Since its incorporation in 1960, the unprecedented growth of San Dimas has transformed the City from an essentially rural area to a well-balanced community offering industrial, commercial, and residential living. In addition to the 1,700 acre Frank G. Bonelli Recreational Area which lies within the City boundaries, there are many parks such as San Dimas Canyon Park, a city-owned golf course (San Dimas Canyon Golf Club), and over 27 miles of equestrian trails for riding. The city services include an extensive recreational program for youth and for senior citizens, and the City boasts a new modern City Hall, with excellent provisions made for County Sheriff and Fire Departments, along with a fine Los Angeles County Library and Engineering Regional Office.
Twitter link
Facebook link
Instagram link
Fact Check San Dimas
Fact Check San Dimas provides a Question and Answer approach to answering concerns regarding critical topics.
1) Can I avoid a processing fee charge when paying parking citations?
Yes. The current processing fee for online parking citation payments is $5.95. It's important to note that the online payment system has been outsourced to a third-party provider for several years. However, residents have alternative payment options to avoid this fee.
Option 1: Mail directly - Those with parking citations can choose to mail in their payment.
Option 2: Drop-off at City Hall - Individuals may drop off an envelope with payment at City Hall, where it will be mailed by the City for free.
Payments must be made by check or money order; sending cash through the mail is discouraged to ensure safe and effective processing.
2) Why was the slide at Lone Hill Park removed?
We truly understand your concern regarding the removal of the playground slide at Lone Hill Park. The “Flip-i-ppopotamus” slide has been enjoyed by children for many years.
The City of San Dimas inspects parks and playground equipment daily to ensure a safe and healthy environment for visitors. During a routine playground inspection at Lone Hill Park, inspectors identified significant damage to the slide that would have posed a safety hazard for children if not immediately removed as the damage was not repairable. For this reason, the slide was removed to ensure that park visitors are not injured. As a replacement slide of the same type is no longer available, Parks and Recreation staff is working to identify a comparable option that meets current park safety and ADA standards. We appreciate your understanding and patience while we identify a suitable option. In the meantime, park visitors can enjoy other playground equipment at Lone Hill Park while the City researches alternatives.
3) What is happening with CVS on Bonita, are they closing?
Yes. CVS on Bonita has indicated they are closing their doors on October 3rd, 2023 and sending employees to other CVS stores within 15 miles of the San Dimas location. There has been a shift in the commercial real estate market which is leading to increased vacancies and closures. This includes the closure of Rite Aid in La Verne which occurred in August and now, the closure of CVS in San Dimas. As such, customers have been moving their prescriptions and are choosing to buy from Walgreens on Arrow Highway. Walgreens activity is up significantly due to the closure of Rite Aid in La Verne and CVS in San Dimas.
Upon hearing CVS was closing, the Mayor and City Manager directly engaged a CVS representative to ascertain what can be done to assist CVS. CVS was in a 20-year lease agreement that expires this calendar year. While CVS was offered a lease renewal, the lease rate being requested was not acceptable to CVS and was the basis for CVS shutting down the location. CVS is discounting remaining inventory and redeploying staff to other locations.
We also heard that other businesses in the CVS shopping center whose leases are coming to an end are being offered new lease rates that are excessively high for such businesses to continue. We have not confirmed this with existing businesses. Potentially, we anticipate there is a probability that others may be impacted by the higher lease rates. For CVS, it is unusual for lease rates to go up when vacancies are increasing and the commercial real estate market is in a challenging phase due to high interest rates. To receive more clarity, the City reached out to the owner of the CVS property; however, the owner has not been responsive.
On September 27, 2022, the City Council approved the sixth Housing Element which included the placement of 1,248 housing units across the entire Bonita corridor. The number of units was required by the State Department of Housing and Community Development. One site in the Housing element, opportunity site #4, is the western portion of the Albertson and CVS property. Albertson and its parking lot are not included in this site #4. Under the Housing Element, this site is to be zoned for mixed uses for properties fronting Bonita Avenue in the downtown at a density of 35-45 units per acre with attached or structured parking to the rear of the site. These uses include commercial, retail, as well as housing. The City is required to zone the area within three years of the Housing Element approval. Currently, this site is not zoned differently than it has been for the past decade.
As has been the case in previously housing elements, development does not occur quickly. As of now, the City has not received proposals or plans from the property owners to change how this opportunity site is being used. This may change in the future, but the City continues to reach out to the property owners to get a better understanding of what changes are in store for this property.