General Plan
Adopted August 8, 2005 after more than seven years of public meetings, 200 workshops and input by thousands of residents, the General Plan sets long-range goals based on a shared vision to guide Ventura's future. The City Council, advisory boards & commissions, city departments and staff rely upon the General Plan to guide certain functions, responsibilities, and services the City provides to our residents, foster economic prosperity of local businesses, and the protection of our natural and cultural resources in our community to attract tourists and visitors.
Read the 2005 General Plan (PDF), and the Final EIR for the 2005 General Plan (PDF).
Read the 1989 Comprehensive Plan (PDF) and the Final EIR for the 1989 Comprehensive Plan (PDF). For coastal zone properties please see the 1989 Land Use Plan Map.
For General Plan land use map click the link below:
General Plan land use map (PDF).
What is the General Plan? The General Plan is the City’s comprehensive framework of guiding policies on land use, housing, roads, recreation, historical and natural resources, balance of adequate water supply infrastructure, public safety and services, and noise, and serves as a basis for decisions that affect all aspects of our everyday lives from where we live and work to how we move about. It is implemented by decisions that direct the allocation of public resources and that shape private development. In short, the General Plan is the embodiment of the community’s vision for the future of Ventura.
2005 GENERAL PLAN
The 2005 General Plan evolved from the 2000 Ventura Vision strategies reflecting the planning objectives and smart growth principles of the community. The Vision strategies set the framework for the General Plan and the City is asking your opinion on the relevancy of these goals today:
OUR NATURAL COMMUNITY - Our goal is to be a model for other communities of environmental responsibility, living in balance with our natural setting of coastline, rivers, and hillside ecosystems.
OUR PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY - Our goal is to attract and retain enterprises that provide high-value, high wage jobs to strengthen our economy and help fund vital public services.
OUR WELL-PLANNED COMMUNITY - Our goal is to protect our hillsides, farmlands, and open spaces; enhance Ventura’s historic and cultural resources; respect our diverse neighborhoods; reinvest in older areas of our community; and make great places by insisting on the highest standards of quality in architecture, landscaping and urban design.
OUR ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY - Our goal is to provide residents with more transportation choices by strengthening and balancing bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections in the City and surrounding region.
OUR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE - Our goal is to safeguard public health, well-being and prosperity by providing and maintaining facilities that enable the community to live in balance with natural systems.
OUR ACTIVE COMMUNITY - Our goal is to enhance our parks and open spaces to provide enriching recreation options for the entire community.
OUR HEALTHY AND SAFE COMMUNITY - Our goal is to build effective community partnerships that protect and improve the social well-being and security of all our citizens.
OUR EDUCATED COMMUNITY - Our goal is to encourage academic excellence and life-long learning resources to promote a highly-educated citizenry.
OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY - Our goal is to become a vibrant cultural center by weaving the arts into everyday life.
OUR INVOLVED COMMUNITY - Our goal is to strive to work together as a community to achieve the Ventura Vision through civic engagement, partnerships, and volunteer service.