APPLE VALLEY — Happy Holidays Apply Valley! I’m Scott Nassif, your new mayor, here to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. The coming year is full of emotions for the City. But before we discuss what’s to come, let’s take a moment to reflect on what happened in 2022.
In 2022, Apple Valley was voted “Best Place to Live” for the 11th consecutive year by readers of the Daily Press Best of the Desert Awards! We are proud to be the reigning winners of this title as we strive to create a better way of life for our residents, businesses and visitors. What makes us the best place to live? Some might say it’s the dozens of free events we organize for our community each year. This year alone, we hosted over 40 events with nearly 50,000 attendees.
Public safety has also contributed to our better way of life. Apple Valley’s quality of life and low crime rate remain an endearing feature. According to the most recent statistics from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the city has the lowest crime rate in the tri-city area. The Apple Valley Police Station also received a $70,000 grant for increased DUI patrols, officer training, community presentations and other additional traffic safety efforts. And in 2022, we added three new MPs.
Apple Valley is not only a better and safer place to live and play, it’s also a fantastic place to work. We strongly support our local small businesses. The City has funded over half a million dollars in Small Business Relief Grants to help more than a dozen local businesses get back on their feet. We support local shopping and encourage you all to support local businesses here in town. We have seen tremendous economic growth in 2022 with the opening of Crumbl Cookie, Tomahawk Ax Throwing, The Mint Facial Bar, Barstow Country Butchering and Town’s End Stillhouse in the Village, to name a few. Speaking of the Village, the City Council approved the Village Specific Plan in partnership with the Village Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) to implement the shared vision of a vibrant downtown that serves as a destination for shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
In 2022, we refined our housing element, master plan, development code, and permitting and permitting processes and services to be more development-friendly. We have created a comprehensive economic and community development department, comprised of all authorized divisions, including planning, construction and safety, engineering and economic development, to move our projects forward quickly, to improve our service to customers and to ensure that we help Homeowners, businesses, builders and developers create jobs and investments in our community.
With more businesses, homes and residents comes the need for better roads. We continue to receive and use SB1 funding from the State of California. The city has 431 miles of road, and we continue to focus on rehabilitation and improvements through multiple projects. In 2022, major pavement gaps were repaired on 20 miles of road in the Sycamore Rocks as well as along Thunderbird Road and Waalew Road. In addition, 18 miles of pavement already have, or will receive, a new chip seal coating. We completed the Apple Valley Road Hwy 18 intersection improvement project, adding new lanes and bike lanes.
Now let’s talk trash! The city cleaned up 414,000 pounds of illegally dumped trash in 2022 and launched the Residential Organic Waste Program to align with state SB 1383 mandates. We will continue to highlight what the City is doing to reduce waste and keep our residents informed through our “Trash Talk Tuesdays” video series. Follow us on our social media for the latest and latest information.
A lot has happened in the City in 2022! What does the road ahead look like in 2023?
We have many road improvement projects planned for 2023. Dale Evans Parkway between Happy Trails Hwy 18 and Waalew Road, followed by a larger project in the lower Desert Knolls area. In the summer we will perform micro-surfaces at Sycamore Rocks, Skyline Ranch and near Rio Vista Academy. These projects are financed by the SB1 law on the maintenance and rehabilitation of roads as well as by local measure I.
The city continues to experience strong growth in economic development. We’re processing several new grocery-anchored malls that we hope to announce in the new year and are seeing unprecedented demand for industrial space in North Apple Valley. We have some really exciting businesses coming to Apple Valley, so stay tuned!
2023 will bring us more events than ever. You can expect a variety of special events organized by the city’s recreation department, including the New Year’s Run, Community Cleanup Days, Summer Concert Series, Freedom Festival, Fair holiday crafts and more, so mark your calendars!
Speaking of calendars, the theme for this year’s community calendar is Vintage Apple Valley, where we showcase our city’s heritage. They are free to the public and can be picked up at the town hall while supplies last. We’ve also created three special-edition vintage postcards for the enjoyment of the community. The city has a rich history, and we are working on ways to engage and teach the public where we come from and how much we have grown. Tune in to our social media for Throwback Thursdays to learn all about Apple Valley’s past! And don’t forget to stop by City Hall for your free calendars and postcards. You can even purchase one of our vintage 2023 Apple Valley shirts.
This year, we honor our past as we look forward to building a new and exciting future together in the Golden Land of Apple Valley. Happy New Year from all of us here in the city of Apple Valley!
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