General Plan

2003 General Plan

The City's comprehensive General Plan was adopted in 2003. The Brea General Plan identifies the community’s vision for its collective future and establishes the fundamental framework to guide future decision-making about development, resource management, public safety, public services, and general community well-being. During creation of the General Plan, the community worked together to craft this vision and define it through text and illustrations. This General Plan reflects the planning desires and values of Brea residents, the business community, community educators, and elected and appointed officials.

The Brea General Plan describes how Breans will work to retain the natural and aesthetic qualities that make their City unique, but at the same time, respond to the dynamics of regional growth and meeting changing community needs. The General Plan serves as a policy guide, balancing these interrelated factors to Brea’s community vision. The goals and policies contained in the City's general Plan supports the overarching vision statement, which is:

"IMAGINE BREA:  

Brea will be a community that provides great places to live, work, learn, and play; Places that respect the community's natural and cultural resources; Provide open space and public spaces that appeal to all Breans; Encourage economic vitality, and enhance the overall quality of life for all residents." 

Amendments

Housing element is the only element in the General Plan that is required to be updated every 8 years. In addition, cities may be required to adopt a new element or update other elements in the General Plan when the State legislature adopts new laws applicable to General Plan. Lastly, the City may grant a request for an amendment to accommodate a specific project.

In compliance with the State law, the Housing chapter of the General Plan has been updated three times, with the most recent update from August 2022 for the 6th Cycle Housing Element. In addition, other chapters of the General Plan have been periodically amended to either ensure relevancy of the document or to accommodate a specific project. 

Housing Element

The Housing Element within our General Plan is the city’s chief policy document on housing issues and this document is required to be updated every 8 years. A Housing Element provides policies and programs that address issues such as balance between employment and housing, preserves existing housing stock, increases affordability for all segments of our community, and provides opportunity sites for new housing as our population grows. Please visit the Housing Element page for more information.

General Plan Documents


General Plan

Environmental Document

Other Related Documents

Annual Report

The General Plan Annual Progress Report is a document that provides a yearly report of the progress that has been made implementing the various elements of its General Plan. The report covers the period from January through December of each calendar year. A number of important project and programs were carried out during the year to continue to make Brea an attractive and desirable City in which to live, work, and play. To access the past annual reports, please click the following links: