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Circulation Element > How Does It Fit Into the General Plan?

"The general plan must be comprehensive, internally consistent, and long-term. Although required to address the issues specified in state law, the general plan may be organized in a way that best suits the city or county. The plan should be clearly written, available to all those concerned with the community's development and easy to administer."       - CA Governor's Office of Planning & Research

A general plan is a document that contains policies and action for implementation of a community's goals. The general plan includes seven parts, called elements, as required by state law:

Land use Noise Housing Circulation

Safety Open Space Conservation

The state of California requires each city and county to prepare a general plan.  A general plan is defined as a "comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city."  State requirements call for general plans that "comprise an integrated, internally consistent and compatible statement of policies for the adopting agency." While they allow considerable flexibility, state planning laws do establish some requirements for which issues a general plan must address. The California Government Code establishes both the content of general plans and rules for their adoption and subsequent amendment.  Together, state law and subsequent legal actions establish three overall guidelines for general plans: Comprehensive:  The plan applies throughout the entire geographic area of the city and addresses the full range of issues that affect Santa Monica's physical development Internally Consistent:  The plan must integrate its separate parts and relate them to each other without conflict Long Range:  Development will affect the city and the people who live, work or visit Santa Monica for years to come. Santa Monica is currently updating both its circulation and land use elements. For more information about Santa Monica's Circulation Element, or to complete our Motion by the Ocean survey, please e-mail us at transportation-management@santa-monica.org, or call us at (310) 458-8291.