Pomona approves new general plan for future…
Pomona approves new general plan for future development
By Monica Rodriguez | morodriguez@scng.com | Daily Bulletin
POMONA >> City Council members early Tuesday approved a series of documents designed to set a vision for future development in the city.
Council members unanimously approved a General Plan amendment, a Corridors Specific Plan, an Active Transportation Plan, a Green Plan and an environmental impact study.
The council gave preliminary approval to a change of zone document.
The General Plan provides guidelines for the city's future development and the Corridor Specific Plan provides details for the implementation of the guidelines along Garey and Holt avenues and Foothill and Mission boulevards.
The Active Transportation Plan provides direction for creating an environment for a more friendly walking and bicycling environment, a city staff report said.
For its part, the Green Plan is meant to guide the city to becoming more environmentally sustainable, the staff report said.
The last time the city's General Plan was updated was in 1976 and updating the document was a process that began in 2003.
Resident Carol Schlaepfer asked council members to postpone making any decision in order to give Pomona residents time to learn about the plans and the details.
"We are not reacting to wider community," she said.
Resident Jan Reed said she thought the plan needed to be amended because "it shows lots of high density housing" that would be occupied by low income residents.
Jason Brooks said he and his family, who are property owners in the city, had concerns about the prospect of having more high density housing in the city and about the need for having sufficient parking for those new housing units.
Council members should not loosen parking standards for future developments.
"Tenants are not asking for fewer parking spaces," he said.
He also calls for building more single family homes that accommodate families with children.
"Are children no longer welcome in the city?" he asked.
Among those who addressed the council were cyclists, many of them members of the Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition, who spoke in support of the Active Transportation Plan.
Coalition member Cynthia Carter said having bike routes and features that allow residents to feel safe sharing the road with vehicles will be good for the city overall.
"When more people get out of their cars and the city become more walkable," she said, "the city of Pomona will become a safer community."
A number of cyclists said they use bicycles to travel to and from classes at Cal Poly Pomona and some said they've nearly been hit by cars while they rode their bikes.
Daniela Alcedo, chairwoman of the Coalition, said the council should move swiftly and apply for grants available to carry out bike route-related projects.
"There is money out there and I want the city to go out there and get it," she said.
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Monica Rodriguez covers Pomona for the Daily Bulletin.
Follow Monica Rodriguez	@PomonaNow