General Plan
City of Poway General Plan
The City's General Plan is divided into 6 master elements: Community Development, Public Facilities, Transportation, Resources, Public Safety, and Housing. Some of these master elements are further divided: Community Development includes Land Use and Community Design; Transportation includes Roadways, Public Transit, Bikeways, and Pedestrian Facilities; Resources includes Natural Resources, and Prehistoric and Historic Resources; and Public Safety includes Emergency Services and Hazard Management.
General Plan Sections
- Introduction (PDF)
- Community Development (PDF)
- Public Facilities Element (PDF)
- Transportation (PDF)
- Resources (PDF)
- Public Safety (PDF)
- Glossary (PDF)
Housing Element
The City of Poway began its state-mandated update to the Housing Element of the General Plan in 2020. The update covers the period from June 30, 2020 to April 15, 2029. The process included an online survey, several virtual community workshops and a public workshop held by the City Council. On August 3, 2021, the City Council adopted an updated Housing Element. City staff worked with the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on the document contents. The City Council’s adoption of the Housing Element provided direction to City staff to continue to coordinate with HCD to address HCD’s comments to achieve State certification. After working with HCD to address their comments, the City submitted draft revisions to the adopted Housing Element to HCD on October 30, 2022 for a required 60-day review.
City staff worked continuously with HCD staff to address their comments on the document, including several informal reviews by HCD. The updated 2020-2029 Housing Element was available for public review on January 11, 2024. The City submitted the document to HCD for final review and certification on January 22, 2024 along with the comment letters received during the seven-day review period. The Housing Element of the General Plan was adopted at the April 2, 2024 City Council meeting.
Public Safety Element
The City of Poway is in process of updating its Public Safety Element of the City’s General Plan.
Public Safety Element Update DRAFT (March 2026) (PDF)
- Public Review Period: March 19, 2026-April 18, 2026
- To comment on the update, email Associate Planner Mary Piscitelli or call 858-668-4657.
This is an amendment to the Safety Element of the General Plan, initially approved by the City Council in 1983 (GPA93-01), with a major General Plan Update and Master Environmental Assessment in 1991. The City of Poway Safety Element, which is part of the City’s General Plan, defines goals, policies, and strategies which will guide the City. By State law, a City’s Safety Element must be updated in order to periodically assess the changing safety needs of the community and establish an action plan to address these needs to further the goals and policies of the City’s General Plan. A 30-day public review will begin on the same date as the publication of this notice. The Public Safety Element Draft (PDF) is also available for review in person at the Development Review Counter. Based on comments received, changes may be incorporated into the Safety Element Update to ensure compliance with the requirements of State Law. An Environmental Impact Report and a Master Environmental Assessment for the Poway General Plan were approved by the City Council in 1991. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15061(b)(3), the Update is covered by the common-sense exemption, where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, no further environmental review is required.
A public hearing will be held on May 19, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, CA 92064. The project number is General Plan Amendment (GPA) 26-0001.
- Thursday, April 16 - from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Mickey Cafagna Community Center, Oak Hall East - 13094 Civic Center Drive, Poway 92064
The community is invited to learn more about the Public Safety Element Update at this open house style meeting on April 16. There will be staff from Planning, Engineering, Public Works, Fire, and Sheriff's department, with displays and handouts focused on safety issues such as wildfire, evacuation routes, flood hazards, and hazardous mitigation projects.
The Public Safety Element Update Public Hearing will be part of the Poway City Council meeting:
- Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 7 p.m.
- City Council Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, Poway, CA 92064
If you have difficulty downloading documents, upgrade to Acrobat Reader X.