Conservancy Asks Candidates About Downtown, North Redlands, Groves

Six candidates for two spots on the Redlands City Council took part in a forum Monday night at the Mission Gables Bowl House, where they answered questions posed by the Redlands Conservancy.

Questions from the non-profit included:

- What is your vision for north Redlands and how should city government be involved?

- How would you incentivize major property owners in the downtown area to move forward with commercial development of their properties, e.g., the mall and the project proposed for the area near Pearl Avenue and Eureka Street?

- Would you support continuing ownership and operation of city groves, even if they do not generate income? Why or why not?

- Which, if any, key components of the original proposed Emerald Necklace would top your priority list of projects to accomplish?

- The proposed re-introduction of a train into Redlands' historic downtown will come with significantly increased residential and commercial density. What will be the likely impact of this increased density on Redlands' historic resources, e.g., the Santa Fe Depot District?

The candidates for Redlands City Council as they were seated Monday night:

- Small business owner Lane Schneider

- Councilmember/business owner Pete Aguilar

- Business owner Michael Layne

- Minister/businessman Don Wallace

- Fiscal analyst/businessman Mike Saifie

- Retired accountant Pat Gilbreath

"I was impressed that they took the time to research some of the information that we were going to ask them about," Sherli Leonard, the conservancy's executive director, said after the forum.

"I had given them a list that included some of the things, like the Mills Act and the CLG (certified local government) and the Emerald Necklace plan that we would be specific about," Leonard said. "And several of them took the time to look it up and get some information about it."

The Redlands Concervancy was founded in 1994. Elected leaders in Redlands have been able to take part in preservation efforts without tapping the city's general fund, Leonard said.

"They're doing that now, because they're working with us to do lots of the legwork and they're identifying other funding sources," Leonard said. "They're not using general fund sources at all."

The forum was held on the second floor of the Mission Gables house, where an auidence of more than 40 listened closely to the candidates answers.

All six candidates also took part in a forum last week presented by the Redlands Chamber of Commerce.

The Redlands Conservancy has maintained membership of more than 180 people since its founding, according to the group's website. For more information, visit www.redlandsconservancy.org.

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