Gridlock. It doesn't discriminate. Morning, afternoon and evening; weekday or weekend. Traffic congestion is our biggest challenge.
The Inland Empire is one of California's fastest-growing areas. People want to live here, and local leaders are working hard to plan communities to provide homes for families. Current residents understand and appreciate the need to provide housing, but they worry about how development will affect traffic.
Conventional wisdom suggests that new housing makes traffic worse, but in truth, it's just the opposite. New housing construction is the engine that keeps local governments strong: It generates revenues needed to build freeways, maintain local roads and support public transportation systems.
The Riverside County Building Industry Association is a nonprofit professional organization that works with government and community leaders to provide housing in well-planned communities. The BIA has launched a public awareness initiative called "Planning for Our Future" intended to get people involved with local leaders to meet our challenges.
This effort is the latest chapter of an ongoing effort. In 1999, government and community organizations including the BIA, Farm Bureau and the Endangered Habitats League created a comprehensive conservation plan to protect Riverside County's environment for hundreds of species, while also planning wisely for transportation, housing and schools.
Called the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, it is America's most comprehensive and aggressive habitat protection effort, protecting 146 endangered species and conserving more than 500,000 acres. The habitat plan provides local governments with land-use planning flexibility to efficiently locate and construct new roadways.
The plan is the blueprint, but the county's biggest immediate challenge is funding needed to build infrastructure. In March, Riverside County received nearly $190 million in state transportation funding from Proposition 1B. These funds were welcomed and needed but represent barely a down payment toward the total need, estimated to be as high as $13 billion.
Moreover, none of the $190 million was allocated to projects in Southwest Riverside County. This area has overwhelming needs, such as the construction of the French Valley Parkway interchange and the expansion of the California Oaks Road/I-15 interchange.
Given the growing influx of people from Orange and San Diego counties, our needs will only grow. That is why the BIA is fighting to ensure that Southwest Riverside County receives the state funding it needs to flourish.
At the local level, new housing construction has produced tremendous investments to fix transportation problems. Since 2004, homebuilders have contributed more than $400 million in Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees and have spent hundreds of millions more to build local roads.
Spending money carefully is also important so that we can deliver the maximum levels of congestion relief. For example, county approval of the Liberty Quarry can make the transportation dollars go further. The quarry has the potential of supplying almost 40 percent of the total need for road aggregate for all of Western Riverside County, which will save millions.
Ultimately, that's what planning for our future is all about. Riverside County is a model for America in habitat conservation, quality planning, great schools and taking advantage of local resources to ensure we can meet and beat transportation challenges. It is a team effort between government, the BIA and the many community groups who care deeply about every person's future.
Lou Ochoa is president of the Riverside County Building Industry Association.
