Council Adopts 25-Year General Plan for Murrieta

Murrieta’s General Plan 2035, a 300 plus-page document years in the making which spells out the direction Murrieta will take in coming years, has been approved by City Council.

The unanimous decision came after midnight Wednesday by a 4-0 vote, with Councilman Alan Long absent. Council said they voted for the greater good of residents and those to come.

“What we are being asked to do is make a decision for 104,000 people; we are not going to be able to satisfy 104,000 people but I think we’ve done a good job at listening,” said Councilman Rick Gibbs.

Council forewent a to exclude a southern extension of Whitewood. This occurred after Council questioned the police and fire chiefs on whether the roadway would ultimately be necessary for public safety.

They also left in a future expansion of Jefferson Avenue. The expansion would widen Jefferson to six lanes to the city’s northern boundary at Wildomar.

Twenty-six members of the public spoke during the five-hour meeting, many of them opposed to the Whitewood and Jefferson road projects. Many speakers own property near the roadways, and were concerned the projects would affect the quiet lifestyle they moved to Murrieta for.

Luis Torres said he purchased his home in the Creekside Village neighborhood near the proposed Whitewood extension because it was quiet.

“I commute to San Diego roughly 140 miles each day,” Torres told the Council. “I could have bought a home in San Diego, but I found a home, a home that I could find peace and quiet in. In the morning I can hear the birds, at night the owls and in the morning I can hear coyotes, believe it or not.”

Other residents were concerned that traffic from the extension would interrupt easy access to a neighborhood park that they enjoy.

After hearing from staff that the projects were included in the plan as future considerations and not set for any particular construction date, Council agreed to leave them in.

“There are no plans to widen Jefferson at this time, we are just asking for a reclassification for when we do need it for population growth,” said City Engineer Pat Thomas.

At build-out, there will be 40,000 projected car trips per day on the roadway; presently there are 9,000, Thomas said.

Regarding the Whitewood extension, Thomas said planners would “attempt to design the road to meet the needs of the residents as much as possible.

“This is just to add this as a link in the overall circulation plan,” he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Doug McAllister said he was against the Whitewood extension coming into the meeting, but that he became neutral after staff explanations. It was not going to be a deal-breaker for him if it was left in, he said.

Had the Jefferson Avenue widening been taken out, the environmental impact report that was approved along with the General Plan would have needed to be re-circulated, delaying the plan for four to six months.

Murrieta’s first General Plan dates back to 1994, following the incorporation of the city in 1991. Some parts of it have been updated since, but not the plan as a whole.

The city conducted public input meetings and workshops prior to setting to work on it. The plan includes 12 components, seven of which are required by state law: land use, housing, circulation, conservation, open space, noise and safety. Not required but included in the plan were elements for a healthy community, infrastructure, air quality and economic development.

The plan calls for zoning changes in focus areas such as near and the Golden Triangle north area. New zoning will allow for office and research parks. The hope is to attract companies and bring jobs, reducing the amount of commuters.

The plan also set goals to establish specific plans for the Los Alamos Hills area and Historic Downtown Murrieta. Residents of are putting together a specific plan, which staff has been directed to help them finalize.

The open space and recreation component of the plan got an addition late in the meeting when a resident, Jackie Fenaroli, suggested a trail start at and wind its way to the . Councilwoman Kelly Bennett liked the idea, and with Council consensus, asked staff to incorporate it is a possibility.

Dr. Eric Frykman, public health officer for Riverside County, commended the city on developing a healthy community plan, similar to the one recently adopted by the county.

“It is totally exciting that Murrieta is doing this right behind the county,” Frykman said. “Murrieta is the first city in California to do this, and probably one of the first in the nation. I believe it is the responsibility of the local government to try to make our communities healthier.”

More than $1.4 million was spent on producing the General Plan, including hiring specialized consultants.

“It’s been a roughly 20-month journey and a lot of work from a lot of people,” Gibbs said.

The next step is to adopt the new zoning map, which will be brought before City Council within six months.