Cedar Glen Wildfire Recovery Gets $10-Million County Boost

At a time when residents in Cedar Glen, a mountain community devastated by the 2003 wildfires, are growing frustrated with sluggish efforts to rebuild, San Bernardino County supervisors approved a $10-million loan for paving roads, upgrading water service and aiding businesses.

The 4-0 vote Tuesday came after delays and an attempt to slash funding to $2.4 million.

“We’ve been waiting two years,” resident Coral Grimwood, who lost two homes in the fire, told the supervisors. “When are we getting this show on the road? I hope it’s now.”

The $10 million would come from the county’s general fund, and the Cedar Glen redevelopment agency would repay it with a portion of residents’ property taxes over a decade.

In addition to the loan, the board accepted an environmental impact report on the proposed infrastructure improvements, a 10-year housing plan for low- to moderate-income residents and an economic study that suggests ways to jump-start business, such as adding parking and streetlights and eventually rerouting traffic.

Cedar Glen is a vacation community turned residential hamlet where nearly 350 homes were destroyed in 2003. Officials criticized the design of the community, where roads lacked fire hydrants and were too narrow for firetrucks to squeeze through.

Just 11 homes have been rebuilt, and a handful of others are under construction, officials said, despite the county waiving building permit fees for affected homeowners.

Last year, in an unusual move, the board approved creating an 837-acre redevelopment area. Redevelopment areas are usually blighted urban pockets. Residents resisted the proposal, since it allows the county to condemn private property.

In November, the redevelopment agency asked the county for the $10-million loan, mainly to shore up Cedar Glen’s pipes, wells, reservoirs and roads, including building a looped road that would act as a second evacuation route. The redevelopment agency would repay the county within a decade. The board repeatedly delayed acting on the request.

Redevelopment officials said approval of the loan was urgent because Cedar Glen needed better road and water service before property owners could rebuild -- and many had little time left to collect insurance money.

“People are not only getting frustrated ... they’re falling off,” said Kevin Ryan, a business consultant and member of a residents’ committee that advises the county. “The delay is an additional hardship on top of losing their homes.”

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, the loan was cut from $10 million to $2.4 million.

“I think the board was concerned about making a loan and losing control,” said Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, who represents Cedar Glen.

During a break in a marathon meeting, Hansberger said he and Board Chairman Bill Postmus hashed out a new plan.

The board would allot the agency $2.4 million but tuck away $7.6 million for the redevelopment agency to spend in three increments, which would each require board approval. Supervisors were handed the new item just before voting on it.

Supervisor Paul Biane left the meeting before the vote, saying he supported the item but was concerned about rebuilding mountain areas prone to natural disasters such as Cedar Glen.

“I’m just glad Florida’s not in my district,” Hansberger replied.