Because Valley Center is an unincorporated community, the County of San Diego is in charge of our land use matters.

California state law requires the county to adopt a comprehensive, long-range General Plan for the county’s physical development. The General Plan provides a consistent framework for land use and development decisions. Typically a General Plan guides land use decisions for twenty or more years.

The General Plan is important to Valley Center because it generally defines or “locks in” such community characteristics as:

• Allowable uses of each property (or parcel) - for example, residential versus commercial.
• Maximum residential density – for example, one home per acre versus four homes per acre.
• Circulation Road Network (roads, streets, trails, bike lanes) – for example, two versus four lane roads.
• Conservation and protection of natural resources – for example, open space requirements and limitations on building in creek beds or on steep slopes.
• Infrastructure requirements – for example, requiring water availability before building.

San Diego County has not comprehensively updated its General Plan since 1979.