Planning commission forwards open-space and conservation element updates to City Council

The Lancaster City Planning Commission on a 4–0 vote recommended the City Council approve updates to the general plan’s open-space and conservation elements that staff says bring the plan into compliance with recent state legislation. Shannon Edwin, a planner with community development, presented the changes and told commissioners the updates “reflect the necessary changes to be in compliance with the state laws described” in the staff slide deck and that the revisions include new appendices on park access, extreme heat and wildlife connectivity.

Why it matters: The amendments rename the Plan for Active Living as the open-space element and the Plan for the Natural Environment as the conservation element, and add policies staff said are intended to encourage more parks, shade and cooling measures, and wildlife connectivity while aligning the plan with state law. Edwin said drafts of the elements were provided to the commission at the December hearing and that the public-review period ran from 12/15/2025 to 01/14/2026 (with a one-week extension closing 01/21/2026), and that two comment letters were received, including one from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

What staff and commissioners said: Edwin said the draft open-space element includes a new appendix with a study of park access for disadvantaged communities and an analysis of extreme-heat impacts. She told the commission, “with these updates, we will now be in compliance with these state bills,” and added the city would be among the earlier jurisdictions to meet the new requirements.

Commissioners pressed staff on the currency of baseline data in the general plan, noting some baseline figures dated back to the mid-2000s. An unidentified staff speaker acknowledged that much of the baseline data came from 2005–2006 and that a comprehensive update would be needed to correct older references not related to the two state bills.

Action and next step: Commissioner Burke moved to adopt Resolution No. 26-01 recommending City Council approval of General Plan Amendment No. 25-005 and finding the project exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act; an unidentified speaker seconded and the motion passed 4–0 with three commissioners absent. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for its consideration.

Background and scope: Staff emphasized that the current updates were narrowly tailored to satisfy the requirements of the state bills and that other non–statutory elements and policies would remain unchanged until a future comprehensive general-plan update.