Scope and Role of the Land Use Element

The purpose of the Land Use Element is to correlate all land use issues into a set of coherent development policies for the private lands in the unincorporated area of the county. The goals, policies, and actions of the element relate directly to other elements and issues addressed in the General Plan. Although all General Plan elements carry equal weight, the Land Use Element is generally considered the most representative of the General Plan, and in practice, is the most visible and often-used element. Mono County's first Land Use Element was adopted in 1968 and last comprehensively updated in 2000, although individual sections have since been updated. This element supersedes and replaces the document as it existed in 2014.

The county Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) summarizes existing land uses in the county, and outlines the plans, policies, and regulations currently affecting land use in the county. The Issues section of this element identifies and analyzes opportunities and constraints that influence the future development potential of the county's unincorporated areas. The Issues section first addresses countywide issues and then focuses on issues that are applicable to individual community areas in the county. The Policy section establishes countywide and community-specific directives to guide growth, development and use of land in the unincorporated area through the year 2035;