HUNTINGTON BEACH : City’s General Plan to Be Overhauled

The city plans to spend $500,000 during the next two years to overhaul its general plan, a revision that will shape development in the city through the end of the decade.

City officials are seeking expert consultants, who, along with city staff members, will review areas such as land use, traffic, smog, growth management and waste recycling.

Except for revising the plan for housing needs and making some other minor changes, the General Plan has not been updated since 1976. The 14-year-old housing plan was revised first because the state requires it be updated every four years. The state recommends that the core of the general plan be updated every 10 years.

The Planning Commission in March called for changes in the general plan, saying the aging document has complicated and, in some cases, even hindered the regular development process.

In particular, outdated zoning has often caused bureaucratic headaches for commissioners and city staff officials handling new development proposals, commission Chairwoman Geri Ortega said Thursday.

The land-use section of the plan, which regulates zoning, is scheduled to be revamped as soon as the city hires a consultant, according to a city officials, who expect the section to be completed by June, 1991.