While amendments can be made to the General Plan, they should be infrequent and based on significant and permanent changes to the context and assumptions that served as the foundation for this General Plan. Any changes or amendments to the General Plan must be consistent with the City’s Vision and Core Values as well as any relevant goals and policies elsewhere in the General Plan.
There is no set, explicitly, or quantified timeframe for a comprehensive update. The City conducts an annual review of the General Plan to assess the level of implementation and effectiveness of the goals, policies, and actions. This review is formerly reviewed by City Council and submitted to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. A more extensive review of the overall General Plan may be warranted every five years (jurisdictions typically plan for comprehensive updates every 10–15 years).
As Santa Ana is a charter city, updates to individual elements can take place as needed. The most common update is an amendment to the Land Use Map as property owners seek to develop something different from what is currently allowed.
The Housing Element is updated every eight years in connection with regional transportation planning efforts. The topic of safety must be reviewed by jurisdictions upon subsequent updates of the Housing Element. The topic of environmental justice must be reviewed upon the subsequent and concurrent update of any two or more elements. Based on the connection between housing and safety updates, the three topics can be expected to reviewed every eight years.