Frequently Asked Questions

All cities and counties in California are required to have a general plan, which serves as the blueprint for conservation and growth, adopted by the City Council. It lays out the City’s long-term vision, and includes text, diagrams, and maps to communicate how the vision will be implemented. The Plan is used a basis for land use decisions and is used by government officials such as the Planning Commission and the City Council to guide urban development. A general plan is also called a comprehensive plan because it covers the entire geographic area within City limits – both privately-owned and publicly owned properties – and a broad range of issues including physical, social, and economic development. Click here to view Camarillo’s current General Plan.

The General Plan covers all public and privately owned land within the City limit. However, the State of California encourages cities to look beyond their borders when preparing a General Plan, as issues are not necessarily confined to political boundaries. Accordingly, the planning area for the Camarillo covers an approximately 20-square mile area that includes Camarillo’s City limit, Sphere of Influence (SOI), and voter-enacted Camarillo Urban Restriction Boundary (CURB) as shown on the map below. The SOI represents Camarillo’s probable future boundary and service area. Land in the SOI may one day be annexed into the City, and while the City doesn’t have jurisdiction there now, it can “pre-zone” land in the SOI for the purpose of determining the zoning that will apply to properties if they are annexed to the City in the future. For this reason, the General Plan will cover all land within the City limit, SOI, and CURB.

State law requires that a general plan cover at least seven mandated topics: Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety. General plans may also address other topics that are important to the community. Camarillo’s current General Plan includes optional chapters (called “elements”) addressing Community Design and the voter-enacted Camarillo Urban Restriction Boundary (CURB) that protects agricultural open space land surrounding the City.

Camarillo’s General Plan was adopted in 1969, shortly after the City was incorporated. Over the years, updates to individual chapters (called “elements”) have been made periodically but the Plan has never been comprehensively updated. Demographic changes, the rise of internet shopping, the emergence of new technologies and new State laws are now triggering the need for a comprehensive General Plan Update. The time is right for residents to come together and define a shared vision for the future, clearly articulate goals and priorities, and for the City to put in place new policies that will guide growth and development over the next two decades.

The General Plan and Zoning Code go hand-in-hand. The General Plan establishes broad, long-term policies to guide both private sector development and City investments. The Zoning Code implements General Plan policies through detailed development regulations that specify what activities can happen where, and that specify standards for the height and design of new buildings. State law requires that the Zoning Code be consistent with the General Plan. Camarillo’s Zoning Code will updated after adoption of the General Plan to ensure consistency.

An environmental impact report (EIR) is a detailed analysis of how the environment would be affected by a plan or a development project. It analyzes impacts on a range of environmental resources, identifies alternatives to the proposed plan or project, and presents ways to reduce or avoid environmental impacts. Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a general plan update is considered a project and thus requires an EIR to be completed in conjunction with the plan. Community members and other government agencies can contribute at two different phases in the EIR process. The first phase is the Scoping Period which starts with the release of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) announcing that an EIR is going to be prepared and asks the public to comment on the scope of the EIR. The second phase is when the Draft EIR is released, and public comments are invited. Public comment is also welcomed when the Final EIR is considered at public hearings before City decision-makers.

The update involves four main phases, shown on the graphic below. Through this process, we will:

• Build a shared vision for the future
• Evaluate different options and alternatives that can achieve the vision
• Prepare a Draft General Plan and EIR for public review
• Finalize the Plan through public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council.

The update will take about two years and the General Plan Update is scheduled to be adopted in early 2028.