GT: Green? Sustainable? and Ag Overlay

The City of Grand Terrace going Green as reported in the
Grand Terrace City News has some major problems,
if not down right misrepresentations.

First of all going Green and handing out a few light bulbs and having a couple of city owned buildings built more energy efficient does not add up to being a Green City. The City does not allow people to get off the grid. If you are not connected to the SCE your house can’t be occupied. If you are not connected to the gas company your house can’t be occupied. Are there alternatives to these utilities? Yes. Even water and sewage treatment alternatives can be implemented to be truly green. However, the City of Grand Terrace does not allow by code Wind Mills, Full Photo Voltaic Solar Cells on Roofs (PV Systems shall not be seen from the street.) Building materials and code will not allow more efficient materials such as straw bail houses. Try going off all the “Utilities” and you will be in violation of numerous City Codes.

A Green City should have all codes open to the use and promotion of all alternatives that not only reduce the need for the use of carbon based fuels and excessive water use. The City of Grand Terrace is not a Green City unless you are talking about the Green Realtors stick in their pockets every time a house is sold, and re-sold.

The term Sustainable Community is also misused in the Grand Terrace City News. A Sustainable Community would be able to sustain its self within its own resources. That means, there needs to be housing, jobs, and production all within the city limits. While there would be production of some sort for trade with neighboring communities a Sustainable Community can and should be able to support its entire community in all aspects of its needs, natural and nurture.

This brings me to the recent discussion of property zoning and land use in Grand Terrace. Once upon a time there were a few pigs, cows, horses, chickens, goats in Grand Terrace. Now there may be a few goats here and there… However, in spite of the “Agricultural Overlay” zoning on the east end of town and in the flood area the city staff and I dare say much of the City Council have a dismay for Farming, be it of the livestock nature or crops in the ground or groves. Some of the Agriculture Overlay Area is required by State Law and due to the existence of the Gage Canal which runs through town. Other areas or bits of land here and there were allowed to continue Agriculture use in spite of the zoning being changed by the City Manager. If the owners of this land stop the agricultural activity they may be stopped from restarting it, even if the property remains in the same ownership.

So as the City is rethinking its General Plan… and Land Use or Zoning we should think what would we do if the Economy Crashes, Stater Brothers closes, or the cost of delivering food becomes prohibitive. Are we sustainable? Or, are we doing everything possible to become incapable of being self sustaining? We may not ever be truly self sustaining as a community, but there is a lot of room to improve our Sustainable Status. Part of that should be a small number of livestock, and farms, and fruit producing trees and plants. Watering ornamentals is fine in a limited expression of aesthetics, but it is wasteful of time and resources.

From the Email InBox:

Agricultural Overlays At the September meeting of the G.T. Planning

Commission the subject of where to place agricultural overlays will be discussed. An agricultural overlay is just one of those ways in which the city land management is making convenient for residents to do what they have done over a goodly period of years, and not be taken to task for it. Two groups of persons have already come forth and asked that they be zoned or included into any new legislation which legalizes what they are already doing.

Much of the talk about an agricultural overlay is obsolete, or based upon a carryover from the days of the management by the County of San Bernardino. It is a paper means of support for owning and maintaining a few farm bred animals. If you own a horse, goat or whatever, be sure to be heard, otherwise your neighbors will be able to team up against you and get them out. Do you own a lot of cats and dogs? The operation of too many animals, like at a kennel, can also be discussed as applicable.

And thus the question is being asked. Do you want your area included or not?

A NO will not take them away, but may mean your property will essentially be the last use and demonstration of such. Once they die off or you move away, no more animals will be permitted on that parcel. A YES will tell everyone, that your neighbors may also now own several, even if they did not in the past. So it is sort of a loaded question which you need to discuss with your neighbor as depending upon each case it may lower of raise the desirability of your property in the future.. Several horse owners on the east side of town have already stated they too now want to be legal, but do the remainder of the residents want this also? Shall we become the Norco of San Bernardino County or the San Marino of San Bernardino County?