History
The predecessor of the Property Owners Association of Riverside County was formed in 1983 as the Greater Lake Mathews Area Association. The organization was formed to protect and enhance property interests throughout the Lake Mathews and Gavilan Hills region of Riverside County.
The Greater Lake Mathews Area Association began with 60 landowners, owning 22,500 acres in the unincorporated area. Association members were concerned that retention of the Rancho El Sobrante Community Plan within the Riverside County General Plan would have imposed severe restrictions on housing development that would have long-term adverse consequences on the quality and stability of the area, as well as on land values.
The Association contacted 600 landowners within the region, and mobilized a letter-writing and public meeting attendance campaign for an impending Riverside County Planning Commission hearing on the Rancho El Sobrante Community Plan. The Planning Commissioners were favorably impressed with the strength of the landowners’ response, and unanimously recommended deletion of the Community Plan. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors accepted the recommendation of the Planning Commission, and removed the Community Plan from the County’s General Plan.
Over time, the Association began to address policy issues that were countywide in scope, such as Growth Management and Multiple-Species Habitat Conservation Strategies. Therefore, in 1987, the organization changed its name to Property Owners Association of Riverside County (POARC).
Gerald M. Garat, then-Chairman of the Board of Directors of POARC wrote at the time that “A battle is therefore being waged to determine who will control the use of private property. Will it be those who own the land, maintain it, and pay the taxes on it, or a small group of elitists who have no financial investment at stake? Will we continue to see the marketability and value of our property destroyed simply to appease the whims of others, or will we regain the right to make reasonable use of our own land?”
That battle continues today.
The Greater Lake Mathews Area Association began with 60 landowners, owning 22,500 acres in the unincorporated area. Association members were concerned that retention of the Rancho El Sobrante Community Plan within the Riverside County General Plan would have imposed severe restrictions on housing development that would have long-term adverse consequences on the quality and stability of the area, as well as on land values.
The Association contacted 600 landowners within the region, and mobilized a letter-writing and public meeting attendance campaign for an impending Riverside County Planning Commission hearing on the Rancho El Sobrante Community Plan. The Planning Commissioners were favorably impressed with the strength of the landowners’ response, and unanimously recommended deletion of the Community Plan. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors accepted the recommendation of the Planning Commission, and removed the Community Plan from the County’s General Plan.
Over time, the Association began to address policy issues that were countywide in scope, such as Growth Management and Multiple-Species Habitat Conservation Strategies. Therefore, in 1987, the organization changed its name to Property Owners Association of Riverside County (POARC).
Gerald M. Garat, then-Chairman of the Board of Directors of POARC wrote at the time that “A battle is therefore being waged to determine who will control the use of private property. Will it be those who own the land, maintain it, and pay the taxes on it, or a small group of elitists who have no financial investment at stake? Will we continue to see the marketability and value of our property destroyed simply to appease the whims of others, or will we regain the right to make reasonable use of our own land?”
That battle continues today.