Protecting Our Lifestyle
Pedley Field 2000
Keeping Norco "Norco"!
Key to keeping Norco "Norco", protecting our lifestyle, which at its core fosters elbow room and open space, is electing officials that will vote in line with our Charter, Municipal Code and Strategic Plan. They must also encourage residents to make lifestyle choices that promote caring and paying for the additional expense of maintaining a half-acre or more of land. Historically, this has been animal keeping: primarily horses.
We must also elect leadership that is willing to stand up to Sacramento politicians who feel they know better than Norconians. Laws are being passed that absolutely could destroy our way of life and our elected officials must have experience in dealing with these truly complex attacks and a willingness to fight when necessary to preserve our way of life.
Just as importantly, leadership must encourage lifestyle choices that do not adversely impact their neighbors so that our life style of open space will continue to thrive on a community wide level and Norco property values continue on an upward trend: which will continue to attract people willing to financially support the up keep of a half-acre of land.
As surrounding communities have zoned out animal keeping, allowed uses that adversely impact neighbors and destroy the community need to maintain large lots and finally succumb to dense housing projects, Norco has held fast against truck depots and cracker box housing developments on every square inch of land and is thriving: people want to live here.
This does not mean you must own a horse, but, it is important that you can. We must maintain the delicate balance of large lots to trails to open space that fosters equestrian pleasure riding. No other use has been shown to protect a semi-rural, middle class, affordable residential community.
The reality is, Norco's greatest asset of elbow room, space, a place where you are not living ten feet from a neighbor is generally only reserved for the very wealthy.
Open space and large lots create the opportunity for events and activities that most other southern California cities can only dream about: youth sports, alpaca shows, and more. Sometimes just having the room to play catch in the back yard.
How Norco Got Here.
Since 1948 when the County of Riverside attempted to force small lot zoning on the Township of Norco, generations of very independent Norco residents have fought to maintain a community of elbow room: often bucking and overcoming huge odds.
We became a city in 1964 to protect our large lots against developers who envisioned a huge payday by cramming as many cracker box homes as possible on an acre of land, and, to protect against neighboring cities who sought to take our dirt to facilitate their expansion.
As community after community zoned out open space and large lots, Norconians are still standing and fighting the same battle against old enemies and some increasingly powerful new ones.
Traditionally, what prompted folks to care for an expensive half-acre or more of land was a love of horses and other large critters.
Norco was once a winter haven for several major circus acts: The most famous being Gene Holter's Wild Animal Show. Riverside County ended this with a county wide, exotic animal restriction.
Corona - Norco Daily Independent
March 30, 1961
Corona Daily Independent
December 28, 1948
Corona - Norco Daily Independent
September 18, 1961
The Daily Independent January 11, 1966
The Daily Independent - January 11, 1966
Corona Daily Independent - March 31, 1961
Los Angeles Times - September 14 1985
The Daily Independent - August 26, 1964
The Daily Independent - June 15, 1965
Over the years, there have been similar assaults on Norco's very unique lifestyle in the form of manure run-off restrictions, county and state cookie cutter mandates that don't fit the community, neighbors opposed to large animal keeping and attempting uses on large lots that impact neighbors and in other communities have led to complete loss of a semi-rural life-style, and most recently the sheer cost of owning large animals particularly horses.
To protect against developers who see dollar signs instead of a community of independent residents who wish to maintain a very distinct and rare way of life, residents over the years, during dozens of open meetings and several votes have imposed on themselves a charter and a very strict and clear and Municipal Code that protects large lots to trails to open space. To further keep both residents and particularly city councils now and in the future on track, a series of public meetings produced the Norco
Strategic Plan.