Who are you?
I’m Ben Loescher, a Pioneertown residents and Architect. My wife Jenny and I life on Red Ryder Road and are the landlords for the Red Dog Saloon; before moving to Red Ryder we lived on Mane Street. As part of my architectural practice, I have about twenty years experience in Land Use and have spent about ten years doing professional and community work within San Bernardino County. I initiated and was the project manager responsible for The Friends of Pioneertown’s effort to get Mane Street on the National Register of Historic Places, have a degree in Architectural History, and starting with the Red Dog Saloon have been working to restore and preserve Mane Street since we started living here in 2012.
Why didn’t you include all of Pioneertown?
The initial scheme was to include all of Section 19, with specific provisions for Mane Street’s commercial area. San Bernardino County Planning indicated that they would not allow the Overlay to include parcels outside of Mane Street. The boundary shown in the proposal is the largest that the County would allow at the time it was submitted.
Why don’t you include prohibitions or stricter rules for Short Term Rentals/AirBNBs?
San Bernardino County Planning indicated that they would not allow the Overlay to have rules for Short-Term Rentals that differed from the County’s Development Code
How did you arrive at the building design standards?
The limits and guidance on materials, size and location of buildings in the Overlay was based on analysis of how Mane Street already is and the “Character Defining Features” from the National Register listing. The largest building allowed in the Overlay is the same size as the Sound Stage – the height limit was also based on the maximum height of the Sound Stage. Any building that has been legally constructed on Mane Street could be reconstructed under these Overlay provisions.
Aren’t Pioneertown’s historic buildings already protected?
Only a little. The Mane Street National Register Historic District that the Friends of Pioneertown fundraised for and got approved in 2020 offers some modest protections against demolition of historic buildings and features for projects that need to get a Minor Use or Conditional Use Permit – the County will require the project applicant to study alternatives to demolition, but can still allow demolition to occur. San Bernardino County does not have a historic preservation ordinance, and the California Historic Building Code does not include protection provisions. More discussion on this topic can be found here:
Why aren’t Festivals and large events entirely prohibited in the Overlay?
The proposal as written was intended to be based on community consensus so some compromise was necessary. The bulk of the comments I have received have been regarding limits on Temporary Special Events. Most of the feedback I have received supports the limits as written in the submitted plan; two comments suggested total bans on Temporary Special Event Permits, and one Mane Street property owner expressed concerns at any limitations. That party indicated that they would propose an alternative but ultimately never did and has since indicated in writing that they oppose any limits on festival size, size of buildings, the inclusion of architectural standards, and any limits on chain stores. I was hoping to find some middle ground but I don’t think there is any on this issue – I would encourage anyone who would like to see smaller limits on events make that as a Public Comment when Planning asks for input.
What impact does this have on the proposed Mane Street Trailer Motel, or proposed Expansion of the Pioneertown Motel? How does it impact existing legally established businesses?
San Bernardino County’s Development Code evaluates projects based on the code in place when they were submitted. Once approved, this Overlay will have no retroactive effect on projects that have already been permitted or submitted for permit.*
*The portion of the Pioneertown Motel expansion adjoining Mane Street was designed within the Overlay’s guidelines.
Don’t you have a conflict of interest?
I don’t think I have a conflict of interest, but I as a Pioneertown property owner, business owner, and initiator of the Historic nomination I definitely have an Interest. I’ve tried to use every opportunity to disclose my role as a Mane Street property owner and architect who is working on other Pioneertown projects. I am not a partner in any Pioneertown business or venture apart from my role as one of the landlords of the Red Dog Saloon, I will not get paid based on the outcome of this Overlay, and while I get paid for services I provide for my clients, I do not get compensated based on whether my projects are approved or not by Planning. My clients know that this is Overlay is more important to me than any project.
Honestly, I would have loved it if the County would have independently created their own Overlay, but they indicated that they would not – I don’t know who could or would have the resources to do this proposal if I didn’t, so here we are…
What if the Overlay isn’t approved?
San Bernardino County will likely approve generic commercial zoning for Mane Street which will not include any historic provisions, guidelines on style, preservation of dirt roads, or limits on the size of large events and festivals. Planning Staff has indicated that the zoning for Mane Street would likely become either CN (Neighborhood Commercial) or CR (Rural Commercial), both of which allow gas stations, mini-malls, and grid-scale solar generation facilities.
What if the Overlay doesn’t pass?
I don’t think anyone knows that, but it is certain that without the Overlay there will be no meaningful protections for historic buildings, no protection for our dirt roads, no prohibitions on chain stores or gas stations.
Rumors and Misconceptions:
Rumor: This is just a way to allow investors to build big projects on Mane Street
Rumor: This is an attempt to stop development
Truth: Neither! This is an attempt to balance redevelopment of Mane Street with community interests. It is opposed by developers who want to remove restrictions on the size and scale of development on Mane Street. It will also be opposed by those who do not want to see any development on Mane Street.
Rumor: This is an attempt by the owners of the Pioneertown Motel to get their expansion approved.
Truth: Nope – the Overlay has no impact (positive or negative) on any project application which has already been submitted: Not the Pioneertown Motel, not the proposed conversion of the Sound Stage into an event space… none of it. This is a separate proposal that intends to align the future of Pioneertown with the community concerns expressed at multiple community meetings.