High Sierra Rural Alliance v. Cnty. of Plumas

*106 Encompassing more than 1.67 million acres, Plumas County (County) is geographically *878 large. As a matter of population, however, the County is small - with only 20,007 residents. The County's population actually shrank during the decade between 2000 and 2010, when it experienced a net loss of 817 residents. Little future population growth is expected. The California Department of Finance has estimated the County's population will remain under 21,000 until 2025, at which point the population is expected to *107 decline . This minimal expected population growth serves as a backdrop to the County's multi-year process of preparing a general plan update and accompanying environmental impact report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act ( Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq. ) (CEQA).

The general plan update and final EIR were adopted by the County's board of supervisors (Board) in December 2013. The general plan update expressed the aim of focusing new population growth and housing construction to that within "planning areas" in order to preclude urban sprawl and degradation of natural resources. Outside of the planning areas, the County's general plan update…