Stop Wal-Mart Ontario!
Letters to the Editor
This page will display a sampling of letters sent to the editor of The Daily Bulletin.
Wal-Mart would have negative impact
Date: August 28, 2007
Author: Annette M. Crowe
Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
I am a member of Ontario Mountain Village Association. We are a group of residents who successfully worked with city staff and officials several years ago to deny a big-box store, Home Depot, from being built on Sixth Street and Mountain Avenue. This cooperative effort resulted in the approval of the Calthorpe plan, also know as the Mountain Village Specific Plan, consisting of a pedestrian-friendly development for Fifth and Mountain.
Needless to say, when we found out that the city was considering another big-box store to be built on Fifth and Mountain, we rallied together again to remind our officials of the agreed-upon plan for a neighborhood-friendly project at that location. Our membership grew, and we collected more than 2,500 signatures opposing this project.
We asked for a new environmental impact report (EIR) and after much debate the city agreed. When we received it last month we found it substantiated all of our concerns.
"If the city approves this Wal-Mart Supercenter it will have a significant adverse impact on our neighborhood."
If the city approves this Wal-Mart Supercenter it will have a significant adverse impact on our neighborhood.
We are not troublemakers. Let me describe the OMVA members. We consist of people of all ages; some of us have raised our children here and are retired, others are just starting their families here. Some of us are working, some have health issues, and we spend most days with children and grandchildren going to and from school and to the park. We spend time outdoors and we travel on our local neighborhood streets and major thoroughfares almost daily.
We should not be disrespected. Most of us have been active in Ontario with a true sense of community for many years. We know our mayor, City Council, city manager and staff on a first-name basis because we have worked with them in the past on many issues in order to make Ontario a better place to live, work and raise families. We represent a cross section of diversity in age, occupation, religion and ethnicity. Many of us are educators, counselors, engineers, nurses, business owners (many in Ontario), and parents. We have participated and contributed to community activities for many years, such as: Ontario Night Out, Chamber of Commerce, Christmas on Euclid, the YMCA, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, the Salvation Army and the July Fourth Parade, to name a few.
We should not be ignored. We certainly didn't ignore this community when we were called upon to serve. Our members belong to worthwhile community organizations such as Chaffey Alumni Association, Chaffey Restoration Committee, Seniors on Patrol, local school PTAs, school advisory councils and OPARC, and many are members of Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions and Soroptimists. Many of us have been volunteer coaches and commissioners for Little League, Pony League, Golden Girls, Pop Warner Football and other youth activities. We have worked on Parks and Recreation committees, Master Plan committees, the Library Board, Youth Accountability boards, city, county and state commissions, and several have been recognized for their outstanding contributions. Some of us have also served on local school boards and the Ontario City Council when the thought of receiving a stipend for the privilege of serving was unheard of.
We should not be denied access to our elected representatives. We have no financial or vested interests in this project. I guess that is why I was so stunned when Mayor Leon and Councilman Bowman flatly refused to meet with some of us individually. I never received any response from my request to meet with Council Members Anderson and Mautz. (Alan Wapner can't talk to us at all because he has a conflict of interest due to his involvement with Wal-Mart). I was hoping to share my concerns with them in a friendly, informal and relaxed environment, but because they won't talk to me I am forced to go to a public meeting and nervously state my opinion about this project in front of perhaps hundreds of people with a three-minute time limit.
We should not be avoided. Our interest in Ontario is that we will be negatively impacted by the Supercenter. We only ask for the same accessibility to our elected city officials as others have, such as the city manager, paid lobbyists, big developers, major car dealers, large hotel owners or any other individual with a financial interest in this city. Many of them don't even live here. We do.
Let's hope that they actually listen to what we are saying to them when we show up to give them our three minutes at a public meeting. I can't help but wonder, however, just how much time they have given Wal-Mart and city staff to present their views.
Annette M. Crowe is a resident of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Mountain Village Association.
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Recent Letter to the Editor
November 13, 2005
The Daily Bulletin
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 4000
Ontario, CA 91761
Consider quality of life in Wal-Mart project decision
The Ontario City Council will soon have to make another quality-of-life decision regarding allowing a “big box” store ( Wal-Mart super store ) to locate near a residential area where the great majority of residents are opposed to it.
This decision should be a simple one for even the City Council to reach. One need only look at the traffic up and down Mountain Avenue, as well as San Antonio Avenue and Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets and the east and west streets in between, to see that the added traffic to be generated by a Wal-Mart store would worsen congestion and further endanger school children walking to and from and being dropped off at Hawthorne and El Camino elementary schools.
It does not take an environmental impact study to recognize that allowing Wal-Mart in this location would be foolish. It only takes a minimal amount of common sense and a brief walk along the local streets to see just how foolish.
The question becomes does the City Council care enough to preserve the quality of life in the neighborhood or will the lure of the enhancement of Ontario’s tax base override quality-of-life considerations?
A couple of years ago, the residents of the area disagreed with plans to locate another big box – Home Depot at the corner of Sixth Street and Mountain Avenue.
After a great deal of effort on the part of local residents, the City Council voted not to allow Home Depot to locate at that site. The city seems to have survived that decision with no negative impact.
The precedent has been set and the reasons for not allowing Wal-Mart to locate at the proposed site, only a few blocks away, are the same.
What possible reason could the City Council have for denying Home Depot and allowing Wal-Mart ? Only the council and perhaps the city manager could know.
It should be noted that a Wal-Mart store already exists In Upland, only a short distance from the proposed site on Mountain Avenue. Would it remain open if the new super store is opened? If it is closed, the city Of Upland, badly in need of increased revenue, would lose revenue and suffer more hardship.
On the other hand, Ontario, “the economic engine of the County of San Bernardino” – as the Ontario City Council so proudly has boasted – increases its coffers even more.
Let's hope that greed – greed on the part of the city for increasing the tax base, greed on the part of the largest corporation in the United States to increase its already monumental revenues – will not be allowed at the expense of citizens and their quality of life.
Costs to residents will be loss of value of property, daily traffic, noise during the day and night and the increased threat of serious injury to school children each and every school day.
None of these costs will be borne by the City Council as a body or individually. Will they care? Let us hope that the council will do the right thing and support quality-of-life issues.
If Ontario must have Wal-Mart in its midst, why not consider locating it in the decaying downtown where it would serve as magnet and generator for other businesses to locate?
If the City Council votes to allow the Wal-Mart location to happen, they are remiss in their duties and should be voted out of office at the earliest possible time.
- DEL K. MAPLE, Ontario
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Other Letters to the Editor
January 1, 2005
The Daily Bulletin
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 4000
Ontario, CA 91761
Dear Editor:
This letter is in response to the inquiry from a San Dimas resident who wanted to know who the opponents are of the proposed Wal-Mart Superstore in Northwest Ontario. I am an opponent of this project. Let me introduce myself. I am a business owner who is not at risk of being run out by Wal-Mart. I have been honored by the City of Ontario, The Board of Supervisors and State Senate for my leadership and service to my community. I have never asked for a favor or special treatment by City Officials. I live miles away from the proposed project. I do not belong to a union nor do I represent their interests.
My agenda is not hidden, as was suggested by the San Dimas resident. As a matter of fact he stated my agenda rather clearly:
- Traffic consisting of cars and tractor trailer rigs will be a hazard to our children.
- There are serious safety concerns regarding having this type of development within feet from two well used parks, two elementary schools, family apartments, and churches.
- Big rigs will be making deliveries on a narrow street directly across from a busy park entrance.
- Lights and trash from a development of this type will negatively impact the residents who live within feet of this proposal, not to mention loss of property value to nearby homeowners.
For the San Dimas resident's information, the old Target Center WAS a problem. As a Soccer Commissioner and School Board member, we were concerned for many years regarding the safety issues this store created particularly on 5th Street. I spoke to City officials on many occasions and we discussed ways to mediate this problem. Before we could find a satisfactory solution to our concerns The Target Center moved to Montclair. Now it is time for Ontario to revisit the vision of the Calithorpe plan for this area. We need to have a new study, a new EIR (Environmental Impact Report) and a serious discussion about a revised Specific Site Plan.
Now that I have stated my agenda I would like to know what Mr. San Dimas's agenda is. If he would like a Superstore Wal-Mart in his neighborhood I suggest that he contact Alan Wapner, one of our City Councilmen. Mr. Wapner is a consultant for Wal-Mart and perhaps he can advise the San Dimas resident on ways to bring a Wal-Mart Superstore to his San Dimas neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Judy Briggs
Ontario, California 91762
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December 2, 2004
The Daily Bulletin
Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 4000
Ontario, CA 91761
We would like to clarify any misunderstanding with regard to our concerns about the Super 24-hour Wal-Mart that has been proposed for the Mountain Village Complex in North West Ontario. First of all, we have nothing against the Wal-Mart company. It would be wonderful to have one in the right location. Our concern is that it is not appropriate for any store of that size to be placed in a well-established, quiet residential area.
- The primary issue is the increase in traffic that will be generated on Mountain Avenue and all of the cross streets, as well as neighboring north and south streets. Already there are serious issues with the traffic flow which frequently is absolutely dead-stop grid locked between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
- We are concerned about the safety of our children, especially with huge semi trucks on Fifth Street at Anthony Munoz Soccer Park, already a hazardous crossing for the kids. The intersection of Fifth and Mountain has been the scene of numerous traffic accidents.
- We feel the gridlock generated by the increase in volume of traffic on this highly traveled, major artery will hamper access for emergency and law enforcement vehicles.
- Monstrous traffic, bright lights and high volumes of noise might be tolerated during normal business hours, but is not acceptable twenty four hours a day.
We also would like to see the "Ghost town" look on the current site go away. But we don't believe a 24-hour Superstore is the right answer.
Sincerely,
Kathy Briggs
Pat Haderer
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