Pomona : Rental Unit Moratorium

Concerned that low-quality apartment projects may be causing many of the city’s neighborhood problems, the Pomona City Council has imposed a 45-day moratorium on the construction of residential rental units. The ban, which comes just one week after the council voted unanimously to prohibit commercial development along the South Garey Avenue corridor until June, 1987, was passed by emergency ordinance on Monday and took effect immediately.

City officials said the moratorium would give the Planning Commission time to study stricter standards for the construction of multifamily housing and to recommend changes in the general plan that would restrict apartment construction to certain multifamily districts. Councilwoman Donna Smith, who had asked that the city consider the ban, said that any new construction standards should include items that would assist the Police and Fire Departments, such as mandatory security gates, permanent lighting and smoke detectors.