Napa County General Plan 

The County's General Plan serves as a broad framework for planning the future of Napa County.  This General Plan is the official policy statement of the County Board of Supervisors to guide the private and public development of the County. 

• Directs housing and commercial enterprises to the incorporated jurisdictions and designated urbanized areas through the use of maps and policies.
• Protects agriculture and agricultural, watershed and open space lands by maintaining 40- and 160-acre minimum parcel sizes, limiting uses allowed in agricultural areas, and designating agriculture as our primary land use.
• Provides for additional workforce and affordable housing by identifying necessary sites and programs and by continued collaborations with municipalities.
• Contains policies aimed at preserving the County’s irreplaceable biodiversity, protecting significant natural resources and water resources, and improving the ecological health of the Napa River.
• Provides transportation policies aimed at addressing congestion, safety, and accessibility, emphasizing alternatives to the private automobile and limited road improvements.
• Describes a network of bike routes and recreational trails connecting residents to parks and an increasing amount of permanently protected public open space.
• Includes policies aimed at reducing local contributions to global climate change and encouraging sustainable building practices, sustainable vineyard practices, and ecological stewardship.
• Recognizes that protecting the economic viability of agriculture is critical to the County’s future and that tourism and supporting industries that are compatible with agriculture also contribute to its viability.

Table of Contents

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Napa County General Plan - Complete Document (14MG)

• Amending Resolutions
• Signature Page
• Introduction
• Summary and Vision
• Agricultural Preservation and Land Use Element
• Circulation Element
• Community Character Element
• Conservation Element
• Economic Development Element
• Housing Element (06-23-2009)
• Recreation and Open Space Element
• Safety Element
• Implementation Plan
• Glossary
• Acknowledgements

Implementation

The County is required, pursuant to Government Code 65400(a)(2), to report to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as well as the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) regarding reasonable and practical means for implementing the General Plan if a new plan, in total or in part, has been adopted.  In addition, a separate report is required that details the progress of implementing the Housing Element.

Since adoption of the General Plan in 2008, the County has prepared and maintains a comprehensive list of implementation action items referenced in the General Plan.  The Implementation Table details each action item by element and the status of its implementation.  In addition, the County implements its General Plan by applying the Plan's goals and policies to individual discretionary decisions in the course of the year.

The list of Housing Element Programs from the Housing Element adopted in June of 2009 with corresponding completion dates is available here.  While there is some question from HCD as to the adequacy of the element, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Housing Element with the belief that this important chapter of the General Plan meets all statutory requirements and staff continues to implement the programs contained within the document.  The goal of the Housing Element is to ensure housing for each economic segment of the community and to reduce constraints in the development of affordable and special needs housing.