The City of La Verne is making strides in updating its General Plan, which functions as a blueprint for how decisions about growth and development are made in La Verne over the next 20 years. With the update process fully underway, the City will conduct an environmental review of the updated General Plan to understand potential impacts of implementation.
“To reflect the values and priorities of the community, we’ve brought together hundreds of La Verne stakeholders since we started the process of updating our General Plan in 2017,” said Mayor Tim Hepburn. “Our community has changed a lot since we last updated our general plan 25 years ago. Completing the update this year will give current and future City leaders important guidance on how to protect what we love about La Verne while adapting for the future.”
The General Plan consists of a series of elements covering a range of topics, including land use, economic development, mobility, resource management, public safety, community facilities, community design, fiscal sustainability, community health and wellness. For example, the land use element identifies planning objectives aimed at maintaining the character of La Verne by protecting existing single-family residential neighborhoods and open space resources. It also focuses on growth around the Metro station, Old Town La Verne and along the Foothill and Arrow Highway corridors.
De Novo Planning Group, a firm specializing in community planning and environmental studies, has led the City’s General Plan update since the process began in 2017. Since then, they have hosted three visioning workshops, conducted a survey, hosted 10 meetings with the General Plan Advisory Committee and more. Additionally, the City completed a public review of these elements in 2019 but held off on completing updates to the General Plan until it completed its Housing Element. The Housing Element is a state-certified planning document that helps the City prepare for future housing needs and will be included in the updated General Plan.
At the February 21 regular City Council meeting, De Novo Planning Group provided an update on the status of the new General Plan. Once the City finalizes the draft plan, the environmental review will include in-person and online open houses to receive community feedback as the City considers the impacts of the plan on factors such as noise, air quality, vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions and energy.
Similar to past public engagement, the City will inform and engage with residents about this last segment of the general plan update through social media posts, direct emails, updates in the City Manager’s newsletter and meetings and workshops between spring and fall 2023. The City also plans to relaunch the General Plan website with the most updated information for the community to explore.
After the City completes the environmental review, the La Verne Planning Commission and City Council will review the final document in fall 2023 before approving it. To learn more about the General Plan update, visit laverne.generalplan.org.
Contact: Eric Scherer, Community Development Director
Telephone: (909) 596-8706