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Planning Commission <br />April 3, 2008 <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />Housing, Circulation, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, and Safety. Other elements such as <br />Recreation and Pathways are optional. <br />STATE REQUIREMENTS <br />State law requires the Housing Element to be updated every five years, and the Governor's Office <br />of Planning and Research (OPR) recommends that the other elements be updated every eight to <br />ten years. The existing Land Use Element was adopted in 1975 and has not been <br />comprehensively updated since that time. The existing Pathways Element was adopted in 1996. <br />UPDATE PROCESS <br />The General Plan Committee reviewed the existing Land Use and Pathways Elements to correct <br />errors, inaccuracies and obsolete references. The format was updated to produce more accurate, <br />legible and reproducible documents, including improved graphics that accurately depict existing <br />conditions in the Town. In addition, the goals, policies and programs were reviewed to ensure <br />that they were relevant and appropriate. <br />PARTICIPATION BY OTHERS <br />Draft documents were distributed to the following committees and agencies for review and <br />comment: <br />• Open Space Committee <br />• Environmental Design and Protection Committee <br />• Pathways Committee <br />• Parks and Recreation Committee <br />• Public Education Committee <br />• Environmental Initiatives Committee <br />• Purissima Hills Water District <br />• Cal Water Service Company <br />The General Plan Committee reviewed the comments received and made appropriate changes to <br />the draft documents. <br />KEY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS <br />Most of the policies and programs in the updated Land Use and Pathways Elements are already <br />included in the existing General Plan or have been added to reflect current practices. Key policies <br />and programs are highlighted in yellow in the text of the documents. In addition, they are <br />summarized in Attachment 3. In most cases, these policies and programs reflect the Town's <br />current practice. The policy and programs related to green building practices are entirely new. <br />AMENDMENT TO OPEN SPACE & RECREATION ELEMENT <br />Under California Planning and Zoning Law, the General Plan must be internally consistent, with <br />no conflicts or inconsistencies between elements. In order to correct an inconsistency between <br />