California law requires that every county and city have a comprehensive, long term
general plan for its future development.
The Calaveras County General Plan attempts to preserve individual property rights,
while attempting to balance other competing interests. In areas where the County's most valuable
resources exist, the Plan establishes more restrictive land use policies.
The original Calaveras County General Plan was adopted in 1967. The Board of
Supervisors adopted amended versions in 1973, 1974, 1982, 1985 and 1986. This version of the
General Plan reflects text amendments approved by the Board of Supervisors through December 9,
1996.
The 1996 edition includes updated statistical data compiled by the land use consulting
firm of Crawford, Multari & Starr of San Luis Obispo.
1.0 The Calaveras County General Plan and Related Land Use Documents
All counties in California must comply with state planning laws. They must prepare
comprehensive, long term general plans for the development of the county, and approve projects
based on consistency with the General Plan.
Although the State establishes statutes governing general plans and their preparation, the
policies contained within the plans are left to local discretion. The overall direction of the Calaveras
County General Plan is to provide for a balanced plan that effectively meets the needs of the public
and is sensitive to environmental, economic and social conditions.
The intent of developing a General Plan is for its use by decision makers, including its
diagrams or maps, to coordinate land use and infrastructure decisions. At the same time, given the
long-range nature of a General Plan, its text and maps should be general enough to allow a degree
of flexibility in decision making as conditions change.
1.1 General Plan Elements
California Government Code Section 65302 identifies seven elements which must be
included in all general plans. The Calaveras County General Plan consists of these mandatory
elements, which are described by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) in its
General Plan Guidelines as follows:
- The Land Use Element designates the general distribution and intensity of uses of
the land for housing, business, industry, open space, education, public buildings and
grounds, waste disposal facilities and other categories of public and private uses.
- The Circulation Element is correlated with the Land Use Element and identifies the
general location and extent of existing and proposed major thoroughfares,
transportation routes, terminals, and other local public utilities and facilities.
- The Housing Element is a comprehensive assessment of current and projected
housing needs for all segments of the community and all economic groups. In
addition, it embodies policy for providing adequate housing and includes action
programs for this purpose.
- 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 land use distribution.
- The Safety Element establishes policies and programs to protect the community from
risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood and fire hazards.
The detail that each issue is afforded in the local plan depends on local conditions and the
relative local importance of that issue.
In addition to the seven elements of the general plan, an appendix is included as a part of the
document containing technical data and a glossary of terms used in the general plan. Some terms
are also defined in the various elements.
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