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California State law requires each city to prepare a Comprehensive General Plan to address community policies and objectives for growth and development. The City of Glendale's General Plan establishes the policies for use and protection of resources to meet community needs.
Glendale's General Plan contains eleven sections. These sections, called elements, are published separately. They address the seven topics (land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise and safety) mandated by state law and four additional topics (air quality, community facilities, recreation and historic preservation) recommended, but not required by state law.
2006-2014 Housing Element Update!
The City Council adopted an updated Housing Element to the General Plan on January 27, 2009. The Housing Element is one of the required Elements of the City's Comprehensive General Plan and is required by State law to be updated periodically. The purpose of the Housing Element is to identify the City’s existing and projected housing needs and to establish goals and policies to guide City officials in daily decision making in addressing these needs. Groups requiring the most urgent attention in the City are identified, such as the elderly, lower income households and the homeless. The Housing Element serves as a policy guideline for meeting the housing needs of the community.
To learn more about the Element and the update process, please click on the following link: 2006-2014 Housing Element Update
Noise Element
The City Council adopted a new Noise Element for the General Plan on June 5, 2007. The Noise Element describes the noise environment in the City, proposes ways to lessen existing noise, and proposes methods for mitigating possible future noise impacts. The Noise Element is supplemented by the Technical Appendix which contains additional details about how the Element was created.
Important New Features of the Noise Element
First, Program 3.1 reads as follows:
"Use the criteria in Table 1 and standards in Table 2 to assess the compatibility of proposed land uses with the noise environment. New land uses, as described in the Land Uses column of Table 2, in a 60 CNEL or higher noise contour, as shown on the map of the 2030 Noise Contours, Exhibit 2, may be subject to potentially significant environmental impacts that must be addressed by a noise study. The study, prepared by a qualified consultant (to the satisfaction of the City), shall address the noise environment and propose appropriate conditions of approval or mitigation measures to comply with the interior and exterior noise standards as shown in Table 2. Interior tenant improvements, signs, and exterior remodeling will not normally be subject to review under this Program."
The intent of this language is to provide additional protection for new development of noise-sensitive land uses in areas of the City subject to elevated noise levels. Typically these areas are near busy streets and freeways. If single family homes, multi-family dwellings, mixed use residential development, convalescent homes, (and other noise-sensitive land uses) are proposed for development in areas of the City subject to elevated noise levels, then those projects will have to prepare a noise study prior to project approval to demonstrate either that there will not be significant noise impacts, or such impacts can be mitigated through appropriate conditions of approval. The noise standards staff will use are in Table 2 and match the requirements of the Building Code.
Second, the Element proposes to change the allowable hours of construction activity on Saturdays in the Noise Ordinance. In response to complaints from the public about construction-related noise, Program 4.1 of the new Noise Element reads as follows:
"Change the permitted hours of construction to Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maintain the ban on construction on Sundays and Holidays. Continue to allow emergency repair work, and work to correct safety hazards, at any time."
This change has not yet taken effect. Staff must prepare, and the City Council must adopt, a revised Noise Ordinance. We currently anticipate bringing this item to the Council later this summer.
Other Information
During the preparation of the Noise Element, the City had a special study prepared to evaluate the noise coming from the Foothill Freeway.
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