City Prepares Update to 1965 General Plan

For the first time in more than 30 years, Westminster is preparing to update its General Plan.

The previous plan, one of the oldest in Orange County, sets guidelines for the use of land that was largely undeveloped in 1965, when the plan was drafted.

Since then, officials said, the city has had an 80% increase in population and a 92% reduction in vacant land.

“We look at the General Plan as a road map for the city’s future,” said Don Anderson, community development director. “It sets out a long-range plan and gives the city some direction as to where we want to be in the next five, 10, 20 years.”

City officials have been working on the new General Plan since 1992, Anderson said, and have spent $360,000 on consultants’ fees for the project.

“What we had to do was take a look at what’s happened to the city since the plan was first adopted,” Anderson said, “and what those differences mean in issues of land use, traffic, noise, air quality and other environmental concerns.”

Anderson said a major portion of the study involved identifying the remaining portions of land with the most potential for development (25 parcels) and determining how much traffic those areas should be allowed to generate.

“One of the major shifts has been that in 1965, there was anticipation that we could develop a lot more commercial and industrial property,” Anderson said.

“We have seen a reduction in that because, if we were to develop out at the 1965 level, we would have all six- and eight-lane highways across the city to handle all the traffic. It wouldn’t be feasible.”

The updated General Plan, Anderson said, “will show a reduction in the amount of commercial and industrial, in keeping with current roadways and keeping some flexibility for development.”

The City Council will seek public comment on the new plan at tonight’s meeting. The session begins at 7 p.m. at the Westminster School District offices, 14121 Cedarwood Ave.