This Demonstration Project assisted in the development of a rural smart growth and preservation strategy through new land use designations in the Antelope Valley Area Plan update.
Goals
- Maintain and enhance the rural character of the unincorporated Antelope Valley
- Protect the Valley’s environmental resources
- Develop a pattern which minimizes threats from natural hazards
- Promote the efficient use of existing infrastructure
- Limit greenhouse gas emissions
Antelope Valley residents want to maintain the rural character found in their towns and surrounding environment. This rural character is what makes the Antelope Valley so unique and valuable to the rest of Southern California. The area is a wealth of resources that must be carefully considered when preparing for future changes. Determining what type of land uses are to be allowed and where they are to be located plays an integral role in tackling the challenges of change before they happen. The Rural Preservation Strategy protects much of the sensitive lands outside of existing towns; protects residents from hazards; directs opportunities for adapting to future change within existing towns; and maintains the rural character found throughout the Antelope Valley.
Results
- Assigned land use designations to certain developed areas of each town
- Additional hazards and environmental constraints and suitability factors were mapped which were unaccounted for in the Draft Los Angeles County General Plan
- Small pockets of land use designations inconsistent with the surrounding designations were reanalyzed to produce the most consistent land use pattern
