Following are summaries of some good specific plans, including those recognized
by the California Chapter of the American Planning Association with "Comprehensive
Planning Awards of Excellence" over the past few years. The plans included
are representative of a broad range of plan types and subject matter included
in numerous other plans from around the state.
City of San Jose
Evergreen Specific Plan
Adopted July 2, 1991
The Evergreen Specific Plan was prepared for the City of San Jose by
Dahlin Group, Inc., in response to a general plan amendment in 1989 designating
865 acres as the "Evergreen Planned Residential Community." The
amendment included the requirement that a specific plan be adopted prior
to approval of development. The specific plan relies on some unusual techniques
for creating an innovative new community with edges that blend seamlessly
into adjacent subdivisions and interior features that are distinctive both
functionally and visually. Traffic rotaries and radial streets for example,
provide direct routes to all of the plan's facilities and amenities for
neighborhoods both inside and outside the plan area. The plan includes provisions
for ongoing vineyard and wine-making facilities at Mirassou Vineyards, a
circular commercial "village," parks and additional park acreage,
two elementary schools, funding for a new high school, fire station, corridor
trails, pocket parks, and extensive internal trail systems. Supporting documents
include revisions to existing development policy, financing plan, and the
zoning ordinance.
City of Santa Monica
Santa Monica Civic Center Specific Plan
Adopted November 23, 1993
The Santa Monica Civic Center Specific Plan was prepared for the City
by ROMA Design Group. Adoption of the plan was called for by the general
plan in response to the need to comprehensively plan for public and private
ownership in the area with a central theme of urban design. The planning
area includes approximately 45 acres, 26 in public ownership and 15.8 under
the ownership of one corporation. The site is within close proximity to
the beach and Santa Monica Pier, the Santa Monica Freeway, and adjacent
to the city's recently revitalized downtown. The urban design theme is intended
to guide development of the area "that is, essentially a meeting place
that brings together a broad range of activities within an attractive and
inclusive environment." The plan includes a mix of uses including city
offices, county justice courts, auditorium, cultural, open space, residential,
live/work, professional office, and retail. Development policies are included
which "Redefine Main Street" to establish it as a focal point,
"Extending the Palisades Landscape," bringing the characteristic
landscape of the area into the Civic Center, and "Meeting the City
Grid," making the area accessible and friendly by incorporating visual
corridors, mixed-use streets, and pedestrian and bicycle ways into the area.
Mariposa County
Mariposa Town Planning Area Specific Plan
Adopted January 14, 1992
Amended February 7, 1997
The Mariposa Town Planning Area Specific Plan was prepared by county
staff at the direction of the Board of Supervisors. The plan encompasses
the unincorporated town of Mariposa, including approximately 1,900 acres,
with a population of 1,565. The area serves as the westerly gateway to Yosemite
National Park with more than one million tourists passing through each year.
The plan provides for the preservation of the historic Mother Load design
and atmosphere of the town while also allowing for commercial and residential
growth. Guidelines for design review, historic preservation, and other development
standards have been incorporated into the plan. As the center for county
government, services, and commerce, the plan policies focus on the viability
of Mariposa as a commercial area while maintaining its historic Gold Rush
characteristics.
City of Roseville
Highland Reserve North Specific Plan
Adopted June 1997
The Highland Reserve North Specific Plan was prepared for the City of
Roseville by Williams and Paddon, MacKay and Somps, and Wade Associates.
The plan area comprises 615 acres in the northeast portion of the city adjacent
to Highway 65. It establishes a framework for the development of the planning
area including a village square, traditional residential neighborhoods,
pedestrian pathway system, preservation and utilization of watershed open
space corridors, and emphasis on the design of public spaces. Plan implementation
includes a development agreement which sets forth public infrastructure
and financing, Quimby Act park land dedication requirements, and land use
and infrastructure requirements. Comprehensive community and landscaping
design guidelines have been defined for the purpose of establishing a framework
for development and coordinated landscaping leading to the vision underlying
the plan.
City of Folsom
The Parkway Specific Plan and Design Guidelines
Adopted December 1993
The Parkway Specific Plan and Design Guidelines were prepared for the
City of Folsom by the Parker Development Company, The Spink Corporation,
and Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. The planning area encompasses 612
acres with provisions for 360 acres of mixed density residential, 6.4 acres
of office use, 11.8 acres of commercial use, and 242.4 acres of open space,
parkway corridor, riparian mitigation, and other variations of open space
uses. The plan incorporates zoning and development standards which supersede
prior designations, a financing plan for the provision of necessary public
facilities, and a separate financing plan for a special assessment district.
The plan has also incorporated a detailed set of design guidelines for landscaping,
architecture, lighting and signage. Separately, the plan includes as an
appendix, the "Parkway and Resource Mitigation Plan." This section
establishes a plan for a natural corridor which bisects the planning area
providing for the preservation of important habitat, passive recreation,
and flood protection. It also forms a resource mitigation program for impacts
to natural resources resulting from development, and provides for the preservation
of open space and the quality of life in the city.
Ventura County
Ahmanson Ranch Specific Plan
Adopted December 1992
The Ahmanson Ranch Specific Plan was produced by the Ahmanson Land Company
for the County of Ventura as part of a development proposal for residential,
commercial, and community facility uses. The planning area encompasses approximately
5,433 acres of which 2,633 acres are to be dedicated as permanent public
open space. The remainder of the planning area comprises clustered development
on approximately 1,900 acres with an additional 900 acres of community open
space. The proposed community would consist of mixed-density and income
housing units in a pedestrian friendly setting totaling approximately 3,050
units. The dedicated open space would be combined with surrounding open
space areas to form approximately 11,000 acres of important wildlife habitat,
corridors, and ecosystems, in an effort to balance the preservation of natural
resources with the development of new communities. The plan includes comprehensive
design guidelines, development standards, and implementation measures to
create a livable community based upon compact and pedestrian oriented design.
City of West Sacramento
West Sacramento Triangle
A Specific Plan for The Development of Downtown West Sacramento
Adopted June 30, 1993
The West Sacramento Triangle Specific Plan was prepared for the City of West Sacramento by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership for the purpose of providing "a planned, waterfront oriented urban core ... complementing established residential and commercial districts within the City with a balanced mix of uses." Its focus is to provide guidance for the development of approximately 188 acres while creating a sense-of-place, promoting economic development, and furthering the use of the area for living, working, and tourist-oriented development. The plan includes provisions for five separate development area components, each with its own identifying characteristics yet unified through redevelopment and development guidelines with an emphasis on establishing a sense-of-place based upon the waterfront.
Separately, the City adopted the Southport Framework Plan in May 1995
as part of its comprehensive planning efforts. Although this is an "area
plan" and does not meet the criteria of a specific plan, its purpose
is to establish connections between the individual specific plans within
its boundaries to accomplish an overall comprehensive planning framework.
It demonstrates the ability to provide integration between specific plans
and their respective planning areas and regulations.
City of San Jose
Midtown Specific Plan
Adopted December 8, 1992
The Midtown Specific Plan was prepared by a consultant team including ROMA Design Group, with oversight from the Midtown Specific Plan Task Force, for the purpose of providing a vision for an area that is undergoing considerable transition and change. This vision includes: creating a pattern of development that reinforces transit; providing diversity in housing opportunities to establishe viable and livable neighborhoods; preserving viable industrial and commercial-service; creating an extensive system of pedestrian and open space; balancing circulation needs with consideration of livability; and complementing and extending adjacent residential and commercial areas surrounding midtown. The specific plan will guide the evolution of this 210-acre mixed industrial and commercial area into a new mixed-use community including high-density commercial and residential uses oriented toward transit, while maintaining some industrial and service commercial uses. This plan provides for close to 3,000 new housing units, 920,000 square feet of new office development, 305,000 square feet of additional industrial/commercial uses, and 335,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and entertainment-oriented uses. It also incorporates an extensive system of pedestrian ways and open spaces that promotes Midtown as a livable and walkable community, street patterns that prevent excessive residential street traffic in the future, and comprehensive urban design guidelines for creating a compatible relationship with surrounding areas and neighborhoods.
Next: Appendix A -- Court Cases
This document is prepared by:
State of California
Governor's Office of Planning and Research
1400 Tenth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-455-0613