Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan

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The Board of Supervisors adopted the updated Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan (Plan) on May 4, 2021, and became effective June 3, 2021

The North Area Plan, originally adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in October 2000, is a component of the Los Angeles County General Plan (General Plan). The North Area Plan’s primary role is to provide more focused policy for the protection of biological resources and regulation of development within the unincorporated area of the Santa Monica Mountains west of the City of Los Angeles and north of the Coastal Zone. The North Area Plan refines the policies of the countywide General Plan as it applies to this planning area.

The North Area Plan serves to:

• Identify the community’s environmental, social, and economic goals.
• Provide a summary of the land uses in the North Area and the County’s goals to ensure compatibility.
• Define the County’s policies on existing and future development needed to achieve community goals.
• Respond to problems and opportunities concerning community development in a way that is consistent with local, regional and state goals and policies.
• Create a basis for subsequent planning efforts, such as the preparation of specific plans and special studies.
• Maximize preservation of the area’s natural environment.
• Recognize the opportunities and constraints that the land imposes.
• Accommodate new uses that minimize impacts on the natural environment.
• Ensure that new development is compatible with and enhances the quality of existing communities.
• Provide for a wide range of public and private recreational opportunities.

Background information on the project can be found on the Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan project website. To view the previous version of the plan that was adopted on October, 24 2000, please click here.