On September 11, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that citizens in Ontario, California were battling a Wal-Mart supercenter. There are 19 Wal-Marts within 20 miles of Ontario, including a supercenter 6 miles away in Chino. Ontario calls itself the “gateway to Southern California.” The city is located 35 miles east of Los Angeles, and has a population of roughly 173,000 people. A Wal-Mart supercenter was proposed for Mountain Avenue and Fifth Street. The project was approved by the Ontario Planning Commission on August 30, 2007, but a group called the Ontario Mountain Village Association filed an appeal to overturn the Planning Board vote at the city council. The group was represented by Attorney Cory Briggs of San Diego. Their appeal charged that Wal-Mart’s environmental impact report did not adequately describe the project and all of its environmental impacts, and was based on outdated or incorrect information and lacked sufficient evidence. The residents claimed that the city did not come up with sufficient “findings” to show that the positives outweigh the negatives of the project. The proposal was also inconsistent with the city’s General Plan for land use. The group challenged the development plan and the granting of a conditional use permit. The appeal also charged that the city had a financial interest in the project and the applicant, therefore any favorable decision would be a conflict of interest. “We think the severity of the traffic and air-quality impacts have been understated,” Briggs told the newspaper. “As bad as they were reported in the Environmental Impact Report, we think they’re even worse. They’re still trying to put lipstick on a pig.” In November of 2007, the Ontario City Council kissed the pig, giving Wal-Mart a unanimous 4-to-0 vote of support. That vote led to a courtroom — not a ribbon-cutting. Residents appealed to Superior Court. This week, two a half years since our last report, there is still no supercenter in Ontario. The Ontario Mountain Village Association is still fighting it off. The Daily Bulletin reports that residents paid a visit to the City Council last week, asking for “better dialogue” on the project. “You cut us off and refused to meet with us, you only have one side of the story,” said Association member Judy Briggs, who is the mother of the lawyer representing the group. The Association reminded the Council that last July, when their appeal went to court, the Superior Court Judge ruled that the environmental impact report was adequate — but he asked the city to come up with a supplemental traffic safety report — a study which has not been done. The Association urged the City Council to get that study done, and give the public 45 days to comment on it. Neighbors also want the site cleaned up where Wal-Mart wants to locate. There are three empty retail stores there: a Target, Toys “R” Us and Food 4 Less — all stores that have been hurt by the recession and competition from Wal-Mart. “We are looking for a better way of life and this is why we are fighting to keep the 24-hour Wal-Mart out of Mountain and Fifth Avenue,” one resident told the Bulletin. One of the new city councilors who has not voted on the Wal-Mart project, told residents she was concerned about the health impacts of the store and the financial impacts on the local economy. Councilor Debra Dorst-Porada said the Wal-Mart Supercenter could end up causing the nearby Albertsons grocery store in the nearby Ontario Plaza to close. Ontario Mayor Paul Leon asked the city’s lawyer at one point in the discussion, “Have we passed the point of no return?”
In fact, the City Council could changet its vote, since all the studies and facts are not in on this project. Over time, as elections have changed the composition of the Council, it appears that support for the superstore may be waning. One city councilor said last week that his supportive vote three years ago was based on what information he had at the time. “I would suggest at some point to consider the project,” he told the audience. Council Dorst-Porada, was quoted by The Bulletin as saying, “The Mountain Village Association graciously has said they would be fine with a Wal-Mart as long as it didn’t have a supermarket. They’re willing to compromise. I hope Wal-Mart takes it to heart. I hope Wal-Mart comes in and negotiates with residents and comes up with something we can all be proud of.” Readers are urged to contact Ontario Mayor Paul Leon at (909) 395-2011. Tell the Mayor: “You have not passed the point of no return on the Wal-Mart project. What might have seemed like a good idea three years ago, can be rejected now. Once your traffic study is done, the Council can consider a motion to deny the project, or dramatically scale it back to lessen its impacts. The neighbors will continue to push back on this project, the Wal-Mart site is a mess, and the project is simply not compatible with surrounding residential uses. I urge you to return to this issue, and vote it down.”