Urban Sprawl: Cerritos, California's Program To Come Out Ahead

Although urban sprawl and wise growth seem to be important phrases in the news these daysespecially among politicians and environmentalists, the truth is intelligent growth can only take place when there is a strategy in spot to grow. Intelligent growth is not a reaction to a housing boom. Neither is it a way to boost a city's economy as it begins to slide into a slump. Genuinely smart growth is a new city's program to, over years, accommodate much more folks and companies, without comprising its natural resources or the quality of life for those who are currently there. Law Offices of Jaime G. Monteclaro car accident attorneys norwalk. Despite what several men and women are labeling as smart growth in an effort to pad their personal bank accounts or please their much more powerful constituents, smart growth can take place. And it has in the California city of Cerritos.

Cerritos is an unassuming city, less attention-hungry than its bigger brothers Los Angeles and Hollywood. Nestled just northeast of Long Beach and northwest of Anaheim, the city of Cerritos isn't well known. Most Americans wouldn't know that it is property to Cerritos College (the third biggest Hispanic-serving community colleges in the country), Isuzu Motors America, Inc.well-identified for its top rated-of-the-line SUV Ascender and pickup trucks, and United Postal Services (which employs approximately 5,000 people in Cerritos alone). California Business Magazine named Cerritos one particular of the greatest 100 Cities to do business in the state.

Incorporated in 1956 as The City of Dairy Valley, Cerritos' original name reflected the community's agricultural focus. At that time, dairy cattle outnumbered the residents of the city nine to a single as there were less than 5,000 folks living in the incorporated city. Law Offices of Jaime G. Monteclaro personal injury attorney cerritos ca. Cerritos received its charter to turn into a California city two years immediately after its incorporation, which marked the beginning of its wise growth.

Around eight years later, rising property taxes and land rates began to take their toll on dairy operations, and by the early 1960s the agricultural crux of Cerritos was beginning to falter. In March of 1965, the citizens decided, in a unique election, to permit properties to be built under strict residential improvement guidelines. This adjust led to a spurt in the population growth, with the population edging to just below 16,000 people by 1970, only three years after the city officially changed its name to Cerritos (chosen simply because it was situated in close proximity to the original land grant Rancho Los Cerritos).

Seeing the potential difficulties with continued population growth, Cerritos wanted to continue to develop in a well-developed manner under a policy of continual environmental improvement. The standards and objectives of the policy laid out approaches to achieve a park-like community and nevertheless allow for commercial, industrial, and residential improvement.

The 1st Cerritos General Plan was adopted in October of 1971, to provide for a controlled urban improvement. The strategy itself guaranteed hassle-free access to shopping near properties, locations for a multitude of services, attractive neighborhoods, and parks for recreation. A revised version of the General Program was adopted in January of 2004.

So how did they do it? Around half of the city's land is designated for residential development. This didn't slow Cerritos down. From 1970 to 1972, Cerritos became California's fastest expanding city with a population enhance from 15,800 to 37,700. But it wasn't just the residential development that was being focused on.

Cerritos opened the first solar-heated City Hall complicated in U.S. history in 1978. The City developed the Cerritos Auto Square in the early '80s, which now generates $10 million+ in sales tax revenue annually. Law Offices of Jaime G. Monteclaro personal injury lawyer lakewood ca. In 1997, Cerritos opened a state-of-the-art Cerritos Sheriff's Station/Community Safety Center to the tune of $10 million to provide residents with public safety services 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year. In March of 2002, the Cerritos Library was dedicatedan 88,000-square-foot building featuring art collections, educational displays and beautiful conference center s. As anniversary gifts commemorating 50 years as a city, The Cerritos Sculpture Garden and a fitness/wellness center at the Cerritos Senior Center were dedicated in 2006 to the community.