General & Specific Plans
General Plan
The City of Montclair General Plan is intended to provide direction for future development of the City and its sphere of influence. It represents a formal expression of community goals and desires, provides guidelines for decision-making about the City's development, and fulfills the requirements of California Government Code Section 65302 requiring local preparation and adoption of General Plans. The General Plan is a dynamic document to be refined as the physical environment of the City changes.
The Montclair General Plan went through a complete revision and update in 1999. The update began with a reassessment of the current physical, social and economic resources and data of the community as a platform to evaluate its strengths, opportunities, limitations and constraints. A detailed analysis of all issues facing the City and identification of potential strategies for managing future growth and change was prepared. The process also required a consolidation and update of the previously adopted elements of the Montclair General Plan.
Citizen input and participation during the General Plan process is critical in order to truly reflect the sentiment and desires of the community. The General Plan plays a vital role in shaping the community and affects every resident and business owner in the way they live or work.
The General Plan not only encompasses and analyzes the 5.54 square miles located within Montclair's corporate boundary, but also the .92 square miles of unincorporated San Bernardino County within Montclair's sphere of influence, generally north of Phillips Boulevard between the Los Angeles County line and Benson Avenue.
To get a copy of the General Plan, please click here.
2020 General Plan Update and Arrow Highway Mixed-Use Specific Plan - Public Review
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. the Planning Commission will consider the following items under Case No. 2024-55:
City of Montclair 2020 General Plan Update
Arrow Highway Mixed-Use District (AHMUD) Specific Plan
Montclair Corridors Code
The public hearing will be held in the Council Chambers at the Montclair Civic Center, 5111 Benito Street, Montclair, California 91763, at which time all interested persons or their agents are invited to appear and be heard.
APPLICANT: City of Montclair
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed Montclair 2020 General Plan Update (Project) is a comprehensive update of the City’s General Plan, which has not been comprehensively updated since 1999. The General Plan will be reorganized and reformatted, with updated goals and policies that reflect the community’s vision of Montclair, which the General Plan seeks to achieve. The General Plan Land Use Map will also be updated. The Montclair General Plan features the following eight elements:
- Our Natural Community (Conservation, Open Space Elements) – Addresses how Montclair can thrive in balance with the community’s natural ecosystems.
- Our Prosperous Community (Economic Development Element) - Addresses how Montclair can attract and retain high-wage and high-value enterprises, and diversify and increase the local tax base.
- Our Well Planned Community (Land Use/Design, Housing, Parks and Recreation Elements) - This chapter will feature the preferred land use plan that directs new growth by reinvesting in key opportunity areas like the Downtown, Arrow Highway Mixed-Use District, and Corridors while protecting natural resources, respecting stable residential neighborhoods, and making great places by insisting on the highest standard in architecture, landscaping, and urban design.
- Our Accessible Community (Circulation Element) - Addresses transportation choices advocated by SB 375 and AB 1358 by strengthening and balancing pedestrian, bike, and transit connections in the City and surrounding region.
- Our Healthy Community (Public Health, Noise, and Land Use Element) - Will seek to build effective partnerships that improve physical and mental health and social well-being.
- Our Safe Community (Safety Element) - Will increase awareness of potential emergencies, and minimize threats to life and damage to structures from hazards.
- Our Active Community (Land Use, Open Space, Parks and Recreation Elements) - Addresses parks and open spaces to provide enriching recreational options for the entire community.
- Our Creative Community (Culture Element) - Weave arts, cultural events, and community programs into everyday life.
As part of the Project, the City intends to also adopt the following documents to implement the land use and regulatory goals of the General Plan update:
- The AHMUD Specific Plan focuses on the northwest and northeast corners of Montclair, along the Arrow Highway Corridor. The AHMUD Specific Plan includes provisions to allow new residential development, a new public park, new development on the north and south side of Arrow Highway, new development facing Central Avenue, and phasing of public infrastructure such as improvements to streetscapes, San Antonio Channel Creek, and parks. The AHMUD Specific Plan will replace the existing North Montclair Specific Plan (1997).
- The Montclair Corridors Code—The City will also amend its Development Code (MMC Chapter 11) and Zoning Map to implement the updated General Plan via the Montclair Corridors Code. The code will include the creation of new zoning designations and development standards for the Central Avenue (south of the I-10 Freeway), Holt Boulevard, and Mission Boulevard corridors.
To maintain consistency with the General Plan Update, the City is also considering the following actions:
- Repeal the existing North Montclair Specific Plan to be replaced by the AHMUD Specific Plan; and
- Amendment of Title 11 (Zoning and Development) of the Montclair Municipal Code to repeal Chapters 11:24, 11.26, 11.28, 11.30, 11.32, and 11.34 to be replaced with five new land use designations (Neighborhood Residential, Neighborhood Edge; Commerce–Mixed Use, Commerce-Industrial, and Civic) and development standards proposed by the Corridors Code.
- Repeal the existing Holt Boulevard Specific Plan to be replaced by the Corridors Code (an area approximately 2.2 miles along Holt Boulevard from Mills Avenue on the west to Benson Avenue on the east); and
- Repeal the existing Montclair Parkway Place Specific Plan to be replaced by the Corridors Code (a 600-acre area bounded by State Street on the north, Benson Avenue on the east, Howard Street on the south, and the San Antonio Wash flood control channel near East End Avenue on the west).
The Planning Commission will review the Project and forward its recommendations to the City Council for their consideration. The Planning Commission will also make recommendations to the City Council regarding the certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and adoption of the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), the adoption of environmental findings, including a statement of overriding considerations, and approval of the Project.
LOCATION: Citywide
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: In compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a Draft Environmental Impact Report (“DEIR”) was prepared to analyze the potential environmental impacts that may result from the implementation of the proposed Project. The DEIR evaluated potential environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the Project and provided information regarding short-term, long-term, direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects of the Project. It also identified feasible mitigation measures and/or alternatives that would minimize or eliminate the potentially significant impacts associated with the implementation of the Project.
The above documents and CEQA documentation (including the DEIR) may be viewed at the Community Development Department located at the above address from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, before the public hearing. For further information concerning this project, please contact Michael Diaz, the project coordinator, at mdiaz@cityofmontclair.org or (909) 625-9432. Written comments on the project may be sent by mail to P.O. Box 2308, Montclair, CA 91763, or by facsimile transmittal to the Department at (909) 626-3691. Si desea información en español acerca de esta propuesta, por favor comuníquese con Silvia Gutierrez en la ciudad de Montclair, al teléfono (909) 625-9435.
Please note that Section 65009(b)(2) of the California Government Code provides that legal challenges to the City's action on this project may be limited to only those issues raised in testimony during the public hearing process. The City of Montclair does not discriminate against persons with disabilities.
Publish: November 1, 2024
More information on the 2020 General Plan Update and the AHMUD Specific Plan, Montclair Corridors Code, and draft FEIR are available below.
Montclair Arrow Highway Mixed-use District Specific Plan
Montclair General Plan 2020 Update
Montclair General Plan EIR NOA
NOC of NOA Montclair General Plan
Montclair Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations
Housing Element of the General Plan
The Housing Element of the City's General Plan for the 2014-2021 cycle was adopted by the City Council in February 2014 after a lengthy review process and valuable input by the City's stakeholders. The Housing Element was certified by the state's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as being compliant with all aspects of state law.
The City of Montclair Housing Element for the 5th Cycle Can be viewed below.
2021 Draft Update of the Housing Element of the General Plan can be viewed below.
Specific Plans
The following Specific Plans govern development in certain areas within the City of Montclair. Please view the specific plan maps to determine which areas are covered by clicking the links to the documents below. Please be informed that development standards and criteria contained within these documents will either supplement or replace those of the City of Montclair's Zoning Ordinance, which ever is more restrictive. Note: The North Montclair Downtown Specific Plan (NMDSP) is a major part of the City's planned future development as a major transit hub. Those documents can be viewed below.