Introduction & Community Context

The General Plan vision and guiding principles provide direction for the future and introduce key themes to be addressed in the General Plan. Specifically, the guiding principles serve as touchstones to determine consistency of goals, policies, and implementation programs with the overarching vision.  

Vision Statement 

A vision statement reflects what community members value most about the county and their shared aspirations for the future. The vision statement is intended to be inspirational and set the direction for the General Plan’s goals, policies, and implementation programs. The visioning process helped to identify issues important to the community and provided early direction for alternatives development and analysis during the update process. 

The following is the 2040 General Plan Vision Statement: 

Ventura County is an exceptional place to live, work, and play. Our quality of life and economic vitality are rooted in the stewardship of our cultural and natural resources, including agricultural lands and soils, open spaces, mountains, beaches, and talented people. The General Plan reflects the County’s ongoing commitment to collaborate with residents, cities, businesses, and non-profit organizations to meet our social and economic needs in a sustainable manner, to protect the environment and address climate change, and to encourage safe, healthy, vibrant, and diverse communities to thrive. 

Guiding Principles 

Guiding Principles are central ideas that articulate the County’s commitment to achieving the Vision Statement. They establish the framework for the ideas and concepts integral to the General Plan and served as touchstones during the process to develop and refine goals, policies, and programs. 

Land Use and Community Character 

Direct urban growth away from agricultural, rural, and open space lands, in favor of locating it in cities and unincorporated communities where public facilities, services, and infrastructure are available or can be provided. 

Housing 

Support the development of affordable and equitable housing opportunities by preserving and enhancing the existing housing supply and supporting diverse new housing types, consistent with the Guidelines for Orderly Development. 

Circulation, Transportation, and Mobility 

Support the development of a balanced, efficient, and coordinated multimodal transportation network that meets the mobility and accessibility needs of all residents, businesses, and visitors. 

Public Facilities, Services, and Infrastructure 

Invest in facilities, infrastructure, and services, including renewable energy, to promote efficiency and economic vitality, ensure public safety, and improve our quality of life. 

Conservation and Open Space 

Conserve and manage the County’s open spaces and natural resources, including soils, water, air quality, minerals, biological resources, scenic resources, as well as historic and cultural resources. 

Hazards and Safety 

Minimize health and safety impacts to residents, businesses and visitors from human-caused hazards such as hazardous materials, noise, air, sea level rise, and water pollution, as well as managing lands to reduce the impacts of natural hazards such as flooding, wildland fires, and geologic events. 

Agriculture 

Promote the economic vitality and environmental sustainability of Ventura County’s agricultural economy by conserving soils/land while supporting a diverse and globally-competitive agricultural industry that depends on the availability of water, land, and farmworker housing. 

Water Resources 

Develop and manage water resources in a manner that addresses current demand without compromising the ability to meet future demand, while balancing the needs of urban and agricultural uses, and healthy ecosystems. 

Economic Vitality 

Foster economic and job growth that is responsive to the evolving needs and opportunities of the County’s economy and preserves land use compatibility with Naval Base Ventura County and the Port of Hueneme, while enhancing our quality of life and promoting environmental sustainability. 

Climate Change and Resilience 

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to work toward achieving all adopted targets, proactively anticipate and mitigate the impacts of climate change, promote employment opportunities in renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gases, and increase resilience to the effects of climate change. 

Healthy Communities 

Promote economic, social, and physical health and wellness by investing in infrastructure that promotes physical activity, access to healthy foods, supporting the arts and integrating Health in All Policies into the built environment. 

Environmental Justice 

Commit to the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies, protect disadvantaged communities from a disproportionate burden posed by toxic exposure and risk, and continue to promote civil engagement in the public decision-making process. 

The Ventura County 2040 General Plan is a long-range plan that guides decision-making, establishes rules and standards for development and county improvements, and helps to inform residents, developers, and decision-makers. It reflects the County’s vision for the future, provides direction through the year 2040 on growth and development, and is an expression of the quality of life in Ventura County.  

California law requires that every county and city adopt a general plan “for the physical development of the county or city, and of any land outside its boundaries which in the planning agency’s judgment bears relation to its planning.” (Gov. Code, § 65300.) A general plan serves as the jurisdiction’s “constitution” or “blueprint” for future decisions concerning a variety of issues including land use, health and safety, and resource conservation. All area plans, specific plans, subdivisions, public works projects, and zoning decisions must be consistent with the direction provided in the County’s General Plan. 

The Ventura County 2040 General Plan serves several purposes: 

• Provides the public opportunities for meaningful participation in the planning and decision-making process; 
• Provides a description of current conditions within the county and trends influencing the future of the county; 
• Identifies planning issues, opportunities, and challenges that should be addressed in the 2040 General Plan; 
• Explores land use and policy alternatives; 
• Ensures that the General Plan is current, internally consistent, and easy to use; 
• Provides guidance in the planning and evaluation of future land and resource decisions; and 
• Provides a vision and framework for the future growth of the County of Ventura. 

Ventura County is unique in California due to the successful past efforts that have guided, and continue to guide, land use planning in the county. These include the following: 

• The County of Ventura, cities within the county, and the Ventura Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) adopted the Guidelines for Orderly Development in 1969 to direct urban-level development and services to the incorporated areas. 
• Greenbelts, voluntary agreements between the County and one or more cities, are used to limit development of agricultural and/or open space areas within the unincorporated county. Through greenbelt agreements, cities commit to not annex any property within a greenbelt while the County agrees to restrict development to uses consistent with existing agricultural or open space zoning. There are seven greenbelts in Ventura County totaling approximately 164,000 acres. 
• Save Open Space & Agricultural Resources (SOAR) refers to a series of voter initiative measures that have been approved by 8 of the 10 cities and the unincorporated area (Ojai and Port Hueneme have not adopted SOAR measures). SOAR measures within cities establish voter-controlled urban growth boundaries, known as City Urban Restriction Boundaries (CURBs). A city’s annexation or approval of urban development of land outside of a CURB boundary requires voter approval. The County’s SOAR measure, which is included as Appendix C and incorporated by reference into the General Plan, generally requires voter approval to re-designate land with Open Space, Agricultural, or Rural General Plan land use designations, and to amend the goals and policies for these land use designations. 

Using the General Plan 

The General Plan is used by the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and County staff to make decisions with direct or indirect land use and resource management implications. It also provides a framework for inter-jurisdictional coordination of planning efforts among officials and staff of the County and other government agencies (e.g., federal, state, regional, and local). County residents, property owners, and businesses also use the General Plan for guidance for particular geographic areas or for particular subjects of interest to them. 

The General Plan is the basis for a variety of regulatory measures and administrative procedures. California planning law requires consistency between the general plan and its implementing programs, such as zoning and subdivision ordinances, capital improvement programs, area plans, specific plans, environmental review procedures and building and housing codes. 

Over time the county’s population will change, its goals will evolve, and the physical environment in which its residents live and work will be altered. In order for the General Plan to be a useful document, it must be monitored and periodically revised to respond to and reflect changing conditions and needs. 

The General Plan should be reviewed annually to evaluate the progress in achieving its goals. A more comprehensive and thorough review should be done every five to 10 years to assess whether the plan needs to be refined or updated to reflect changes in local conditions, local priorities, or state law. State law permits the General Plan to be amended up to four times in any calendar year, unless special conditions apply as defined by Government Code sections 65358(c) and (d). Each amendment may contain more than one change to the General Plan. 

Administrative Provisions 

General Plan Amendments: The County shall require that all privately initiated General Plan Amendments are screened by the Board of Supervisors to determine if the amendment is appropriate for further processing. 

Interpretations: Although every effort has been made to provide goals, policies and programs that are clear, the necessity of interpreting such goals, policies and programs in light of specific and unusual cases will occur from time to time. When interpretation of General Plan goals, policies or programs is required, the Planning Director is responsible for the review and interpretation with the right of appeal by an applicant to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.