Hosted by the Ontario International Airport Administration, Inland Action met with Carrie Schindler, SBCTA, Deputy Executive Director; Jeremiah Bryant, Omnitrans, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer; and Rudy Zeledon, City of Ontario, Community Development Assistant Director on September 24, 2024.
The panel provided a program on the collaborative project, the West Valley Connector, including the various components of trains, busses, bus charging stations and additional development of the City of Ontario. The connector spans from Downtown Pomona to Ontario Convention Center to Ontario International Airport to Ontario Mills, Citizens Bank Arena, and Victoria Gardens. The connector includes BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) with 18 electric powered buses three of which will be dual side doors – the first dual sided busses in the United States with two already delivered. Necessary bus charging stations will be constructed as part of the project.
The City of Ontario is ready for the transit routes with mixed-use growth on Holt Blvd. and in Downtown Ontario. This also provides for much needed housing opportunities as well as intense future mixed-use development and entertainment areas. Concept plans were shared for the Arena Entertainment Center Phase II and expansion of the Convention Center. Required infrastructure was needed including waterline relocation, storm drains, curbs, streetlights, traffic signals and utility relocations to support the project. As this is a multi-year project involving multiple agencies, funding sources were also discussed during the program.