The Long-Range Planning Division of the Department is responsible for preparing community development and land use policies, as well as preparing ordinance updates. General Plan updates, Community Plans, and Mobility Plans are some of the frequent policy areas that the division is involved in.
Upcoming Events
Projects
General Plan Updates
- San Mateo County Housing Element Update 2023-2031
San Mateo County is updating its Housing Element. - Safety Element
San Mateo County is updating the Safety Element, and a draft is now available for review: Safety Element Public Review Draft June 2026. To learn more, please visit the project website. - Environmental Justice Element
San Mateo County is creating an Environmental Justice Element for the County’s General Plan. State law requires counties and cities with disadvantaged communities who have recently revised two or more general plan elements to create an environmental justice element. This project is part of the Environmental Justice Elements Planning Initiative, which is a collaborative effort between San Mateo County and the cities of Burlingame and East Palo Alto. To learn more, please visit the project website.
Community Plans
- North Fair Oaks Rezoning and General Plan Amendment Project & EIR
Proposed amendments to the CMU and NMU mixed-use residential zoning regulations applicable to various areas of the unincorporated North Fair Oaks community and the possible expansion of the CMU and NMU zoning designations. - Plan Princeton
Plan Princeton is a study being conducted by San Mateo County to update the land use plan for Princeton.
Transportation Plans
- Get There Together: An Action Plan for Transportation Choices in Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast
An action plan of strategies to improve and make better use of the transportation options we already have on the coastside today. - Moss Beach State Route 1 Congestion & Safety Improvements Project
A project to study improvements along State Route 1 (SR-1) in Moss Beach. - Midcoast Multimodal Trail Project
The Midcoast Multi-Modal Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian commuter trail that will provide an alternative means of transportation for residents of the Midcoast to safely access neighboring communities, town centers, schools and recreational destinations without having to travel on the highway. - Connect the Coastside
Connect the Coastside is a community-based transportation plan to help improve mobility and safety for Coastside residents and visitors.
Ordinance Updates
- Tree Ordinances Update Project
Updates to the Significant and Heritage Tree Removal Regulations and the Planned Agricultural District and Resource Management Zoning Ordinances to improve management of individual trees and tree canopy in the County, and to improve the tree removal and trimming permit process. - Design Review (DR) Ordinance Update Project | County of San Mateo, CA
The Department is preparing an update to the Design Review (DR) Ordinance to update existing Design Review standards with the goal to make them more objective, simplify application of required standards by eliminatingduplicate, repetitive standards and clarifying confusing standards, and allow for more design flexibility to reflect contemporary styles.
County Policy Documents
Contact Us
If you have any questions or need information, you can email us.