2.3 Land Use

Omnitrans covers a 480-square mile area that includes 15 cities, as well as several unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. Single-family residential uses make up 31 percent of the existing land uses in the area, followed by vacant (23 percent), industrial (11 percent), transportation and utilities (nine percent), and open space and recreation (six percent). Additional land uses include agriculture, commercial and services, multi-family residential, educational institutions, public facilities, offices, among others, of which the prevalence varies by Census Tract. This section identifies and analyzes existing land use patterns and activity centers within each of the nine identified Census Tracts to determine their impact on the safety of transit users. These findings assist local jurisdictions in identifying policies to improve safety around transit and the identification of priority areas for potential improvements.

Existing land use patterns vary depending on the jurisdiction and Census Tract, as shown in Figure 2-9. The cities of Fontana, Rialto, Grand Terrace, and Highland are defined by a conventional suburban structure of primarily single family-residential development intermixed with other land uses, such as multi-family residential, commercial, public facilities, and industrial uses. The four Census Tracts in the City of San Bernardino show a wide variety of land uses. Its southern portion has large numbers of commercial uses, offices, and public facilities, several of them separated by large areas dedicated to parking. As a result, parking can take up more than 50 percent of the land used in a development. On the other hand, single- and multi-family residential uses are predominant in northern San Bernardino. Since the City of San Bernardino serves as the county seat, various regional destinations are located there, including county government buildings, the Saint Bernardine Medical Center, the Community Hospital of San Bernardino, California State University San Bernardino, among other educational institutions and commercial and industrial establishments.

Existing land Uses in San Bernardino Valley