DANA POINT GENERAL PLAN, LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM, ZONING

The project is an update of the Introduction Chapter, Circulation, Economic Development and Public Safety Elements of the City of Dana Point General Plan. The General Plan is a state-required legal document that provides guidance to decision-makers regarding the allocation of resources and determining the future physical form and character of development in the City. It is the official statement of the City regarding the extent and types of development needed to achieve the community’s physical, economic, social, and environmental goals. The City is proposing to update these elements to reflect a new citywide vision statement and set of guiding principles, with a focus on updating the Circulation and Public Safety Element to ensure adherence to state law and refining the Economic Development Element. Importantly, the proposed updates do not include any land use changes, nor do they expedite, initiate, or permit any ground-disturbing development. Additionally, neither element is part of the City’s Local Coastal Program. The City is updating its Circulation Element to bolster its approach to complete street practices for multimodal transportation and strategies for improving safety for all roadway users. In addition, the City is refining the classification of select roadways to better reflect on-the-ground conditions and to right-size other roadways to better serve the needs of the community. Other examples of proposed changes include a clarification of the City’s acceptable level of service standards, coordination with OCTA to improve transit service, and strategies to enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities along existing roadways. The City is restructuring its Economic Development Element to provide higher level guidance that will be implemented through the City’s Strategic Plan. The City is revisiting its Public Safety Element to address new state laws. The most substantive change includes an Evacuation Assessment, which includes a list of strategies that would improve preparation, evacuation traffic management, evacuation procedures, education and training, and unique strategies by evacuation type; discussion and policy direction regarding rewilding; and the value of open space to enhance safety and climate resilience. Changes primarily include removing and reframing outdated goals and policies that are either no longer relevant or need to be updated to reflect current and future conditions, with new policies expanding the conditions under which stand-alone commercial developments may be considered for a mix of residential and nonresidential uses.