The Spirit of Rancho Cucamonga

After I left the Professionals of the Inland Empire meeting earlier this evening, I went up to my church for a meeting with two representatives of the Rancho Cucamonga, California Planning Department.

Because, you see, they're planning. And, like good Inland Empire professionals, they're networking.

Specifically, they've developed a draft of a visionary document called "The Spirit of Rancho Cucamonga" and they've visiting various organizations in the city to see how the organizations feel about the draft.

Do these Guiding Principles statements reflect your vision for the City? Review the Guiding Principles and tell us what is missing, what needs to be refined, and what should perhaps not be included. These statements are written to reflect future conditions – what we aspire to achieve. Share your thoughts!

And we shared them.

But what if you're not a member of one of the approximately 40 organizations that the city has been, and will be, visiting? Well, you'll get your chance too, on March 12 at 6:30 pm. Go to the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, Celebration Hall South and you can speak your piece on the draft "Spirit" statements.

As of today, the Spirit of Rancho Cucamonga reads as follows:

Spirit of Rancho Cucamonga - Draft Guiding Principles:

The Spirit of Family

Rancho Cucamonga is a people-first community with a focus on families. We strive to create an environment that leads to stable and healthy families.

Our economic development priorities are to support individuals and families by providing high-quality services and facilities.

We continue to develop and maintain a system of high-quality, world-class community parks and sports complexes that appeal to all ages and all interests, from local leagues to national tournaments.

We celebrate the family through community events such as the Founders Day Parade, critically acclaimed performing arts programs, and promotion of other family activities.

We encourage the retention, rehabilitation, and development of a diverse housing stock that caters to residents in all stages of their lives.

The Spirit of Discovery and Knowledge

Rancho Cucamonga is a community committed to life-long learning. We promote educational opportunities for people of all ages.

Rancho Cucamonga’s schools are a valuable asset. The quality of our schools draws people to our City. Our coalition of partnerships among the City, schools, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and businesses is a model for all California cities. We partner with our school districts through joint-use facilities and extended day programs.

We promote participation in the arts, offering a variety of entertainment and education venues for enrichment, as well as providing opportunities for people to gather with friends and neighbors.

We promote diverse programs and high-quality facilities such as our City-owned libraries and our Community Centers.

The Spirit of Community

We recognize the link between a healthy mind, body, and Earth, and this is reflected in our programs and facilities for our residents and businesses. The high quality of services the City provides strengthens community bonds and contributes to healthy lifestyles.

Through our Healthy RC program, we inspire a lifestyle that embraces a healthy mind, body and Earth through lifelong learning and enrichment, active and healthy living, and environmental sustainability.

We depend upon one another, and this is demonstrated by encouraging volunteerism at rates that are proportionally higher than any other Inland Empire city.

We recognize the importance of our faith-based organizations and the impact they have within the community.

The Spirit of Heritage

We have an abiding respect for the heritage we share. Our historic communities – Alta Loma, Cucamonga, and Etiwanda – are at the heart of our City and must be preserved, honored, and enhanced. We encourage the preservation and restoration of historical buildings and cultural resources to recognize the contributions of our forefathers.

Foothill Boulevard (Route 66) is the historic thread that ties our community together. We must continually modernize the corridor while telling the story of the past and balancing preservation. This will be done through the adaptive re-use of buildings, strong architectural design, and public art.

We promote the use of citrus and vineyard plantings to remind us of our agricultural past.

Our outstanding views of the mountains, the varied natural topography of the area, and the trails that allow us to access these open spaces are an asset and must be preserved.

The Spirit of Independence and Self-Reliance

Our City is committed to being a leader in providing a safe place to live, work, and play.

We have a strong dedication to community planning. The quality of our built environment is by design. Our government leads by example. We are committed to achieve higher standards for community development, architecture, and landscaping. Our streetscapes reflect the high-quality development that we demand while embracing the concept of water conservation and ease of maintenance.

We promote sustainable neighborhood and building design.

The City promotes a balanced approach towards development that pays attention to long-term economic strength and fiscal responsibility. A sustainable economy requires a diversified employment and fiscal base. We take pride in the fiscal soundness enjoyed by our City as a result of solid development decisions, prudent financial management, and a strong commitment by residents to add value through their efforts.

The Spirit of Innovation

We emphasize development of a balanced, integrated, multi-modal circulation system which includes streets, sidewalks, bikeways, and equestrian trails. The system is efficient and safe, and connects neighborhoods to jobs, shopping, services, and active and passive open space.

We maximize the industrial economic development power of our rail and highway connections. The Foothill Boulevard, State Route 210, and I-15 corridors are the core of our commercial development and provide both jobs for our families and revenues for our community services. Our economic base must maintain a mix of cultural, residential, local and regional commercial, and industrial uses with stable - not transitory - types of development.

As we mature as a city, infill development will reflect our high standards and will complement existing development.

We are a business-friendly community. We are committed to a fair, entrepreneurial, and successful structure of fees, assessments, and community contributions which provide the funding for the city governance, public safety, and the development and maintenance of quality infrastructure, recreational programs, and open space-related facilities.

The Spirit of Tomorrow

We are dedicated to a sustainable balance in land use patterns (residential, business, agricultural, recreational, open space, and historic uses) and supporting transportation.

We are proactive in the design and development of lands within our Sphere of Influence, being vigilant in maintaining open space whenever possible.

Rancho Cucamonga will lead the way to a healthy environment. We are committed to environmental sustainability, which means meeting the needs of the present while conserving the ability of future generations to do the same.

We strive for a stable City government which respects the decisions of the past while being committed to long-range planning initiatives and the positive impacts of future development.

We recognize there is an interdependent relationship between an educated citizenry, economic development, and a thriving community.

Or, if you don't want to go to a meeting, go to the bottom of this page and click on Share your thoughts! to...share your thoughts.