New Booklet touts the wonders of Monrovia’s Hillside Wilderness 1400 acre Preserve

Photo by Terry Miller

New Booklet touts the wonders of Monrovia’s Hillside Wilderness 1400 acre Preserve

By Terry Miller

Without fanfare or city money,  Glen Owens, along with members of the Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve Interpretive Committee ( Kim Bosell, Bruce Carter, Alice Griselle, Steven R. Kutcher, Mickey Long, Christopher Nyerges, Steve Pokrajac and Gary Wallace) have published a full-color “Interpretive Guide” to the Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve that Monrovia  voters approved in 2000.

The 24 page book, designed by Jeff Lapides of First Water Design hopes to educate and enlighten area residents of the marvels that await them in their own foothills.

Glen Owens, who along with the Historical Society,  personally funded the 5000 copy project to educate the public about the preserved land he says is becoming a rare find in Los Angeles County.

The history of the Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve spans over three decades

and involves thousands of advocates that played an important role in its formation.

A detailed account could fill a book and read like a novel. The following is a brief

history to give the reader a sense of the effort and time that created this lovely place

for all to enjoy.

Click on the link below for full PDF:

MonroviaPreserve-t4(1)

In the 1980s, precipitating events that ultimately influenced the creation of the

Hillside Preserve were the development of Gold Hills with fifty-four lots and the

submittal of a preliminary subdivision plan for additional lots on the San Lorenzo

Nursery Property in Cloverleaf Canyon. Additionally, a 130-acre Lux Arboretum

property in the Cloverleaf Canyon area was donated to the city which was significant

acreage to start a preserve area.

The pressure to develop the hillsides became of concern to the City of Monrovia and

the city council appointed a group of hillside property owners and residents to the

hillside advisory committee. For the next ten years, the committee worked diligently

with the consulting firm of Planning Associates to develop a comprehensive plan

to sensitively provide for development in the hillsides. Specific plans were created

for the Cloverleaf Canyon, Norumbega, and Madison Avenue areas with specific lot

locations and sizes, restrictive contour grading conditions, and sightline restrictions.

The planning commission hearings to consider the specific plan were contentious and

lasted for many months.

As a result of the difficult and numerous planning commission meetings that went

far into the night, two conservancies had been formed to advocate for limited

development or outright purchase of the hillsides. Starting in January 2000, the

city council held a series of public hearings. On March 16, 2000, the city council

approved Land Plan “C Modified.” Land Plan “C Modified” covered the properties

contained in the original cloverleaf canyon specific plan and those added by

subsequent amendment to the specific plan area, the Madison Avenue and Norumbega

specific plans.

The city council unanimously voted to place several related hillside measures on

a special election ballot which were referred to as Measures A and B. Measure

A ratified the city council’s decision to maintain the lowest possible density by

establishing development densities and zoning definitions for properties that could

be purchased and held as undeveloped open space. Measure B authorized a special

tax to generate $10 million over thirty years (through the annual revenue stream or

as a bonded lump sum) to purchase land zoned as “Hillside Wilderness Preserve”

and “Hillside Recreation Area” as permanent open space, and $80,000 per year of on

going property tax revenue for future maintenance of the areas.

The Measures A & B Committee worked to educate the voters on the importance

of the preservation of the hillsides. The voters overwhelmingly passed Measures A

(84%) and B (77%) at the July 11, 2000, election. The election did three things: (1)

Approved a new “Wilderness Preserve” and “Hillside Recreation” general plan and

zoning classifications; (2) Approved a parcel tax to acquire hillside open space; and,

(3) Ratified the city council’s March 16, 2000, approvals of Plan “C Modified” for the

hillside areas.

In August, the city council appointed a wilderness preserve steering committee

to develop an open space acquisition plan to direct and prioritize acquisition of

properties. The process for the purchase of the properties provided considerable

opportunities for public input with forty-eight committee meetings. From 2002 to

2009, eleven transactions for purchase of properties were completed with city bond

and state grant monies. The total expenditures were $25,000,000 of which $9,000,000

came from the city and the balance was funded by the state. These properties were

added to the hillside properties that were already owned by the city such as the

Arboretum property and formed the 1,416-acre project area. Purchase of the hillside

properties by the city prevented over one hundred homes and associated streets and

utilities from being constructed.

The Monrovia Community Services Commission was designated as the advisory

body to oversee the stewardship of the project area, protect important natural

resources, and where appropriate, recommend passive recreation opportunities.

The state grants require that the city preserve and protect all natural resources in

perpetuity and provide for walking, hiking and bird watching opportunities. A trail

committee was appointed by the community services commission to advise them on

historic trails and potential trails. A resource management plan was commissioned

and followed a framework of core values and goals established by the community and

approved by the community services commission in 2005. The community services

commission conducted meetings from August 2006 to September 2008 to discuss

public access alternatives and resource management strategies. On January 20, 2009,

the city council adopted the resource management plan. Subsequently, the use of

a mitigated negative declaration for approving the resource management plan was

legally challenged and the city then completed an environmental impact report which

was ratified by the city council.

With the resource management plan in place and funding from Measure B, the

community services department and community services commission continue to

guide the implementation of a trail network.

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