(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon application by a city or county, the Director of Planning and Research shall grant a reasonable extension of time not to exceed two years from the date of issuance of the extension, for the preparation and adoption of all or part of the general plan, if the legislative body of the city or county, after a public hearing, makes any of the following findings:
(1) Data required for the general plan shall be provided by another agency and it has not yet been provided.
(2) In spite of sufficient budgetary provisions and substantial recruiting efforts, the city or county has not been able to obtain necessary staff or consultant assistance.
(3) A disaster has occurred requiring reassignment of staff for an extended period or requiring a complete reevaluation and revision of the general plan, or both.
(4) Local review procedures require an extended public review process that has resulted in delaying the decision by the legislative body.
(5) The city or county is jointly preparing all or part of the general plan with one or more other jurisdictions pursuant to an existing agreement and timetable for completion.
(6) Other reasons exist that justify the granting of an extension, so that the timely preparation and adoption of a general plan is promoted.
(b) The director shall not grant an extension of time for the preparation and adoption of a housing element except in the case of a newly incorporated city or newly formed county that cannot meet the deadline set by Section 65360. Before the director grants an extension of time pursuant to this subdivision, he or she shall consult with the Director of Housing and Community Development.
(c) The application for an extension shall contain all of the following:
(1) A resolution of the legislative body of the city or county adopted after public hearing setting forth in detail the reasons why the general plan was not previously adopted as required by law or needs to be revised, including one or more of the findings made by the legislative body pursuant to subdivision (a), and the amount of additional time necessary to complete the preparation and adoption of the general plan.
(2) A detailed budget and schedule for preparation and adoption of the general plan, including plans for citizen participation and expected interim action. The budget and schedule shall be of sufficient detail to allow the director to assess the progress of the applicant at regular intervals during the term of the extension. The schedule shall provide for adoption of a complete and adequate general plan within two years of the date of the application for the extension.
(3) A set of proposed policies and procedures which would ensure, during the extension of time granted pursuant to this section, that the land use proposed in an application for a subdivision, rezoning, use permit, variance, or building permit will be consistent with the general plan proposal being considered or studied.
(d) The director may impose any conditions on extensions of time granted that the director deems necessary to ensure compliance with the purposes and intent of this title. Those conditions shall apply only to those parts of the general plan for which the extension has been granted. In establishing those conditions, the director may adopt or modify and adopt any of the policies and procedures proposed by the city or county pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c).
(e) During the extension of time specified in this section, the city or county is not subject to the requirement that a complete and adequate general plan be adopted, or the requirements that it be adopted within a specific period of time. Development approvals shall be consistent with those portions of the general plan for which an extension has been granted, except as provided by the conditions imposed by the director pursuant to subdivision (d). Development approvals shall be consistent with any element or elements that have been adopted and for which an extension of time is not sought.
(f) If a city or county that is granted a time extension pursuant to this section determines that it cannot complete the elements of the general plan for which the extension has been granted within the prescribed time period, the city or county may request one additional extension of time, which shall not exceed one year, if the director determines that the city or county has made substantial progress toward the completion of the general plan. This subdivision shall not apply to an extension of time granted pursuant to subdivision (b).
(g) An extension of time granted pursuant to this section for the preparation and adoption of all or part of a city or county general plan is exempt from Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 872, Sec. 62. Effective January 1, 1997.)