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Equitable and Healthy Communities

The Equitable and Healthy Communities Element of the Palmdale General Plan outlines the goals and policies related to public health, equity, and environmental justice in Palmdale.

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Chapter Highlights

Healthy communities are places that foster positive health outcomes for all who live, work, and play in the city. Good nutrition, physical activity, and access to healthcare all influence health. However, health is also influenced by many other factors, including access to economic opportunities, safe and sanitary housing, high-quality education, and low exposure to pollution.

Environmental justice is defined in California’s Government Code Section 65040.12(e) as “the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” Environmental justice seeks to rectify these past injustices by protecting all people from exposure to pollution, toxins, hazardous wastes, radioactive materials, and other environmental harms.

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Goals and Policies

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Image of warehouse building at dusk.

Economic Opportunity / Education Parity

EHC-1.1 Equitable investments. Prioritize public infrastructure and facilities investments and develop incentives to promote private development investment in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-1.2 Community benefits agreements. Develop a community benefits agreement for major private development projects, which may include affordable housing, job training funds, housing assistance, payment of parks and recreation fees or installation of amenities onsite and/or local hiring.

EHC-1.3 Equity impact assessments. Regularly evaluate the impact of public infrastructure, facilities, and program investments, such as through equity impact assessments, to ensure equitable distribution of public resources across Palmdale.

EHC-1.4 Small business development. Foster small business development with educational resources (e.g., funding sources, mentorship programs, etc.), permitting information, and services that can promote long term success in the city.

EHC-1.5 Small business funding. Consider establishing funding for small business grants that prioritize low-income, women-owned, minority-owned, and/or LGBTQ-owned small businesses.

EHC-1.6 Career pathways. Work with interested organizations and residents to create a youth job development partnership – connecting local businesses to youth for after school and summer work, volunteer positions, mentorship opportunities, and other skills development opportunities.

EHC-1.7 Services coordination. Actively encourage the provision of public and private employment training, rental assistance, financial training, and other supportive services in multiple languages to enable households to be self-sufficient.

EHC-1.8 Internet Access. Offer free high-speed Wi-Fi inside and outside of all City-owned facilities, especially in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-1.9 Bridging the digital divide. Ensure all homes and businesses in the city have access to a fiber optic internet connection.

EHC-2.1 Education districts. Create two education districts in locations that are well-served by transit:

  • Near Antelope Valley College Palmdale Center and Palmdale High School (Palmdale Boulevard and 25th Street East); and,
  • In the vacant area on the northern side of Palmdale Boulevard and 47th Street East.

 

EHC-2.2 Educational uses. Attract a mix of educational uses such as public and private higher education facilities, satellite campuses, trade schools, along with supporting uses like retail and housing in the Educational Flex land use designation.

EHC-2.3 Higher education institution. Attract a new major higher education institution.

EHC-2.4 Access to public facilities. Maintain and expand access to education-related public facilities and services, including schools, libraries, and recreational spaces, to better support communities.

EHC-2.5 Daycare facilities. Promote opportunities for new affordable daycare, childcare, and pre-K facilities in Village Centers, and encourage these supporting uses in the Educational Flex land use designation.

Project booth at public event as part of community engagement for the planning process.

Community Engagement

EHC-3.1 Strengthening community partnerships. Encourage continuous participation in City planning processes, especially targeting hard-to-reach populations, including developing partnerships with local community-based organizations and faith-based institutions to help facilitate conversations.

EHC-3.2 Communication and transparency. Regularly monitor key milestones of investments in disadvantaged communities and provide regular updates via City communication channels and networks.

EHC-3.3 Equity Committee. Consider the creation of a Palmdale Equity Committee to provide guidance on equity-related topics in City governance.

EHC-3.4 Youth Council. Create a Palmdale Youth Council to participate in City governance and share in decision-making around issues impacting youth.

EHC-3.5 Reduce barriers to participation. Address barriers to civic participation at all public meetings by scheduling them at times convenient for residents and by providing transportation options, childcare services, and healthy food options at meetings.

EHC-3.6 Language accessibility. Provide multilingual interpretation at all public meetings, translate all meeting materials into Spanish and, by request, into other spoken and visual languages.

EHC-3.7 Virtual participation. Continue to make public hearings and meetings available virtually to expand community participation.

View of Palmdale Regional Medical Center.

Access To Health Care

EHC-4.1 Health and wellness districts. Create three health and wellness districts in locations that are well-served by transit:

  • Around the Palmdale Regional Medical Center (Palmdale Boulevard and 10th Street West)
  • Along Palmdale Boulevard and 40th/45th Streets East
  • Adjacent to Kaiser Permanente (East Avenue S and 45th Street East)

 

EHC-4.2 Health and wellness uses. Allow and encourage a mix of public and private medical, health, and wellness uses including emergency medical facilities, medical and supportive retail, offices, healthcare clinics and pharmacies in the Health and Wellness land use designation.

EHC-4.3 Access to primary care. Encourage programs and practices that aim to increase access to primary healthcare, especially for low-income residents. Support partnerships with local health service providers, Los Angeles County Public Health Department, schools, and other community-based organizations to promote health, wellness, and preventative care.

EHC-4.4 Transit access to healthcare. Work with local transit agencies to ensure that bus routes provide transit service to health service facilities, especially from disadvantaged communities.

EHC-4.5 Subsidized medical transportation. Partner with local health systems and service providers to support Medicare and Medi-Cal recipients in accessing existing reimbursement programs for non-emergency medical transportation.

EHC-4.6 Health data monitoring. Collaborate with the County of Los Angeles to track health data and ensure the City has necessary health-related data to guide decision-making.

EHC-4.7 Community Health Profile. Partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to provide regular updates to Palmdale’s Community Health Profile, as needed.

EHC-4.8 Affordable healthcare options. Partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other regional partners to provide residents with information on affordable and accessible healthcare services.

EHC-5.1 Access to mental healthcare. Collaborate with the County of Los Angeles and regional health organizations to improve access to mental healthcare, especially in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-5.2 Community input. Partner with the County and local health systems to gather community input on the city’s existing mental healthcare infrastructure to improve behavioral health services accordingly.

EHC-5.3 Preventive mental healthcare. Develop programs and services that improve wellbeing and help reduce stress and mental health issues, especially for vulnerable populations such as foster youth, at-risk youth, and older adults.

EHC-5.4 Homeless services coordination. Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Homeless Services Authority to help residents currently or at risk of experiencing homelessness to access education, facilities, and health services.

EHC-5.5 Homelessness Coordinator. Consider creating a dedicated City staff position to function as a liaison with the County and Palmdale residents currently or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

EHC-5.6 Partnerships with local shelters. Continue to partner with local shelters to provide cots for emergency shelter situations, including extreme heat and cold days.

EHC-5.7 At-risk youth services. Coordinate with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services to support programs for at-risk youth and parents of at-risk youth, such as parent training programs, health and mental health resources, and youth transition programs.

EHC-5.8 Cooling centers. Coordinate with local agencies and organizations to establish centralized cooling centers during extreme heat days, and provide transportation to these facilities for older adults, disabled individuals, and other residents who may have transportation barriers.

Aerial view of townhomes with community pool.

Housing

EHC-6.1 Transit-oriented housing. Direct the location of senior and multi-family housing to high resource areas accessible to public transportation, supportive commercial uses, and community facilities.

EHC-6.2 Housing diversity. Encourage a variety of housing types developed at a range of densities to serve varying household types, including, but not limited to, single-family attached and detached, accessory dwelling units, multi-family apartments, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, and condominiums.

EHC-6.3 ADA compliant housing. Facilitate housing for older adults, special needs groups, including the developmentally disabled, and non-traditional family groups by allowing a diverse range of housing configurations that are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant and flexible.

EHC-6.4 Aging in place. Promote development of housing types that support multi-generational households and opportunities to age in place.

EHC-6.5 Resource families. Promote development of housing types that support resource families and meet the needs of foster youth and transition age youth.

EHC-6.6 Development review process. Periodically lead a comprehensive review of all steps in the development approval process to identify the factors that impede a variety of new residential construction, including affordable housing.

EHC-6.7 Streamlining housing development. Create a one-stop permitting shop that streamlines review of potential housing projects and makes it accessible and easy for applicants to get the answers they need.

EHC 6.8 Pre-application housing meetings. Encourage pre-application meetings with department staff to review potential projects and ensure consistency with the General Plan vision.

EHC-7.1 Affordable housing preservation. Preserve or replace units with expiring affordable housing subsidies.

EHC-7.2 Mobile home parks. Use regulatory and financial tools to make mobile home spaces permanently affordable.

EHC-7.3 Vacant and underutilized land. Identify vacant and underutilized land, including publicly owned land, suitable for affordable housing.

EHC-7.4 Affordability period. Require that all units developed under any of the City affordable housing programs remain affordable for the longest possible time or at least 30 years.

EHC-7.5 Affordable housing impact fee. Consider a program where new commercial and/or industrial developments pay a fee to fund affordable housing units.

EHC-7.6 Accessory dwelling units. Periodically update the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance to be consistent with State law. Consider providing permit ready ADU plans to residents.

EHC-7.7 Expedited permitting for affordable housing. Develop an expedited permitting program to support the creation of new affordable housing.

EHC-8.1 Housing rehabilitation. Consider a housing rehabilitation program that assists multi-family residential property owners in modernizing and maintaining units. For example, support efforts to upgrade affordable units with effective ventilation and insulation systems, and eliminate common home pollutants such as lead, asbestos, mold, and pests.

EHC-8.2 Code enforcement. Develop a community code enforcement partnership to ensure ongoing and effective health and safety code enforcement, with priority given to rental properties in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-8.3 Residential Rental Housing Inspection Program. Evaluate the existing Residential Rental Housing Inspection Program and develop measures to improve effectiveness.

EHC-8.4 Municipal code and healthy housing. Review, revise, and update the municipal and zoning code (as well as other relevant plans, procedures, regulations, guidelines, programs, and design manuals) as needed, to promote healthy housing quality. Regulations may include:

  • Siting buildings to encourage walking and physical activity
  • Designing internal staircases that are visually prominent and attractive
  • Designing buildings to allow for high levels of natural light and air
  • Limiting concentration of unhealthy uses in proximity to sensitive uses
  • Providing safe linkages to parks, trails, schools, and recreation
  • Providing on-site recreational facilities
  • Using materials that are proven to avoid negative health impacts

EHC-9.1 Renter education and assistance. Connect low-income residents to City, County, State, and non-profit resources that provide technical, legal, and financial assistance for renters facing eviction.

EHC-9.2 Tenant protections. Consider developing a tenant protections plan, which may include a rent stabilization policy, just cause eviction and harassment protections, tenant and landlord mediation programs, right of first refusal, rental assistance, tenant legal counseling, and a rent board to implement the program.

EHC-9.3 Fair housing. Strictly enforce fair housing laws to protect residents from housing discrimination.

EHC-9.4 Mortgage assistance resources. Connect low-income residents at risk of foreclosure to county, state, and non-profit homeowner assistance programs.

EHC-9.5 Rapid rehousing. Continue to support the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program to support households who are at risk of becoming unhoused.

EHC-9.6 Permanent supportive housing. Implement the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing First program once permanent supportive housing is available in the city.

EHC-9.7 Limited-equity housing. Encourage resident controlled limited-equity ownership, such as limited-equity condominiums, limited-equity cooperatives, and community land trusts.

People excercising at park with exercise equipment in Palmdale.

Physical Activity

EHC-10.1 Near-universal access to recreation. Work toward a goal of having 90 percent of residents living within a 20-minute walking distance of a dedicated park, school, or multi-use trail.

EHC-10.2 Access to open space. Plan for new parks and increase access to existing and future parks, trails, and open spaces, especially in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-10.3 Recreational programs. Prioritize investments in recreational programs that focus on physical activity.

EHC-10.4 Community partnerships. Partner with community-based organizations to improve access to recreational opportunities that promote physical activity across the city, particularly in park-poor neighborhoods.

EHC-10.5 Fee waivers. Consider fee waivers for low-income families, such as families with children who participate in the National School Lunch Program, so that all residents have access to the City’s recreational programming.

EHC-11.1 Near-universal walk access to retail and services. Plan for 90 percent of residents (except for equestrian residential areas) to be within a 20-minute walking distance of a Village Center with retail and neighborhood services.

EHC-11.2 Complete Streets investments. Prioritize transportation system improvements that promote Complete Streets objectives, incorporate universal design principles, and encourage walking, biking, and transit use in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-11.3 Improve connectivity. Strive for a high level of connectivity of residents to Village Centers and neighborhood services through site design, open space linkages, and bicycle facilities. Integrate land use and transportation infrastructure to support a connected system of sidewalks, bikeways, greenways, and transit.

EHC-11.4 Streetscape enhancements. Enhance existing streetscapes to include greater sidewalk coverage, walkway connectivity, street trees and shade, street lighting, street crossing safety features, traffic calming measures, transit shelters, and other design elements, especially in disadvantaged communities.

EHC-11.5 Safe routes for older adults. Develop safe routes for aging adults, particularly routes to transit and shopping centers.

Open sky above Palmdale.

Air Quality / Respiratory Health

EHC-12.1 Tree planting. Plant street trees, identified within the City’s plant palette, throughout Palmdale, and especially in disadvantaged communities. Plant trees to provide shade and screening, especially along south and west facing sides of buildings.

EHC-12.2 City vehicle fleet. Transition the City’s vehicle fleet to lower-emission fuel technologies.

EHC-12.3 Truck routes. Designate truck routes to avoid sensitive land uses, where feasible.

EHC-12.4 Sensitive land uses. Avoid siting schools, daycare facilities, playgrounds, older adult housing, and housing near land uses that produce localized air pollution (e.g., SR-14, SR-138, and Plant 42). For sensitive land uses that cannot be sited at least 500 feet away from sources of localized air pollution, potential design mitigation options include:

  • Provide residential units with individual heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to allow adequate ventilation with windows closed.
  • Locate air intake systems for HVAC systems as far away from existing air pollution sources as possible.
  • Use High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) air filters in the HVAC system and develop a maintenance plan to ensure the filtering system is properly maintained.
  • Use sound walls, berms, and vegetation as physical barriers.
  • Notify new potential home buyers of risks from air pollution.

 

EHC-12.5 Air quality monitoring. Develop a citywide air quality monitoring program to identify areas with high gas, oil, and toxic chemical emissions, in addition to tracking changes over time, identifying polluters, and analyzing potential interventions.

EHC-12.6 Air quality planning. Participate in air quality planning efforts with local, regional, and state agencies that improve local air quality to protect human health and minimize the disproportionate impacts on sensitive population groups.

EHC-12.7 Toxic air emissions. Coordinate with regional, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as large aerospace and industrial employers to decrease toxic chemical emissions. Proactively explore potential partnerships and interventions to decrease potential exposure of residents to these chemicals.

EHC-13.1 Smoke-free public space. Update the municipal code to require all City-owned public places, including outdoor facilities, to be smoke-free and vape-free to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke.

EHC-13.2 Smoke-free workplaces. Encourage employers to provide smoke-free and vape-free workplaces.

EHC-13.3 Smoke-free multifamily housing. Adopt an ordinance to transition all multi-family buildings into smoke-free and vape-free housing.

EHC-13.4 Smoking product retailers. Limit the sale of tobacco and other nicotine products in neighborhoods with a significant concentration of stores (e.g., multiple stores on the same block or intersection) and near child-sensitive areas, such as schools, parks, and daycare facilities. Consider distance requirements from sensitive uses.

EHC-13.5 Limit smoking advertisements. Encourage store owners to limit advertising for tobacco products.

EHC-13.6 Anti-smoking education. Coordinate with Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and local community partners to continue educational campaigns regarding anti-smoking measures.

Interior view of produce section at Sprouts Grocery Store.

Food Access

EHC-14.1 Near-universal walk access to healthy food retailers. Work toward a goal of having 90 percent of residents living within a 20-minute walking distance of a grocery store, farmers market, community garden, or other healthy food retailer.

EHC-14.2 Farmers markets. Partner with organizations to bring one (or more) weekly Certified Farmers Markets to Palmdale. Encourage future farmers markets to accept CalFresh Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits; and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) benefits.

EHC-14.3 Grocery stores. Partner with developers and other stakeholders to bring full-service and affordable grocery stores to disadvantaged communities in Palmdale.

EHC-14.4 Corner store conversion. Utilize economic development incentives to encourage existing convenience stores, especially in disadvantaged communities, to expand inventory and to sell fresh, healthy foods such as produce. Assist convenience stores in modifying retail space with basic refrigeration and shelving to transform into economically viable healthy food retailers.

EHC-14.5 Other healthy food retail. Incentivize the location and expansion of new and existing small businesses that sell and/or serve healthy food options.

EHC-14.6 Fast food and liquor stores. Limit drive-through restaurants and off-sale alcohol beverage establishments—as defined in the municipal code—in neighborhoods with a significant concentration of stores (e.g., multiple stores on the same block or intersection) and child-sensitive areas, such as schools, parks, and childcare facilities.

EHC-14.7 Local food production. Strengthen the local economy by encouraging local food production, community gardens, and farmers markets on vacant or underutilized parcels.

EHC-14.8 Transit access to healthy food retailers. Improve ready access to healthy food retailers along key transit corridors and within transit-oriented developments. Work with local transit agencies to ensure that bus routes provide service from disadvantaged communities to healthy food retailers.

EHC-14.9. Food waste diversion. Partner with local grocery stores, restaurants, and other food retailers to divert food waste and donate extra food to local food banks, soup kitchens, and shelters.

EHC-15.1 Student nutrition education. Work with local school districts and other educational facilities to create or implement educational programs for children about healthy eating, such as edible schoolyards and healthy cooking classes.

EHC-15.2 Healthy food options. Require that City-funded events offering refreshments, also offer healthy food choices and water to participants.

EHC-15.3 Communications support. Help publicize small retailers and restaurants that sell and/or serve affordable and high-quality fruits and vegetables, including locally grown foods.

EHC-15.4 Nutrition education. Partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to develop food education programs, including culturally tailored messages, fruit and vegetable incentives, parenting skill classes, nutrition, and physical activity.

EHC-15.5 Gardening education. Partner with community-based organizations to provide gardening and composting classes citywide with an emphasis in disadvantaged communities.

Public interacting with Palmdale fire fighters and viewing demonstration.

Crime And Public Safety

EHC-16.1 Pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Strive for a safe transportation system by making transportation improvements in areas with a high incidence of collisions, injuries, and death, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists. Street improvements may include the following:

  • Marked crosswalks
  • Bicycle lanes
  • Traffic calming

 

EHC-16.2 Coordination with Sheriff’s Department. Continue to coordinate with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for improvements to public safety.

EHC-16.3 Crime prevention through environmental design. Use Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies in new and existing development to improve public safety, including the following:

  • Active public space
  • Building design to promote “eyes on the street”
  • Maintenance of public places
  • Removal or repair of vandalism or broken property

 

EHC-16.4 Public realm lighting. Improve lighting and nighttime security across all city neighborhoods to prevent crime and increase safety.

EHC-16.5 Graffiti prevention. Continue to support the graffiti prevention team to remove graffiti from public property (including parks, street signs, sidewalks) or property adjacent to public rights-of-way.

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Disadvantaged Communities in the City of Palmdale and Sphere of Influence
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Desired Targets and Outcomes

Implementation Actions

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Air Quality

OUTCOME: Improved air quality for all residents.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Improved air quality with increased landscaping and trees.

TARGET:

  • Expanded tree canopy, especially in disadvantaged communities.

 

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Reduced exposure to toxic air pollution from industrial facilities.

TARGET:

  • Increase in the percentage of housing units, especially in disadvantaged communities, with air pollution reduction features and other measures that eliminate pollutants.
  • Reduce smoking in public outdoor places in accordance with Ordinance No. 1580 and/or Ordinance No. 1571.
Health & Quality of Life

OUTCOME: Improved health and quality of life, and lower rates of chronic diseases, among all residents.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Greater opportunities for physical activity.

TARGET:

  • Increase in the proportion of residents living within a 20-minute walking distance from a dedicated public park, school, or multi-use trail.

 

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Improved access to healthy food.

TARGET:

  • Increase in the proportion of residents living within a 20-minute walking distance of a grocery store, farmers market, community garden, or other healthy food retailer.
Housing

OUTCOME: Diverse housing options including mixed-use and affordable options, for existing and future residents.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Diversified housing stock in Palmdale.

TARGET:

  • Substantial increase in new multifamily housing units by 2045, 20% of which are affordable to families earning less than 80% of the area median income.
Equitable Economy

OUTCOME: An equitable local economy that provides career pathways and economic opportunities for existing residents, especially local youth.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR:

  • Expanded economic opportunities for existing residents.

TARGET:

  • Increase in the number of youths who participate in job training programs and are connected to employment opportunities in local industries.
Vision Themes and Guiding Principles

Described below are values and direction for Palmdale 2045, set forth by the Palmdale community that chart a course for the future of the City. Vision themes paint a picture of what Palmdale will look like in the future, serving as a foundation for policies and implementation actions. While guiding principles provide further details on a vision theme and serve as a framework for future decision making. Together, the vision themes and guiding principles establish the basis for each element of Palmdale 2045, reflecting the unique needs and priorities for Palmdale residents. Through an extensive community engagement process, the vision themes and guiding principles were vetted by the community; initially prepared with input from the Palmdale General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), community members, and later confirmed by the Planning Commission and City Council.