California State law requires every county and city to adopt a General Plan. The General Plan outlines the City’s goals for physical growth, conservation, and community life, and contains the policies and actions necessary to achieve those goals. The General Plan is the foundation of all local land use decisions about zoning, permitted development, and allowable activities.

Why Update the Vacaville General Plan?
The General Plan is a crucial policy document that must accurately portray the community and the community’s vision. The General Plan is the principal policy document guiding the development and conservation of local municipalities, and is often referred to as the “constitution” of local development. To remain effective, a General Plan usually focuses on a time horizon of 10 to 20 years. Vacaville’s General Plan was last comprehensively updated in 1990. Since that time, physical and demographic conditions in Vacaville have evolved, new State regulations have been enacted, and our perspectives on land use and environmental issues have changed. In addition, the current General Plan does not address Vacaville’s 2008 Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), which will significantly influence the pattern of future development in the city. A major component of the General Plan Update process will be revising the Land Use Map to allow future development that is consistent with the UGB.

The General Plan Update is also an opportunity to adopt a Climate Action Plan (CAP), which is a formal plan to address climate change at the local level, as required by State law. The CAP will identify major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Vacaville, set GHG emissions reduction targets and establish a long-term strategy to achieve those targets.