General Plan

The City of Bell current General Plan(PDF, 7MB) is a document which functions as a framework to guide the City's future growth and development plans.

The State’s planning law has placed the General Plan atop the hierarchy of local government laws that regulate land use and development. These same laws have emphasized that a general plan is the constitution of that city in terms of land use and development. The City of Bell General Plan was last updated in the mid-1990s.

The City of Bell consists of two district geographic areas that are connected by the Los Angeles River and the Long Beach Freeway. The southerly portion of the City is commonly referred to as the Central City, which includes the residential neighborhoods and the main commercial areas. The Central City area is bounded by Randolph Street on the north and Florence Avenue on the south. The second portion of the City is located to the north of the Central City area and east of the Los Angeles River and the Long Beach Freeway. This area is largely industrial in character and is referred to as the Cheli area. The development found in the Cheli area consists of industrial and warehousing uses. The City of Bell has a total land area of 2.81 square miles. As indicated previously, the City's population, according to the most recent (January 2015) State of California estimates was 36,135 persons.

Currently, the City is undergoing a process to update the General Plan including the development of a master plan within the Mobility Element that pertains to Bicycle mobility within the City of Bell. This Bell General Plan and Bicycle Master Plan will be completed in mid-2016 and will serve the City well into the next decade.

For more information regarding the General Plan update or the Bicycle Master Plan, please visit the General Plan Update page.

If you have any questions related to the General Plan and or the update, please contact the Community Development Department at (323) 588-6211 during City business hours or you can reach the Planning Division at extension 2609.