MBA awarded AEP's Outstanding Environmental Resource Document Award"

The Association of Environmental Professionals' Outstanding Environmental Resource Document Award" was presented to MBA for the production of the Glen Helen Specific Plan & Resource Management Plan. This document was prepared as part of the Glen Helen Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report for the County of San Bernardino. The Glen Helen Specific Plan was designed to assist in the orderly development of approximately 3,400 acres south of the junction of I-15 and I-215 freeways. This area had become a diverse group of non-permitted and illegal land uses that have compromised property values and blighted a substantial amount of acreage, including valuable natural habitats. To mitigate these circumstances, the Glen Helen Specific Plan creates a complimentary set of land uses and preserves approximately 660 acres of essential habitat for a variety of state and federal threatened and endangered species while simultaneously creating a land-banking habitat conservation program. A new Master Plan is currently being developed for the Glen Helen Regional Park to maximize the vitality of the multifaceted regional park located within the project site. The Regional Master Plan was prepared in response to extensive comments by resource agencies regarding impacts to biological resources in order to achieve compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The Master Plan identifies the potential for occurrence and location of protected species, identifies potential impacts, and recommends various mitigation measures, including onsite habitat preservation and acquisition of offsite habitat. Since the Glen Helen Specific Plan utilizes a program EIR without site-specific development information, the Master Plan established detailed protocols for maximizing habitat and species preservation which can be applied to individual developments as they arise. A land bank will be established and funded by development to ensure habitat preservation. The Master Plan may then serve as a model for other jurisdictions seeking creative ways to enable development in environmentally sensitive areas.