After getting AG’s nod, framework to go to council
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Created: 01/03/2010 09:09:40 PM PST
ONTARIO – Nearly six months ago, the city was ready to put the finishing touches on its revised General Plan.
But rather than sending it to the state for approval, the Planning Department opted to send two portions – the environmental report and the policy plan – of the document to the Attorney General’s Office for review.
“We thought we did a good job, although we didn’t want to be sued,” said city Planning Director Jerry Blum.
The Attorney General’s Office has sued cities over their general plans because of the negative impacts to the residents, Blum said.
Now, after receiving a favorable review of the plan from the Attorney General’s Office, city officials are ready to submit the plan to the City Council late this month or in early February.
The revised General Plan is included in the Web-based “Ontario Plan: A Framework for the Future,” which provides a 20-year outlook of the city.
The policy plan portion includes land use, mobility, community design, economics, environmental impact, safety, social resources, housing as well as parks and recreation. It’s the de facto General Plan.
The environmental report outlines any impacts created in the city as a result of the plan.
The move added several months to the revised General Plan process, but city officials are confident it will now meet the state attorney general’s standards.
“We could have approved it, but it would have still been subject to the attorney general, so it didn’t make any sense,” Councilman Alan Wapner said.
Initially, the Attorney General’s Office said the environmental review was “woefully lacking” impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, Blum said.
The city had to improve its Climate Action Plan, which outlines what the city will do to help reduce its carbon footprint, Blum said.
It also sets the standards for what the city will require of future business developments, he said.
The new Climate Action Plan will require cool rooftops and pavements, energy-efficient buildings and more trees.
The plan must be rolled out within 18 months of the General Plan’s approval, Blum said.
The changes meant the city had to repeat some steps such as opening the public review period for the environmental report, Blum said.
Now the plan is expected to go to the council early next year for approval, Blum said.
While the back-and-forth discussion with the Attorney’s General’s Office may have added several months to the process, Blum said it was necessary.
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I’ll bet Wapner has his fingers crossed behind his back when he is indicating that “we’re not omitting or hiding anything from them”, referring to the AG’s office. This would be a first, and I venture to say since Ontario is known for being “woefully inadequate” in adhering to legal requirements, it won’t be the last time he begs the AG to JUST TRUST ME, I’m retired law enforcement, I’d never tell a lie, I just have the Devil do it! P.S. Alan, thought you have a conflict with WMC for the proposed supercenter on Mountain Ave., but you acted on the project anyway… does the AG know about that one? When are you going to loose that excuse that “the Devil made me do it”? You had better be careful or he might end up over at County Gov’t. Ctr. helping his good friend Gary O. try and keep his head above water. What do they say about rats on a sinking ship and which one between the USS SBCo. or the USS Ontario will become submerged first under the murky local government financial waters?