General Plan

La Habra General Plan

State law requires every city and county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of that jurisdiction. The General Plan is the City's blueprint of the future. It expresses community goals and embodies public policy that are the basis for all land use decisions. The most recent comprehensive update of the General Plan occurred in 2014. The City is currently in the process of preparing amendments to the General Plan that includes updating the Safety Element and incorporating new Environmental Justice goals and policies. The City also continues to work on minor amendments to the General Plan to align with the housing-related goals, policies and programs under the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element.

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Housing Element Update 2021-2029 (Certified)

On September 19, 2022, the City Council adopted the City of La Habra's 2021-2029 Housing Element; specifically making finding it is in substantial compliance with State law. It was subsequently reviewed by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). HCD responded to the City with a letter dated November 15, 2022, identifying additional technical and clerical refinements that would be necessary, but HCD did not express any disagreement with the City Council’s finding that the Housing Element substantially complies with State law. The City has always made a good faith effort to address all of HCD's comments required for HCD certification. City staff reached out to HCD after receiving the November comment letter, and after several e-mails and two subsequent meetings with HCD staff, on February 22, 2023, the City submitted responses to the November HCD comment letter, along with a technical and clerical refinements to the adopted Housing Element. On April 21, 2023, HCD notified the City that “as of today, HCD is pleased to find the adopted housing element in substantial compliance with State Housing Element Law (Article 10.6 of the Gov. Code).”


Housing Element Update 2021-2029

HCD Finding of Substantial Compliance Dated April 21, 2023

Adopted Housing Element - Technical and Clerical Revisions on February 13, 2023

La Habra Transmittal Letter to HCD Dated February 22, 2023

Sites Inventory List for La Habra Dated February 22, 2023

Housing Element Review Process Timeline- To Date as of February 2023:

Community Safety Element Update Overview:

The Community Safety Element is a required element (or chapter) of the General Plan. The Community Safety Element provides the City's policy and planning framework to help protect La Habra against natural, environmental, and human-caused threats to public health and safety. The California Government Code has been amended since the general plan was adopted and requires hazard mitigation planning, disaster preparedness, and emergency response, climate change adaptation policies and goals, and latest data/maps related to flooding, geologic, seismic, and fire hazards. The following are the City of La Habra’s objectives for the Community Safety Element Update.

  • Update data, goals, policies, and action for consistency with recent state law changes that include, but are not limited to, climate change, wildfire safety, and environmental justice.
  • Build upon and maintain consistency with the 2014 La Habra General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
  • Reflect contemporary community concerns, such as safe and secure housing, community health and pandemics, power safety shut-offs, and other concerns raised by residents and stakeholders.

To help guide new policies and programs under the Community Safety Element, a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) was conducted that provides a detailed analysis on how climate change may affect the city, and how the community, including, but not limited to, people, infrastructure, buildings, economic drivers, ecological resources, etc.) may be vulnerable to climate-related hazards. The CCVA evaluated air quality, drought, extreme heat, extreme storms, geologic hazards, human health hazards, flooding, and wildfire, and how these hazards presently affect La Habra as well as how these hazards will affect La Habra in the future. The CCVA also identifies which demographic groups in La Habra may be the most vulnerable to these climate change related hazards.  

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment – Click here to view the assessment.

A draft Community Safety Element update has been prepared to address the issues highlighted in the CCVA while also complying with the Office of Planning and Research (OPR)guidelines and all State agencies. To date, the draft Community Safety Element update was reviewed and approved by CALFIRE and the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, Resource Protection Committee. It is currently under review by the California Geological Survey (CGS) and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). Upon completion of these reviews, a draft copy will be posted for the view of the public.

Environmental Justice Policies Overview:

Per Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000), new environmental justice policies and programs must be incorporated into the General Plan that address the needs of disadvantaged communities by helping: 1) reduce air pollution exposure; 2) increase civic engagement; 3) ensure safe and sanitary homes; and, 4) promote the accessibility of healthy food and physical activity options.

To help guide new policies and programs, a Health and Environmental Justice Assessment was completed that identifies which La Habra neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by pollution and other hazards that contribute to negative health effects, exposure, and environmental degradation and assesses features of the city (e.g., access to parks, grocery stores, bicycle routs) that affect the health and well-being of La Habra residents. This information will guide policies within the General Plan to reduce unique and compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities, and prioritize programs that address the needs of these communities. 

The Health and Environmental Justice Assessment is now available for viewing – Click here to view the assessment . 

Community Outreach/Environmental Equity Questionnaire 

The City developed an Environmental Equity Questionnaire to survey key issues facing residents that facilitated or detracted from becoming a healthier community. In an effort to make this questionnaire available to as many La Habra residents as possible, it was distributed during highly attended events including the City’s Tamale Festival on Saturday, December 3, 2022 and the City’s Spring Family Eggstravaganza, on Saturday, April 8, 2023. The City received responses to the questionnaire from approximately 75 participants that attended these events. Please refer to the Health and Environmental Justice Assessment click above for a view of the results.

Next Steps: 

City Staff has been working on creating new policies and programs based on the findings of the Health and Environmental Justice Assessment and public input received to date. City Staff will also conduct a community workshop, date to be determined, to present the policies and programs for further public input.

More information on the date, time, and place will follow soon. We hope to see you there!

For more information, please contact:

Sonya Lui, Planning Manager at (562) 383-4103 or slui@lahabraca.gov                  

Vanessa Quiroz, Senior Planner at (562) 383-4128 or vquiroz@lahabraca.gov