Diamond Bar : Opposition to General Plan

Leaders of a group that opposes the city’s first General Plan as pro-development said they will file petitions this week to force a referendum on the guide to the city’s growth and development.

About 60 volunteers, working since the plan was adopted July 14, had gathered 2,320 of the necessary 2,480 signatures by last week, said referendum organizer Max Maxwell. He said the petitions will be filed ahead of the Wednesday deadline to qualify the measure.

If enough valid signatures are presented, the City Council would have to place the referendum on a ballot or repeal the General Plan. The referendum could not be decided in the November general election because the filing period has passed. The next regularly scheduled election would be in June, although the council could call a special election. If repealed, the plan would again go through an approval process, a procedure that took three years the first time.

The petitioners contend that the City Council rejected many suggestions of a citizens advisory committee and as a consequence the plan does not do enough to preserve Tonner Canyon, a largely undeveloped area partially within the city.

“On the whole, the council’s version is a developer’s delight,” said opponent Clair W. Harmony. “Many of the open-space designations were eliminated without alternate protections. A roadway, called a ‘transportation corridor,’ was reaffirmed in line with the council’s agreement with San Bernardino County for a mutually funded Tonner Canyon expressway. Special hillside zoning was eliminated in favor of heavier density.”

The plan allows open space, recreational and agricultural uses in Tonner Canyon, and contains canyon preservation measures. But that’s not enough, said Don Schad, a former member of the citizens advisory committee. “We want a term that says ‘absolutely no development.’ ”