ONTARIO — Ontario City Council announced Wednesday a Feb. 5 public hearing to discuss possible revisions to the city’s zoning ordinance regarding fences and walls.
“Any time the city changes planning code, we have to have a public hearing,” explained Andrew Medwid, the city’s law director.
While the planning commission has not proposed changes, council will revisit discussions that were tabled during previous meetings regarding setback lines, said fourth ward council member Dan Zeiter.
Other council business included a “state of the city” address from Mayor Randy Hutchinson.
“With the acquisition of the former GM property, the city has worked hard this year making necessary improvements to the property, making the property more appealing to businesses,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson added that the property, now marketed as the Ontario Commerce Park, has been cleaned and cleared of overgrowth. The city has also installed a water line on the east side of the property and connected power to the former press prep building.
Several investors toured the property after Hutchinson and former council member Mark Weidemyre attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington D.C. last June during a marketing campaign.
Hutchinson went on to cite the expansion of Emerson Actuation Technologies and the arrival of Panda Express as evidence of positive business growth.
The mayor also highlighted the accomplishments of the police department, which handled nearly 15,000 calls for service, completed more than 1,600 hours of in-house training and launched an employee wellness program for its officers.
Hutchinson concluded his address by thanking outgoing council members Mark Weidemyre and Larry Arnold for their service, as well as recognizing all city employees.
“We have a quality workforce which keeps our city running smoothly, safe and clean,” he said.
