H.B. Planning Commission to review general plan update

The Huntington Beach Planning Commission on Tuesday will take its first look at a draft of the city’s general plan update, which will guide the city’s development decisions through 2040.

The update has been in the making since the City Council voted in 2013 to hire planning consulting firm Michael Baker International to assist the city with the update.

California cities are required to have general plans and update them at regular intervals. The city’s general plan hasn’t been comprehensively updated since 1996, a city staff report says.

At the meeting, the commission will present initial feedback on the plan to be discussed at future study sessions. The update will be reviewed multiple times by the commission and council over the next several months.

The plan “guides civic decisions regarding land use, the design and/or character of buildings and open spaces, the conservation of existing housing and the provision of new dwelling units, the provision of supporting infrastructure and public services, the protection of environmental resources, the allocation of fiscal resources and the protection of residents from natural and human-caused hazards,” according to a city staff report.

The update doesn’t add any specific plans or modify the maximum density requirements of the city’s existing ones, the report says.

Also, the update doesn’t change any existing residential zoning designations or propose new residential areas, but it does allow for residential growth in current residential areas, the report says.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot