What should be included in Rancho Cucamongas new general plan?
One of the major objectives of a revamped general plan for Rancho Cucamonga is for the city to become the cultural and economic hub of the Inland Empire, a tough task for the sprawling, foothill city still searching for a true downtown and an active public art program. Public art installations and performing arts shows, however, along with mixed-use development that combines retail and multi-family residential within walkable thoroughfares are indeed part of a just-released draft general plan update, setting the stage for what the city will look like in the next several decades. The Inland Empire really doesnt have a center. A lot of residents have expressed a desire to make Rancho Cucamonga that hub, said Vince Acuna, associate planner, during a webinar attended by a handful of residents on Tuesday, July 6. Victoria Gardens, an outdoor mall with quaint streets, shops, restaurants and housing may come closest to a city downtown, said Acuna. The general plan re-do wants to create more destinations, such as smaller neighborhood plazas, and more art and entertainment. Weve gotten comments from people who say Rancho Cucamonga lacks a real downtown, Acuna explained during the webinar. Victoria Gardens functions like that, but it is still an outdoor mall.  Along Foothill Boulevard, the plan calls for mixed-use projects with high-density residential and street-level commercial, a side access roadway for vehicles and bike lanes along with a pedestrian walkway. Think of Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Acuna said, comparing a future Foothill Boulevard to the main features in a redeveloped Old Pasadena that is dotted with shops, restaurants with sidewalk dining and diagonal street crossings that make it easier for pedestrians to reach both sides of the boulevard by foot. Along Haven Avenue, the general plan encourages job centers and clustered, multi-story housing. The city received a Regional Housing Needs Assessment from state and regional planning agencies which says the city should accommodate the addition of 10,525 residential units by 2029. The plan says many are already planned as part of future housing projects, leaving a remainder of 5,280  mostly lower-income units. Certain major streets or corridors are planned for infill development. The city center areas would accommodate residential densities between 40 and 100 dwelling units per acre, the highest level in the plan. Single-family neighborhoods with detached homes would top out at six units per acre. We are not just looking at a map of the city and scattering density everywhere, Acuna assured. That is why most changes will occur along Foothill and Haven  not in single-family neighborhoods.Also, more entertainment is envisioned from the newer Haven City Market. At Victoria Gardens, emphasis on the performing arts would be accomplished by re-starting the Lewis Family Playhouse at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, dark during the COVID-19 pandemic. The citys public arts fee program requires developments over a certain size to install public art at the development site or pay an in-lieu fee to the city, Acuna explained. Steve Thomas, a city resident and board member of the San Bernardino County Arts Foundation, said hed like to see a full-fledged arts gallery in the city. I see a need for more people being involved in the arts, he said during the webinar. Over the past 16 months, the process has generated 2,000 community participants, 10,000 website views, 675,000 social media impressions and 2,000 survey responses, Acuna reported. The draft was released May 25 and updated on June 16, 2021. Residents can read the draft general plan at www.cityofrc.us/GeneralPlan. Comments can be made through July 18. Surveys are also available on the website. The city will offer the following webinars: 9 a.m. Saturday, July 10; 6 p.m. Monday, July 12; 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 13. Go to www.cityofrc.us and click on General Plan Update for more information on how to register. To speak with a city planner, call 909-477-2750 or email GeneralPlan@CityofRC.us.