Riverside County has deferred an effort to rewrite its General Plan in a way that would facilitate far-flung development.

The 2003 General Plan set a threshold below which traffic congestion would not be allowed to worsen. These are called “level of service” standards and are given letter grades from A to F. While EHL recognizes the need for diminished levels of service in dense urban areas as part of accommodating growth there, the proposed amendment would have broadly opened the door to creating exceptions for congestion on currently rural roadways and for leapfrog development in those locations.

After EHL and other groups pointed out serious problems with CEQA compliance, the County at least temporarily withdrew the amendment. We anticipate its reemergence, however, and remain open to working with the County on more targeted exemptions consistent with good planning.