(a) (1) Following classification or reclassification of a unit by the State Park and Recreation Commission, and prior to the development of any new facilities in any previously classified unit, the department shall prepare a general plan or revise any existing plan for the unit.

(2) The general plan shall consist of elements that will evaluate and define the proposed land uses, facilities, concessions, operation of the unit, any environmental impacts, and the management of resources, and shall serve as a guide for the future development, management, and operation of the unit.

(3) The general plan constitutes a report on a project for the purposes of Section 21100. The general plan for a unit shall be submitted by the department to the State Park and Recreation Commission for approval.

(b) The resource element of the general plan shall evaluate the unit as a constituent of an ecological region and as a distinct ecological entity, based upon historical and ecological research of plant-animal and soil-geological relationships and shall contain a declaration of purpose, setting forth specific long-range management objectives for the unit consistent with the unit’s classification pursuant to Article 1.7 (commencing with Section 5019.50), and a declaration of resource management policy, setting forth the precise actions and limitations required for the achievement of the objectives established in the declaration of purpose.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the department is not required to prepare a general plan for a unit that has no general plan or to revise an existing plan if the only development contemplated by the department consists of the repair, replacement, or rehabilitation of an existing facility; the construction of a temporary facility, if the construction does not result in the permanent commitment of a resource of the unit; any undertaking necessary for the protection of public health or safety; or any emergency measure necessary for the immediate protection of natural or cultural resources; or any combination of these activities at a single unit. Any development is subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000)).

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the department is not required to prepare a general plan or revise an existing plan for a unit to which new development is necessary to comply with public service delivery obligations, operational or code compliance upgrades, or resource preservation requirements that are compatible with the classification of the unit. The department may instead prepare a management or development plan with appropriate environmental review and analysis.

(e) Consistent with good planning and sound resource management, the department shall, in discharging its responsibilities under this section, attempt to make units of the state park system accessible and usable by the general public at the earliest opportunity.

(f) The department may prepare a general plan that includes more than one unit of the state park system for units that are in close proximity to one another and that have similar resources and recreational opportunities if that action will facilitate the protection of public resources and public access to units of the state park system.

(g) The department, in consultation with the State Park and Recreation Commission, by January 1, 2018, shall provide the Legislature with recommendations for improving the state park planning and approval process to help achieve the following goals:

(1) Provide for more efficient and cost-effective development, approval, and timely updates of park unit general plans, including through the use of multi-unit general plans where appropriate.

(2) Provide for public participation in the development and update of park general plans and related planning documents.

(3) Streamline reviews carried out pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000)) and other applicable statutes.

(4) Enable the department to reduce, by 2025, the current backlog of general plans to be developed for parks that currently lack a general plan or that have an existing general plan that is more than 25 years old and requires significant revision to address pressing public access and resource management issues.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 201, Sec. 10. (AB 2549) Effective January 1, 2017.)