Today, I had an interesting conversation with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. It seems that 29 has a short history with this office. 29 Palms filed its first “General Plan” in 2000. This GP consisted of only the housing element. The other 6 elements came in piecemeal over the following 4 years. 2002-Parks and Recreation, Open Space, Conservation, Safety and Noise, and Land Use and Circulation followed in 2004. Our original General Plan is only 7 years old. Then why did we need to spend 1.5 million dollars which was allocated during the ’08-’09 budget as stated in the ’09 fiscal report? I asked on average, how often did cities normally update. I was told that it varied, usually 15 years, however, LA has not updated their GP since the 70′s. I asked why would a city do an overhaul of a GP so soon, he said usually it is because the city has a project or projects that the old plan won’t allow, so a new plan is developed to accommodate these projects.
But it was my 2nd conversation with Hogle-Ireland that was both informative and interesting. I asked a manager that works with 29, why would 29 need to completely redo the city’s general plan, when it wasn’t that old. He said that the city wanted the Land Use element to have a comprehensive review and decided to review the entire plan. I expressed my concern with how long the GPAC was taking to complete just one element, Land Use, he chuckled, and said well,” if you have lived in 29 for very long , you know Jay Corbin.” He said the GPAC was just supposed to review the goals and policies and make suggestions.
He said he had worked with Jay Corbin on the 2000-2004 general plan. He felt maybe Jay was taking this long probably because Jay had written the original policies. He said normally it is the role of the consulting agency to oversee, make suggestions, and keep the meetings moving, but he said that they had not been asked back since September – October. I asked him, after all this time and money what had changed, he replied, “VERY LITTLE.” I asked him what elements did he see the most change in? He said the land use element. He explained that 320 acres had been added on Amboy road for industrial use and residential land use had been reduced. I told him that sounded like a town that was planning to stay small and not encourage growth of any kind. He stated that everyone knew that 29 wanted to stay a small town.
Are you connecting the dots? It appears that a part of Jay Corbin’s hidden agenda has been exposed. Doesn’t this offer one explanation for dragging out the GPAC? This makes the Corbin-Flanagan-Smith led GPAC a little smelly wouldn’t you say? I think the following excerpts explain Corbin’s reluctance to a downtown sewer system. It would be too enticing to economic growth. This general plan is a vision for the next 30 years, so I guess someone is confident and happy with it.
I revisited the General Plan Update site and re-read the elements. They have combined conservation with open space and have totally rewritten what the open space element is about. It now reads as their creed, instead of being used as intended by the law. For example,
Open-space element: details plans and measures for preserving open-space for natural resources, outdoor recreation, public health and safety, and for agriculture. (www.opr.ca.gov/plan)
29 Palms:General Plan- Twentynine Palms has decided its interests are best served by preparing an optional element dealing with recreation. This relieves the City of the need to incorporate discussion of recreation issues within the Open SpaceElement, leaving the Open Space Element to discuss primarily natural resources.
The good hard workers on the GPAC have been duped. We the people have been denied our vision of the future of 29, jobs for our young people, other than slinging hamburgers,are at a serious risk, but we have supplied them with bars, tattoo shops, and a smoke shop.
Enjoy the next 30 years.
29′s General Plan is to Generally Plan to Thwart Growth,
So what you are saying is the “Good Old Greens” have once again put a turd in the Christmas Pudding?
Industrial zoning might bring industry. Housing will bring “greenies”.
Thanks Cora, citizens with prowess such as you is what 29 needs for 29 to be able to offer future generations the opportunity we had before we became a city. 1.5 million down the drain. Thanks again for informing the citizens.
Its $1.5 Million down the drain as long as Corbin is in charge.
Dear Mark and Cora,
The “Old General Plan” was not a very good document. As Cora pointed out it was put together in pieces – therefore it had very little alignment within itself. It was a 5 year project – not a good way to put together a General Plan. Plus it never had an EIR which is so very important.
This New General Plan also includes a total rewrite of the Development Code. Now people often inter-mingle the two documents but they are very different in their purpose.
This expenditure of 1.5 Million for two documents was and is not a waste of money because of this: for the first time the city of 29 Palms will have a General Plan and a Development Code that are “ours”. Not a piecemeal, patchwork of what other cities had and we copied word for word.
I’m sure there will be those that disagree and that is fine. However, the city is about to have a document that will be worth the effort and the cost.
Just my 2 cents.
Just remember the old general plan (which was and is a piece of shit) was the product of Jerry Jay Corbin. It took F I V E Years to not even complete. It had no basis of logic and no Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
To add insult to injury Corbin over the years created a huge Development Code that both restricted growth for the many and yet allowed unfettered growth for the chosen few, this by Corbin’s own interpretations of his own unintelligible document.
Trust me, we need a new General Plan and Development Code if not for the simple reason of continuity but for having a document that makes sense to the average man and woman that has to be guided by it.
The present General Plan and Development Code is a complete and total Fuster Cluck.
Steve,
You know you have my respect and I can understand why having “our” plan would be a sense of pride for Twentynine. We all want to see Twentynine have a codified document that will guide the decisions of Twentynine Palms. It would be the ultimate goal to see that the employees that are responsible for implementing the development code will learn it and apply it equally to all who live and work in Twentynine. Looking through the draft online, it seems that Hogle Ireland did their job. Although, they claim not much has changed, so an arguement could be made that if the old plan wasn’t good, then this one would also not be good…My main concern is the over emphasis on the conservation-open space’s environmental side, while ignoring the recreation aspect and no the “optional Recreation” does not address all the subject matter in the guidelines for open space. However, due to the GPAC’s lack of progress, the other 6 elements won’t be addressed by the committe representing the public, anyway. I also think there is a problem on the GPAC with an over abundance of environmental enthusiast, so really not all citizens are being represented in this document.
I have heard time and time again that the city council wants the city to grow economically, but actions speak louder than words. This GP is designed to stunt both economic and recreational activities. I think in your hearts, you had the right idea. We do need a “living” document that guides this city, we have relied on the self indulgence and whims of the elite few for far too long. However, how does this “our” document promote growth economically, educationally, and recreationally? What will be different, Steve? Just because most want a small town, shouldn’t mean that we should get a bassakward town. I do hope you are right, Steve.
Hi Cora,
I am probably a little biased towards the new General Plan in that it was my platform for re-election in 2006.
I disagree with H&I on their statement that this Plan is not much different than the original. There are some pretty big changes in the Land Use Element.
The GPAC is just what its name states – it is a General Plan ADVISORY Committee. There is no requirement for the Council to agree with what the GPAC has done or has failed to do. There have been surveys taken and on-line polls. There are many sources of information that H&I has used to create this new plan. The GPAC is but a wheel in the rather large machine that is moving forward. The GPAC has failed to do their job even after promises that it would after the extension was granted.
It will be up to the new Council to provide some stiff leadership right off the bat.
I really doubt that a majority of the Council will allow another continuance and I also doubt that a majority of the Council will throw this project into the trash can.
Also, Cora – a city can only do a finite number a General Plan amendments in a given time period. I can remember us putting projects off until a new year started so we could do amendments after doing the maximum number of amendments the prior year.
We need this new Plan – but again I’m biased.
P.S. that long line of cars was a combination of The Marine Base, and 29, and Wonder Valley, and Joshua Tree, and just plain people driving West, getting caught up in that horrendous crash on the I-10
It is a lot of money ($1,500,000.00)that will be needed in the not so distant future. If I remember there was a housing bubble and the stated necessity for a new GP was the concern with the build out numbers. In hindsight it seems a little silly. During the bubble many cities seen their revenue balloon and spent like there was no end, giving staff ludicrous salaries and pensions. Many good people jumped on the spend wagon I guess they thought they were doing it for our kids. Good intentions but wrong.
Mark,
The city has a very sufficient reserve that should see us through any further tough times. Remember, during the last 8 years the city has always ran in the black and put money into the reserve – there has never been a negative year.
Mark, the city needed a new plan – I understand you disagree but lets keep apple and oranges in their respective baskets.
No inordinate pay raises were provided in 29 Palms.
As for the build out number your right. However, the concern has proven to be true. The majority of people in 29 do not want to be another Yucca.
We also wanted our land use map to reflect the reality of what can be built where as oppossed to the old map that showed what you could buy in the hopes you could build on it. Turns out that old map showed investors things that were not accurate.
I for one would rather have a map that protects the investor from buying land that he can not build on unless he wishes to expend many more dollars than he thought he would.
I wish you all good luck.
Steve,
I am sure the land map could have been “updated” to reflect an accurate and honest property document and maybe in some instances the problems with the investment property could be taken care of or just honestly reported to the investor. The people behind the maps should be honest. And you are right, we don’t want to be a Yucca, but obviously most of us go there. Driving home from Yucca Wed. night around 5:30 pm, there was a line of autos going West as far as the eye could see, when I passed by Lear and looked North, autos as far as the eye could see…with one thing in common, all leaving Twentynine Palms.
I’d rather see 29 as another Yucca than having to drive to Yucca to do my business or shopping. I guess nobody wants retail shopping, but they are okay with the bars, tattoo shops, Thai Massage parlors (with happy endings, I may add), barbershops and storage units. Something is wrong with this picture. I am sure, eventually, that my husband and I will be the next ones leaving 29…for good!
On the other hand, KactusKkooler, what do you have against ‘happy endings’?
The Marines could argue that there are too many churches in 29 and not enough for them to do. After all, there are over 20,000 Marines, Navy and other personnel on base. When Marines returns from a 12 month rotation in the mountains of Afghanistan, maybe these massage parlors aren’t so bad after all.
Out of all the towns I have ever lived in, 29 Palms is the only town that can’t get it’s shit together. Never in my life have I ever heard of all the wonderful things that are coming to 29 Palms and years later, it’s worse. Face it. Some people in this town gripe about retail stores coming to town, yet they have a blind eye to all the crap coming in instead. I am willing to bet that 30 years from now, 29 Palms will be just like it is, yet it will be filled with even more bars, tattoo shops, bars, tattoo shops, barber shops, massage parlors, more massage parlors and barber shops. Maybe the new logo should be ’29 Palms: The toilet In Need Of A Royal Flush’. lol
On the other hand a person could argue that there is not enough entertainment for our Patriotic Fighting Men in this town.
They are forced to travel to Palm Springs or further, where many times they put their lives at more risk on Hwy 62 that “Highway of death.”
lets have a beer one day soon, as for the 9.8 mil reserve Mike Tree could not tell me where the funds were, It kind of reminded me of don’t ask, and don’t tell. I wish there was more light on the subject. One day maybe we can come into the 21st century and have city finance on the web for all to monitor.
Lets not take tax dollars to make it easier for investors, or manipulate property values in favor of the old boy clique. Let the market work.
There is a chance that 1.5 mil won’t seem like a huge amount giving what the Fed calls QE2 that is in reality hyper inflation.
You got it my man – see you after the 14th of December.
Cora: Rome wasn’t built in a day. And it is true that 29 Palms has a short history with Planning and Research; Prior to cityhood in order to get your chance to petition the County Staff we had to take the Chowder Club’s rented bus to San Bernardino and have an Italian dinner with the Staff on a weekday night in order to plead our collective concerns. Now we can go to city hall and talk to the City staff or Council and still be back in time for the Late Show. We voted for cityhood in 1987 and basically used the County’s General Plan Land Use designations and their developement code for our basic document.The city wasn’t rich in those days and it wasn’t until the Good times came in the 2000′s that the savings rapidly increased. But the city council always managed to save some year to year. Thanks to them we are now in a position to draft a real General Plan and Developement Code. larry
Larry you crack me up with your statement “Good times came in the 2000′s” surly you did not mean it, your good times has set our economy back at lest a decade. Future generations deserve better but as a realtor you see it as your profit comes first, no matter the bailouts inflation or the transfer of wealth from the working man to the crooks in real estate and their banksters Take a look at the link http://www.realecontv.com/videos/real-estate/how-the-markets-really-work-from-2007.html
Larry,
You make a good point that important things take time. I appreciate the efforts of all that worked toward making cities user friendly and a service to the people.