Councilmember John Valdivia concerns that the SbX Project is a government funded boondoggle are unfounded. Even a website (now defunct) was established. He sites property owners that are affected by construction that will take place and wasted tax payer money to the tune of $200 million.
$8 million of taxpayer money was San Bernardino city Capital Funds to develop those properties to handle the 60 ft. buses that will soon be rolling down the E St. Corridor. The federal government provided about $150+ million in matching funds for acquisition of buses and Omnitrans upgrades to handle 60 ft. buses.
To me, the benefits of this project outweigh the costs. If you look at a zoning map of the properties that are along the corridor, most are zoned commercial. Even on the Loma Linda side this is the case. I would argue for an extension beyond the VA hospital to circle the commercial zones on Redlands Blvd. Development, construction, and materials are cheap. Now is the perfect time for infrastructure development.
The primary concern of the San Bernardino city council (and Loma Linda) should be the attraction and development of the commercial properties on E St. to ensure Sbx’s success. The Clarion Hotel and the old Harris building can be converted into townhomes or condos in the future. In addition, mid-cap business representatives from the health, information technology, and arts/entertainment industries can tour the development. Hopefully, this will lead to concrete results.
I was initially skeptical at first. I had concerns about ridership, feasibility, and viability. But those concerns were allayed when I saw how the route was designed. As pictured above, the existing routes would be redesigned to feed in SBx. This will guarantee that ridership will increase on one of the most productive routes that Omnitrans offers.
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