Open Space Element Update

The Open Space Element of the General Plan identifies areas that provide value in an essentially undeveloped condition and creates a plan to preserve such areas. The Open Space Element reinforces the Conservation Element by guiding the comprehensive and long-range preservation of open space lands that are important to the conservation of the City and state’s natural resources.

Open space is defined as any parcel or area of land or water that is essentially unimproved and devoted to open-space use (Gov. Code § 65560(b)). Such lands or waters may provide value related to, among other things, recreation, health, habitat, biodiversity, wildlife conservation aesthetics, economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, flood risk reduction, managed natural resources production, agricultural production, and protection from hazardous conditions.

The City’s Open Space Element was initially adopted in 1972. In 1982, the City added an optional Parks and Recreation Element and in 2011, the City added new policies and implementation actions. The original text, policies, and implementation actions have otherwise remained the same for over 50 years.

In 2022, Senate Bill 1425 requires the City to review and update its local open-space plan (i.e., Open Space Element) by January 1, 2026. The Open Space Element update requires plans and an action program that address specific issues, including climate resilience and other co-benefits of open space, correlated with the Safety Element. The City’s Open Space Element update will include an updated inventory and mapping and will address equitable access to open space and opportunities to preserve, enhance, and expand an integrated network of open space to benefit habitat, recreation, natural resources, historic and tribal resources, water management, and aesthetics.