It was supposed to be the exception, not the rule, when the county Board of Supervisors finally updated the General Plan, its blueprint for growth for more than 500,000 acres in the region’s unincorporated areas. Instead, a provision that permits projects that don’t conform to the document has become a gateway for developers seeking to build thousands of homes in areas not zoned for such development. It is called the General Plan Amendment and it is at the heart of two land-use proposals on the March 3 ballot: Measures A and B. The General Plan was updated by the county nearly a decade ago in a lengthy and collaborative effort by environmentalists, builders and the community. It lays out where it is appropriate to allow homes, businesses and industry – and where it isn’t.
It was supposed to be the exception, not the rule, when the county Board of Supervisors finally updated the General Plan, its blueprint for growth for more than 500,000 acres in the region’s unincorporated areas.
Instead, a provision that permits projects that don’t conform to the document has become a gateway for developers seeking to build thousands of homes in areas not zoned for such development.
It is called the General Plan Amendment and it is at the heart of two land-use proposals on the March 3 ballot: Measures A and B.
The General Plan was updated by the county nearly a decade ago in a lengthy and collaborative effort by environmentalists, builders and the community. It lays out where it is appropriate to allow homes, businesses and industry – and where it isn’t.