CONNECT with the CityGeneral Plan
Blueprint SD is the City of San Diego’s refresh of the General Plan. The General Plan was amended in 2024 to address the adopted Climate Action Plan and the San Diego Association of Governments' (SANDAG) Regional Transportation Plan. The General Plan amendment is a proactive effort to create an equitable and sustainable framework for growth to support current and future San Diegans and support San Diego’s priority to develop homes near public transportation and job centers.
The 2024 amended General Plan and strikout-underline changes of the 2008 General Plan are available below. There is also a summary of changes to the 2008 General Plan.
If you have questions, send us an email at Planning@SanDiego.gov.
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Overview
The City's General Plan is its constitution for development. It is comprised of 11 elements that provide a comprehensive slate of citywide policies and further the City of Villages smart growth strategy for growth and development.
The General Plan was comprehensively updated by unanimous vote of the City Council in 2008. It was then amended in 2024 to align with the City's adopted Climate Action Plan as well as the new goals, policies and discussion that support the City's objectives for climate action, fair housing, and equity. The City Council also certified the General Plan Program Environmental Impact Report and adopted associated amendments to the Land Development Code. The General Plan amendment did not include location-specific land use designation or zoning changes, which is the purview of the City's community plans. Additional background information on the development of the General Plan, the public hearings and the update process is documented in the staff report to City Council.
Learn more about how the General Plan is implemented.
Relationship to Community Plans
Community plans work together with the General Plan to provide location-based policies and recommendations in the City's 52 community planning areas. Community plans are written to refine the General Plan's citywide policies, designate land uses and housing densities, and provide additional site-specific recommendations as needed. Read more about our efforts to align community plans with the General Plan.
Relationship to the Climate Action Plan
The amended General Plan aligns the ‘City of Villages’ land use strategy with the City’s 2022 Climate Action Plan goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by targeting areas for future growth that would also encourage walking/rolling, biking and riding transit. The amended General Plan includes a strong focus on sustainability and climate action, environmental justice and housing equity. It provides local policies to address global climate change, the local impacts of a changing climate, and both historic and ongoing inequities in access to a clean environment, fair housing, and mobility options. Read more about the City’s Climate Action Plan.
Relationship to the SANDAG Regional Transportation Plan
SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan is the long-range vision that considers how we will move around the region; it plans and identifies multiple modal transportation projects to achieve an efficient, accessible, and sustainable regional system. The Regional Transportation Plan establishes the basis for state funding of local and regional transportation projects and is a prerequisite for federal funding. SANDAG prioritizes and allocates the expenditure of regional, state, and federal transportation funds to implement Regional Plan projects.
The amended General Plan is aligned with the Regional Transportation Plan by planning the transportation system to support the City of Villages strategy, promoting a mobility loading priority for how streets are designed, and providing more mobility choices, which reduces overall citywide vehicular travel (vehicle miles traveled), and therefore greenhouse gas emissions.
The amended General Plan and the Regional Transportation Plan both highlight the importance of integrating transportation and land use planning decisions, and using multimodal strategies to reduce congestion, increase travel choices, and decrease vehicle miles traveled. Read more about SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan.
2024 General Plan
- Introduction and Strategic Framework
- Land Use and Community Planning Element
- Mobility Element
- Urban Design Element
- Economic Prosperity Element
- Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element
- Recreation Element
- Conservation Element
- Noise Element
- Historic Preservation Element (reformatted for consistency – learn more about the Preservation and Progress initiative, which will amend the Historic Preservation Element)
- Environmental Justice Element (reformatted for consistency)
- Appendices and Glossary
Housing Element of the General Plan
The Housing Element of the General Plan is available under separate cover, due to the need for frequent updates and to facilitate compliance with state reporting requirements. State law requires local governments to update their General Plan Housing Elements every eight years to periodically address the changing housing needs of their communities, to establish action plans to meet those goals, and to report annually on progress toward meeting those goals.
2008 General Plan (Superseded)
- Cover, Acknowledgements & Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Framework
- Land Use & Community Planning Element - Updated 06/29/2015
- Mobility Element -Full Version - Updated 06/29/2015
- Urban Design Element
- Economic Prosperity Element - Updated 01/19/2023
- PIL Kearny Mesa*
- PIL Torrey Pines*
- PIL Mira Mesa*
- PIL Barrio Logan*
- PIL Clairemont Mesa*
- PIL University City*
- PIL Miramar Ranch North*
- PIL Otay Mesa
- PIL Scripps Miramar Ranch*
- PIL Carmel Mountain Ranch*
- PIL Rancho Bernardo*
- PIL Navajo*
- PIL Centre City*
- PIL Sabre Springs*
- PIL University City
- Public Facilities, Services, and Safety Element - Updated 1/31/2023
- Recreation Element - Updated 08/03/2021 (PDF)
- Conservation Element - Full Version
- Noise Element - Updated 06/29/2015
- Historic Preservation Element
- Appendices
- Glossary
- General Plan Map Figures (Higher Resolution)
- 2008 General Plan Environmental Impact Report
- 2008 General Plan Staff Report to the City Council
- Pilot Village Program
- Additional 2008 General Plan Documents and Reports
2008 General Plan Executive Summary (Superseded)
The Executive Summary of the City of San Diego 2008 General Plan is a reprint of the 2008 Strategic Framework Section of the General Plan, with some additional photos and graphics. It provides a concise summary of the central ideas contained within the City's General Plan.
- Executive Summary text
- San Diego's Built Environment in its Natural Setting
- Land Use and Street System Map
- Transit Land Use Connections Map
2008 General Plan Action Plan (Superseded)
The General Plan Action Plan was approved by City Council unanimously on July 7, 2009. The Action Plan is the comprehensive implementation program for the 2008 General Plan. View the General Plan Action Plan.
General Plan Monitoring
General Plan Monitoring Reports are prepared to assess progress in implementing the General Plan.
General Plan Amendments
Blueprint SD Initiative – 2024 Comprehensive Amendment
On July 23, 2024 - by Resolution Number R-315702 - the City Council approved Blueprint SD, which included amendments to eight elements of the General Plan (the Historic Preservation Element is part of another amendment initiative; the Environmental Justice Element was adopted as part of a separate initiative; The Housing Element is updated annually to meet state requirements). The Blueprint SD initiative amended the General Plan to bring it in line with the City’s present-day housing, equity, and climate goals. The amendments, shown in strikeout/underline format, are included below. A summary of changes is also available for review. The amendments have been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan above.
- Cover and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Strategic Framework
- Land Use and Community Planning Element
- Mobility Element
- Urban Design Element
- Economic Prosperity Element
- Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element
- Recreation Element
- Conservation Element
- Noise Element
- Appendices
- Glossary
- Draft Mode Share Target Memo. Download the draft Progress Towards Mode Share Goals Memo which highlights how the City is working toward meeting targets for using different types of transportation, such as walking/rolling, bicycling and transit.
- Public Comments. Download the public comments collected since May 2024.
2022 Amendments to the Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element
On August 2, 2022 by Resolution Numbers R-314271, R-314272, and R-314273, the City Council approved Build Better SD which included amendments to the General Plan Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element to bring the City’s outdated infrastructure policies in line with the City’s present-day housing, equity, and climate goals, as well as to acknowledge the new development patterns of urban infill as the primary development in need of infrastructure. The amendments, shown in strikeout/underline format, are included below. The amendments have been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan.
2021 Amendments to the Public Facilities, Services, and Safety Element
On December 14, 2021, the City Council approved by Resolution Number R-313851 the Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element. The amendment addresses applicable climate adaptation and resiliency strategies. The amendment, shown in strikeout/underline format, is included below. The amendment has been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan.
2021 Amendment to the Recreation Element
On August 3, 2021, by Resolution Number-313687, the City Council approved the Parks Master Plan. The General Plan Recreation Element Update by City Council by Resolution 313686 identifies ways the City can expand its recreational opportunities through implementation of its Parks Master Plan. The EIR addendum was also adopted by Resolution 313685. The amendments, shown in strikeout/underline format, are included below. The amendments have been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan.
2018 Amendments to Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element
On June 15, 2018 by Resolution No. 311806, the City Council amended the General Plan Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element Sections D and P. The Amendment was for compliance with California Senate Bill 1241 that requires jurisdictions with Very High Hazard Severity Zones to address the risk of fire in the General Plan.
2015 Amendments to Land Use, Mobility, Economic Prosperity, Public Facilities, Services and Safety, Recreation, and Noise Elements
On June 29, 2015, by Resolution Number R- 309817 and certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report No. 104495 Addendum R-309818, the City Council approved amendments to the General Plan. The 2015 Amendment Package contained amendments to Land Use, Mobility, Economic Prosperity, Public Facilities, Services and Safety, Recreation, and Noise Elements. The proposed amendments, shown in strikeout/underline formatting, is documented below and includes a summary of the amendments.
2012 Amendments to Conservation Element
On Jan. 31, 2012, by Resolution 307262, the City Council approved amendments to the Conservation Element to provide policy support for urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is the production of food in and around cities for local consumption. The amendments, shown in strikeout/underline formatting, are documented below. The amendments have been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan.
2010 Amendments to Land Use and Community Planning, Public Facilities, Services and Safety, and Recreation Elements and Glossary
On Dec. 6, 2010, by Resolution No. R-306419, the City Council approved minor amendments to the General Plan Land Use and Community Planning Element; Public Facilities, Services and Safety Element; Recreation Element; and Glossary. The amendments, shown in strikeout/underline formatting, are documented below. The edits have been incorporated into the online posting of the General Plan.
Initiatives & Ongoing Work
Planning Department
9485 Aero Drive, M.S. 413
San Diego, CA 92123
619-235-5200
planning@sandiego.gov