New mayor says Diamond Bar will focus on retail, easing traffic
By Caroline An, Staff Writer - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Article Launched:03/24/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT
DIAMOND BAR - Continued retail development and easing traffic congestion will be focus areas in 2007, Mayor Steve Tye said Thursday night.
The annual State of the City address delivered by Tye at the Diamond Bar Center touched on the past year's accomplishments, but the address was dominated by the topic of retail and commercial development in the city.
The new mayor also paid tribute to Councilman Robert Zirbes, who died in February from cancer.
He urged those in attendance to remember Zirbes' "grace, dignity, passion and vision," and as a man who served the city as a concerned resident, dedicated volunteer and esteemed elected official for nearly 20 years.
Zirbes was replaced on the council by Ron Everett.
After a year that saw the completion of the Target center - the city's largest commercial development in more than a decade - and the approval of a new Kaiser Permanente medical facility, Tye said the council "remains committed to securing additional commercial development that meshes with our community's values."
Tye also discussed two potential developments that have raised the ire of some residents - the development and replacement of the county-owned Diamond Bar Golf Course and the residential project proposed by Aera Energy to build 2,800 homes on 1,940 county acres.
The city entered into a preannexation agreement with Aera Energy in December 2006.
Both projects could mean an increase in the sales tax base, Tye said, which could be put toward building a new sports complex or used for local schools and public safety programs.
"Any proposed developments will undergo a fully transparent public review and consideration process," he said.
Although the city is a safe place to live, Tye said Diamond Bar is still facing challenges of traffic congestion spilling onto city streets from the interchange of the 60 and 57 freeways.
Diamond Bar has joined cities, including Brea, Chino Hills and Pomona to establish the Four Corners Transportation Coalition, to get funding for much-needed infrastructure improvement. Fixing that interchange tops the Coalition's list.
"We need to get people to stay on the freeway to provide some relief to local streets," Tye said.
Councilwoman Carol Herrera said traffic has gotten to the point where "residents can't get out their neighborhood."
Local improvement projects include the Grand Avenue Betterment Project, expected to finish later this year, that includes landscaping and additional turn lanes near the Target center.
Residents who attended the address were pleased with the city's priorities for the coming year.
Carl Eller, a resident since 1979, supports the recent retail boom.
"Our tax base is behind other cities in the area," he said.
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