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What's in the General Plan?

State law requires that each city and each county adopt a general plan containing the following seven components or "elements": land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open-space, noise, and safety (Government Code Sections 65300 et seq.). Here is a summary of the basic issues, by element:

• The land use element designates the general location and intensity of housing, business, industry, open space, education, public buildings and grounds, waste disposal facilities, and other land uses.
• The circulation element identifies the general location and extent of existing and proposed major roads, transportation routes, terminals, and public utilities and facilities. It must be correlated with the land use element.
• The housing element is a comprehensive assessment of current and projected housing needs for all economic segments of the community. It sets forth local housing policies and programs to implement those policies.
• The conservation element addresses the conservation, development, and use of natural resources including water, forests, soils, rivers, and mineral deposits.
• The open-space element details plans and measures for preserving open-space for natural resources, the managed production of resources, outdoor recreation, public health
  and safety, and the identification of agricultural land.
• The noise element identifies and appraises noise problems within the community and forms the basis for distributing new noise-sensitive land uses.
• The safety element establishes policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood, and wildfire hazards.

At the same time, each jurisdiction is free to adopt a wide variety of additional elements covering subjects of particular interest to that jurisdiction such as recreation, urban design, or public facilities. In addition to the mandatory elements, Madera is including community character, community design and sustainability elements in their General Plan.

View the existing Madera General Plan

The Blueprint

Our local General Plan can be described as the "blueprint" for future development. It represents the community's vision of Madera’s future, a constitution made up of the goals and policies upon which the City Council and Planning Commission will base their land use decisions.

Help us plan Madera’s future!

Over the next two years, the City of Madera will be holding a series of public meetings and workshops to help guide this process. You will also be able to get information about the process, as well as provide feedback, through this site.

Approving the Plan

The process of adopting or amending a general plan requires public participation. Madera will hold public hearings and provide advance notice of the place and time of the hearings via the newspaper and local postings. Prior to approval of the update, hearings will be held by the Planning Commission. Adoption is required by the legislative bodies of the City of Madera and the County of Madera.

Over the next two years, the City of Madera will be holding a series of public meetings and workshops to help guide this process. You will also be able to get information about the process, as well as provide feedback, via this Web site.