Area residents asked to comment on county's new General Plan

The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning is seeking public comment on its newly released Draft General Plan, which will serve as the guide for the growth and development of unincorporated areas in the county.

The document, "Planning Tomorrow's Great Places," is the first major update to the county's General Plan in more than 25 years.

The plan will be discussed at the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission at 9 a.m. Wed., Sept. 3 at 320 W. Temple St., Ste. 150, Los Angeles.

The meeting will include a presentation from William Fulton, author and Southern California urban planner.

The General Plan is designed to guide the longterm physical development and conservation of the county's land and environment through a framework of goals, policies and implementation programs. "Planning Tomorrow's Great Places" provides the county with a progressive vision for land use and development that will allow county officials to conserve and protect the physical and natural amenities of Los Angeles County.

The Draft General Plan is the culmination of a development process that has incorporated community outreach, public participation, field work and policy analysis. The General Plan is composed of mandatory elements, including land use, mobility, conservation and open space, noise, and safety, and three optional elements—air resources, public services and facilities, and economic development.

The updated plan comes as the landscape for planning and development activities in the county are undergoing changes such as extreme environmental conditions, including water shortages and wildfires, that require that new development be environmentally sustainable and that sprawling growth patterns be replaced with efficient corridor planning and infill development.

The plan focuses on environmental stewardship, smart growth development, green building, multimodal mobility planning, public safety, infrastructure efficiencies and economic reinvestment in existing communities.

"Planning Tomorrow's Great Places" provides the county with a comprehensive, long-range vision for how to accomplish these goals.

Preparation of the environmental impact report for the Draft General Plan is underway. County residents will have further opportunity to review and comment on the plan when it is presented to the Regional Planning Commission, along with the draft environmental impact report, for public hearings in 2009.

For more information, call the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning General Plan Development Section at (213) 9746417 or e-mail generalplan @planning.lacounty .gov.

The plan may be viewed online at www.planning.lacounty.gov/ generalplan.