Now it seems that Fontana Might start to use the Iminant Domain to start to clear out the old families that are and have been living in north end of what used to be the County of San Bernardino, up until within about six years ago. Then Fontana saw that Ranchio was Annexing the up into the Same Area, by the I-15 and They saw to add to their existing Acerage that they had along Sierra Ave, North to Lytle Creek and the I-15 freeway. Now that they are building houses up in that bear land with the old roads that Fontana saw to it that they were never maintained, even at the request of the home owners.
Well now that they are building the new high end homes the buiders are taking care of the road improvements and the City has nothing to do with that. Take Riverside Ave. for example. The small streach that beleongs to Fontana City they refuse to do anything with. They sit, and watch the People that live in Rialto tear their cars and trucks apart driving accross this pavement that is full of ruts, holes, and just isn't anything that I would call a road. The only maitenance that is done on that little streach is what The City of Rialto's Road Crew Does when they have Extra Asphalt Fill to fill up the holes in the street. Now I am told that there is a Progect that is scheduled to start construction that will take up to Three (3) years to complete, and they are going to curve Riverside Ave. slightly to the Left and Intersect with Sierra at Ninety (90) Degrees. The turn and new intersection will also take place with a new widening of Riverside Ave, in fact Riverside Ave will be approx, fifty (50) feet wide with Five lanes of travel for traffic. One center Two way left turn lane, and Two N/B Two S/B Lanes. and a Bike Lane on each side. There will not be a side walk on the one side as there is no grade improvements as of yet, when they build something, a business or apartments etc etc...then they will add improvements of that nature.
Anyway that you look at it, there is a huge improvement since there is a widening of the road, finally and there is added lanes to handle the added traffic. Espeically with the new homes and Shopping Center that are being Bult off of Glen Helen Parkway and the I-15 Freeway. They are also widening Lytle Creek Road, to accomidate the added traffic to & from the parking lot to the businesses in the 7-10 acre shopping center and all the new houses..more new houses..
But from what I understand these houses will be considered Rialto Homes!!
BSRancher
Makeover for old steel town
By Barbara E. Hernandez, Special to The Times
February 19, 2006
North Fontana, long an enclave of low-income African Americans, is now being proposed as the site for Fontana's most expensive housing and commercial developments. Some see this as progress, others as an attempt to erase this part of San Bernardino County's cultural history.
Beginnings
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Look at the seal of Fontana and you can divine the entire history of the city: grapes for what was once booming vineyards; citrus groves and chicken ranches; and a prominent steel mill for the industry that defined the community from 1942 to 1984. FOR THE RECORD:
Neighborly Advice —An article about north Fontana in Sunday's Real Estate section referred to a 210 Freeway extension as having opened in 2004. The freeway segment opened in November 2002.
Many African Americans settled in north Fontana — an area north of Baseline Avenue that remained unincorporated until 1985, when it was annexed into the city of Fontana — and worked at the Kaiser Steel mill. Even after the mill closed, the population remained. Now this 8,900-acre area is experiencing a painful growth spurt, and large new homes dwarf modest single-family dwellings.
For years, the community has been underserved and overlooked by the rest of the city, says Ellen Turner, president of the Rialto/Fontana chapter of the NAACP, who has lived here since 1968. "Most of the community still has no streetlights, no sidewalks and no gutters."
It's a claim not in dispute but something City Manager Ken Hunt said would change with $100 million in future capital improvements.
The city has admitted that the area lacks improvements. It formed the North Fontana Redevelopment Project in 1982. But not much changed until master-planned communities such as Hunter's Ridge and Heritage Village sprang up. Some fear developments like these will displace this longtime community.
When the 210 Freeway extension came in 2004, it changed the landscape in north Fontana. Suddenly, people saw it as a viable place to live and from which to commute to various parts of Los Angeles County. And with that change came much more interest from developers who saw raw land ready for thousands of new homes and businesses.
The conflict
When you tear down the old, you tear down history, is the view of some residents.
In August, the Jessie Turner Community Center was demolished to make way for commercial development. The center, a landmark and gathering place for the African American community, was named after local activist Jessie Turner, Ellen Turner's mother.
There are plans to rebuild it as the Jessie Turner Health and Fitness Community Center on 40 acres, but the new center is at least five years from completion and located farther away. Some fear that it will no longer serve the community.
And now, the black community's Bethel AME Church is facing a possible disruption too. The city wants to widen the two-lane street it sits on and take a 30-foot right-of-way, which could mean demolishing part of the church. "I understand and recognize that Fontana has to grow up economically and in terms of the basic services provided," said Pastor John Edward Cager III. "But you want to make sure that … you don't pay a human and cultural cost."
The church, which has a congregation of about 400, was built on 2 acres in the 1940s and is one of the few old buildings left on Baseline Avenue. The rest of the area has been leveled. Bulldozers are parked on most corners, poised to raze whatever is left and put in housing and commercial enterprises.
"It's like they're trying to eradicate any history of north Fontana," said Turner, 53. "If the church leaves, it's all gone."
Mayor Mark Nuaimi said the city is still in negotiations over what to do about the church.
Housing stock
The comparison between the older homes of north Fontana and the new suburban developments is startling. Large and elaborate tract homes sit behind tall walls and a single road often separates them from two-bedroom, one-bathroom homes with sometimes-muddy yards attesting to the lack of roof gutters.
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