/2024 amendment), conveys the County's goals, policies, and actions to minimize safety hazards in unincorporated Riverside County, identifying natural and human-caused hazards and protecting residents, employees, and visitors. Its primary objective, in compliance with state law, is to 'reduce death, injuries, property damage, and economic and social impact from hazards.' Issues and Policies cover code conformance, seismic and geologic hazards, flood and inundation, fire hazards, hazardous waste/materials, disaster preparedness/response/recovery, and climate-change hazards (drought, extreme heat, severe weather, agricultural). Policy S 1.1 mitigates hazards through strict enforcement of current building codes; S 2.1 minimizes fault rupture via Alquist-Priolo Act provisions, requiring geologic studies within 0.5 miles of mapped faults; S 2.2 requests geological/geotechnical investigations for liquefaction, landslide, or settlement risk; S 2.7 encourages research into resilient foundation design systems.

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• Chapter 10: Healthy Communities Element — includes Environmental Justice (revised September 21, 2021) → Environmental Justice 2021-09-21

  Chapter 10, the Healthy Communities Element (revised September 21, 2021), carries the General Plan's Environmental Justice provisions. It provides a framework for a healthy Riverside County, addressing where public health and planning intersect: transportation and active living, access to nutritious foods, access to health care, mental health, quality of life, and environmental health. Its sections include Overall Health, Land Use and Community Design, Transportation System, Arts and Culture, Social Capital, Complete Communities, Parks/Trails/Open Space, Access to Healthy Foods, Healthcare and Mental Healthcare, Environmental Health, and Environmental Justice. The Environmental Justice section addresses quality of life and environmental safety and applies to Environmental Justice Communities mapped on Figure LU-4.1. Its categories include Civic Engagement and Health Risk Reduction; the stated objectives are to increase civic engagement, reduce unique and compounded health risks, and prioritize improvements and programs for public facilities within EJ Communities.

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• Chapter 9: Air Quality Element (July 17, 2018) → Other 2018-07-17

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.