Ok, that title is misleading since Kaiser is already in Wildomar, but now they'll be the masters of their own destiny in a new building off of Wildomar Trail.
Artist rendering of the coming Wildomar Kaiser.
From the Press Release:
Kaiser Permanente to Build Medical Office Building in
Baxter Village Mixed-Use Project
Wildomar, Calif. – January 26, 2022 –
Kaiser Permanente announced today plans to build a medical
office building on approximately 7 acres within the Baxter Village Mixed-Use Project located at the
Northwest Corner of Wildomar Trail and Interstate 15 in the City of Wildomar.
The property is
entitled for a future 84,000 square-foot outpatient medical office building. While the land developer for
the Baxter Village Project has begun site work, including street and sidewalk improvements,
construction is anticipated to begin mid-2022 on the medical office building.
“Kaiser Permanente is proud to serve more than 160,000 members from within the growing City of
Wildomar and neighboring communities in Riverside County,” said Vita Willett, Kaiser Permanente
Senior Vice President and Riverside Area Manager.
The building will be about fifty feet tall.
“Our new Wildomar Medical Office Building will
give us the room we need to expand, ultimately bringing more health care services closer to home for
many.”
“If the past two years have taught us anything, it’s the importance of health care,” said Wildomar
Mayor Ben J. Benoit. “We are excited that Kaiser Permanente is building in Wildomar and investing in
the health care infrastructure for our community.”
Construction on the new medical office building is scheduled to be complete in late 2023 and will have
nearly double the capacity of the current leased 34-provider office building. The new medical office
building is planned to include imaging services, a pharmacy, and will house approximately 61 provider
offices, including primary care, pediatrics, optometry, allergy, dermatology and other specialties.
--------------------------
Wildomar Rap opinion time
It's been cloak and dagger for about two years, when it's come to the tenant of the medical office building, in the retro-throwback named Baxter Village development (they do know that the road's name has been changed, right?).
Actually, it's been one of the worst kept secrets since Israel became a nuclear power (have they admitted to that one yet?) but I digress.
Even before this hit the planning commission in 2020 this was the chatter when checking in at the existing Kaiser location... but that is all in the past now and I can't wait to be at the groundbreaking ceremony and eventually the ribbon cutting as they treat their first patient.
Link to 2020 blog about the revised plot plan change.
I'm going to try to make this blog quick (famous last words).
Thank you to the planning commission for really going deep into the proposed Wildomar Trail Town Square development and getting many important questions addressed.
Let's start with the planning commission recommending approval of the four phase development... which rests with the city council at 6pm on Wednesday, September 8th.
Take a look at this slide from the presentation and then sit back and thank our lucky stars that we are getting 109 townhomes, and NOT 227 apartments (which a large number had the low income designation).
Be careful what you wish for. Consider this, if the city council derails this project, it leaves those 227 RHNA units on this property.
You'll find a link to the video of the meeting if you'd like to hear the staff presentation, the applicant's presentation, questions from the public, answers to the questions and solid input by the commission members.
To keep this short, this won't be an exhaustive review of the meeting, just highlights that stuck with me.
In no particular order...
There will be no improvements to the Wildomar Trail overpass or on and off ramps... That's a Caltrans thing, and they thought there wasn't a need. NOT EVEN FOR A TRAFFIC SIGNAL HEADING EAST.
To me, that is one of the biggest affronts imaginable. We pay ridiculous amounts of gas tax, but somehow something as obvious as better traffic control isn't understood by whatever matrix is coming out of Sacramento?
Where the city does have control, Wildomar Trail will be a four lane road along with turn pockets into both developments at the new street of Margaret.
It's already challenging to get to the freeway in the AM rush, but I was glad to hear that the city will be putting in an additional lane for right turns only onto the southbound onramp at Wildomar Trail.
That will help some, but once Wildomar Trail Town Center and Baxter Village (the spot with the hotel and medical building) come fully online, it's going to be a nightmare if Caltrans holds that line.
Plus, imagine how much easier it would be to put in the improvements now, and not after they are desperately needed... and to think, some people want the government to get more control over our lives???Well, this is what that looks like in action when they are.
There were a few things that the developer didn't want to agree to that were part of his conditions of approval. One of those was a 10 foot sound wall where the carwash is slated to go.
I get it, those are probably very expensive, but the residents don't want to hear your jet driers and I was glad that the commission didn't agree to any of his challenges.
I had nearly two dozen questions and concerns, but half of them were answered with the presentation and first round of commissioner questions.
1) what are their plans to
mitigate rodents as they disturb their habitat with grading?
Before grading vector control will be onsite. For those that don't live right near the field, you may not understand how many rodents live there at night then invade the nearby houses in the daytime. I'm glad that this is a priority.
There will be no parking along Cervera or Wildomar Trail.
3) What is the timeline
for completing Wildomar Trail improvements?
I was happy to learn that the entire stretch from Cervera to the freeway will be completed before they can start doing business.
Also, the entire 26 acre, 4 phase project will be graded at once instead of piecemeal.
There was a concern about privacy between the homes on Hunwut that will share a wall with the townhomes. The commissioners got the developer to plant the vegetation that will be along the shared wall with phase 1.
Knowing how slow these types of projects can take, that is an amazing get. Phase 4 could take many years before it's built, and that means according to the conditions on this project, the trees and vegetation will have many years' head start.
Something most other neighborhoods don't enjoy when new developments come in next to existing homes.
Another thing that I was very concerned about was the Cervera green belt.
The developer initially was going to remove the trees when he graded with no particular timeline to replace them.
I was yelling at my computer as I was hearing that over the zoom platform... much to my delight Commissioner Eric Filar really pressed that point.
Written into the conditions was that the Cervera green belt will also be dealt with during phase 1.
Part of my comment said, "When will it be planned, and will you take input from the residents? This needs major league community outreach before anything is done. There cannot be a lag between removing what has existed for 30 years and planting new vegetation and trees."
I asked about a left turn pocket on Cervera to enter the proposed townhome community, but didn't like the answer I got. I'll have to bring it up at the city council meeting. It sure sounded like they weren't going to make any changes to the lane striping, and that's after extending Prairie into the new area.
There were a few questions that I asked that didn't get answered.
I'll be speaking as a resident at the city council meeting and I'll be sure to ask the mayor to get his pen ready so that the questions get answered this time.
1) What about the turn pocket on Cervera, something must go there before they can build those townhomes?
2) Will there be walkable connectivity between the commercial retail and Cervera?
3) I asked the developer by name about his trashy fence along Wildomar Trail, but he must have been inundated because he didn't answer that one.
"Mr. Kofdarali, have you seen the condition of the perimeter fence on your property? Some of it is very beat up and looks terrible. I know that you want to be a good neighbor, can we get that fixed and maintained until it gets taken down?"
That fence looks like crap, and he needs to show that he cares as much as he claims by sinking that gimme.
He actually shared his phone number during the meeting, I'll just give him a call and see if I can scratch that one from the list.
The last question I have, more of a bonus question that came to me after hearing residents speak on it... Mr. Kofdarali, why can't you put your gas station and car wash closer to Wildomar Trail, and not so close to the backyard of existing homes that have been there for more than 30 years?
Last note, I don't get why people in my own neighborhood, that live within 100 feet of my house, have not asked me questions about this. I brought this up to all that would listen in 2018, and even in 2019, before Covid.
I've written blogs on this, and posted on social media multiple times
I'm here on your behalf, you should use me as a resource. I'm very easy to get ahold of, and would be happy to meet with you, or just exchange emails if that's all you want. Showing up at a city meeting without pressing me first is very odd.
When I speak on September 8th, I'll have three minutes. If someone that is attending wants to donate their 3 minutes to me, I'll be happy to speak for you if you're on the shy side.
Anyone that is reading this, please email me and we can set up a meeting or a phone call.
Penultimate last note
I received zip, zero, nada emails or calls about this project (facebook posts don't count in the real world), and very little input on social media either. I got more people wanting to comment about who parked in a handicapped parking space or if there is a gate across the private dirt portion of Wesley than I did over this very weighty matter.
That tells me that you don't really care, and that's what it tells the rest of the council too. We all want to hear your thoughts on the issues, but if you'd rather just announce that you're moving instead of emailing me, I guess that's an option you'll be exercising.
There were a lot of concessions tonight. It was because of the public's input which was then pushed by the commissioners. That made for a good one-two combination the community is well served keeping in mind.
There is only one item on the October 21, 2020 Planning Commission agenda: Baxter Village Revised Plot Plan Proposal
Before getting into this let me start off with a few housekeeping issues.
Wildomar Rap's graphic from July 2016.
It's been determined that I live too close to this development (within 1000 feet) to participate in my elected official capacity. Therefore, since I've recused myself from it, I can still weigh in as a resident.
The second bit of housekeeping is, due to the Brown Act, I suggest that any member of the city council click out now if you're reading this. Also, if you're too stubborn to click out, understand that I am NOT lobbying for you to vote in any particular way.
Vote how you truly believe any development on the former Brown House property will benefit the community for generations to come. It's not about the council, it's about the community's long term needs.
If you go back and look at every time Baxter Village is mentioned in this blog you'll see that Clinton Keith Village (where the new 7-11 is, and the soon to open Grocery Outlet) was mentioned back in 2016, and they've not been impeded.
So what's the hang up in that field just to the north of Wildomar Trail?
I'm sure that there are as many excuses as there are illegal mattresses dumped there, so who knows the real "why" of it all, but... speaking as a resident only... looks like bad business practices to me.
I'm not in the development business, so I probably am missing how going to the trouble of getting a project approved, to then just sit on it, is actually a wiser move than building what was approved on paper.
Best part is, this same company has more than one project in the same 'limbo' status in Wildomar.
I've asked this before: What are they waiting for... another recession?
Seriously, imagine the profits they would have had if they'd have just developed the properties they control and got on with business.
But, as I already pointed out, I don't understand the fine art of creating a development on paper, getting the community excited about it, then just having it languish in never-never land instead of pouring concrete and pounding nails.
So much time went by that they needed an EOT (extension of time). Now, because something is amiss in their grand scheme, they've decoupled the project into smaller pieces.
I know that it's just a concept drawing, but talk about a lack of understanding that this is what's presented to the planning commission as what their future Wildomar hotel would look like. Seriously, looks like a big Eff-U to the residents that live anywhere near it, or even those that would drive past it.
The residential portions, which were approved long ago, are NOT on the agenda. They are staying as is. The only change being sought is removing the retail (which at one time was said to include several restaurants) and instead put in a MOB (Medical Office Building) and a FIVE story hotel.
Let me digress for a moment
If you're of the mindset that suggests the land should be left in its "natural state" you're not thinking through this very well. I'm a proud American citizen, and believe in landowner's rights... presuming that they are playing by the rules, which means developing their land according to the local dictates.
The approved project would greatly alter the area. Welcome to real life. Anyone that lives in Wildomar is on land that would have been vacant 130 years ago, and to suggest that your home is ok, but others aren't ok is a waste of everyone's time.
I'm fully in favor of this land being developed. What I'm not in favor of is going off the board, away from the already approved general plan, and seeking to bring something in that is completely out of character for the area.
Do we need a hotel?
Of course we need a hotel. Anyone that suggests driving down to Murrieta, or Lake Elsinore for lodging is acceptable is being ridiculous. I have family that has had to stay in other cities when visiting, and that's embarrassing.
Not to mention the time that my house was flooded and my choice was to take lodging in Murrieta, or hole up in one of the non flooded rooms. The obvious choice would have been to stay in a hotel in my own town. Yes, we need a hotel.
However, we don't need a hotel in that location.
The whole point of a planning commission (and then city council review) is to have well planned development, and not some hodge-podge patchwork quilt looking community because out of town developers built willy-nilly as they pleased.
I'd like to see a show of virtual hands of all those involved that actually live in our city... or even in a neighboring city. My guess is that there are few to none that would fit that description.
Do we need a MOB in that location?
Nothing says "I love you" quite like two overly modern buildings plopped right smack dab in the heart of rural Wildomar... no matter how garish and out of place they are. 🙄
I'd like to see the original plan built as was promised back in 2016. Still, I'm a realist and if the right amount of horse trading can be accomplished (where the city feels like we've gotten an exceptional deal), I could envision accepting the MOB... but to me it would need to be pushed much closer to the freeway compared to what I've seen in the drawings.
Ditch the parking along the freeway, and push the MOB snug up against it first, then come talk to me.
But I'd only agree to that if most of the original retail was included, and slated to be built before the MOB... or at least concurrently.
I just hope that the PC and the CC understand that they are in the driver's seat, and let the applicant come with hat in hand... and not the other way around.
To quote a friend of mine, there's a double whammy by bringing in a MOB and removing retail
Retail generates sales taxes, and with the additional 1 penny per dollar added by 2018's Measure AA that is a significant amount of money.
An MOB costs the city money in emergency services. I don't have the figures with me, and hopefully they'll be part of the staff report at the meeting, but the city saved a large amount of money when Kaiser's Urgent Care left town for Murrieta.
Removing a revenue generator for a something that will cost emergency services funds seems like an easy no vote to me.
UPDATE
This site will NOT have urgent care, so the concern about emergency costs is moot.
How about the hotel?
Hotels can generate TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax), but that's only when a room is rented. I don't have any studies that include Wildomar, but have seen one from Murrieta that suggested we already have enough lodging in the general area as to not support the need for more rooms at this time.
I mentioned earlier that we do need a hotel in Wildomar. One is already approved (without a vendor that is) just north of Cornerstone Church on Monte Vista Drive.
There is another pad that's a perfect location for a hotel and it's not near residential areas. It's just south of city hall, and east of Los Reyes restaurant.
I've been hearing about this location since the day I started attending city meetings back in 2013.
I'm sorry that the developers haven't figured out how to market their approved project after all these years, but their bad business practices burden shouldn't be placed on the community of Wildomar's shoulders to carry.
What can you do?
If you'd like to have your voice heard (pro or con) about this project I see two options for you.
First, write an email and ask that it be delivered to the city council. It will be coming to the city council in the November meeting. You can ask for it to be distributed to the planning commissioners too, but that window is closing fast.
Second, you can participate with a public comment. The meetings are zoom based at the moment and that means you just need to log on and ask to speak. It's not that difficult, and don't be nervous... we're all neighbors and your views are appreciated.
One last thought about the management group haphazardly piloting this ill fated development
For years they've refused to fence their property which has lead to it being perennially known as Baxter Off Road Track... plus the Baxter Village free dump.
I don't measure if a person is a nice guy by the number of teeth they display in a smile, that measurement is determined by how good of a community member they are in practice.
I've seen no demonstrable reason to categorize them as good neighbors. I get it, they're a business venture and they're there for the bottom line... I just hope the powers that be can also recognize the obvious.
If they were there for the community they wouldn't be seeking to put in a five story monstrosity hotel in that location, that will end up being the sorest thumb sticking out for miles around, and they would have fenced their property like the field immediately to the south did more than 10 years ago.
Oops, I may have gotten a bit opinionated in this blog... but I'm not done... look what's coming next. 😲
Special Bonus Segment
Below you'll find letters from the community that were sent into the planning director. They can be found in the agenda packet.
I'll remove the letter writer's names because below is a crash course on how NOT to write to people.
Seriously, whoever wrote this garbage should be ashamed on so many different levels that it's not even funny.
I've copied and pasted them as they were in the agenda packet.
---
Jasmine if you don't live in wildomar. Keep you and your stupid money grubbing ideas that don't
even fit this area in San Diego.i personally know several people in wildomar that are real residence
here .wildomar elementary ELSINORE Jr hi .elsinore hi 46 + years born and raised .wgo would not
welcome you or any of your family members HERE in this community.especially if you do not actually
live hear .bug off girl .how EVER if you do live here you were actually born and raised hear you mom
and dad are actually real homesteaders here then I st and corrected.BUT A.HOTEL ARE YOU SERIOUS
ARE YOU SOME SORT OF ANTI GREEN FREAK WHO ENJOYS DESTROYING BEAUTIFUL OPEN LAND TO
BRING MORE DRUG ADDICTS WHO LOCK THEM SELVES IN HOTEL ROOMS DO DO THEIR PERVERTED
CRAP WITH UNDERAGED KIDS .YOU MUST HAVE $$$$ SIGNS ON YOU BRAIN.YOU ACTIONS
THROUGH YOU IDEAS SPEAK FOR THEM SELVES.YOU HAVE NO REAL INTERESTS. IN WHATS GOOD
AND FITS IN HERE
---
Hello Mathew.my comment was referring to the Baxter road medical Center and hotel .this is
my home I don't mean BORN else were then moved here .this has wildomar people passed off
.and I mean pissed off ...hotel bull crap medical center ..this valley has plenty of medical. So
the counsel members want to invite added pour air quality .and add more undue and
undeserved mental stress due to heavy traffic.some are already exasperated with the bullcrap
heavy traffic as it is .when MC donaldss started to prep for their mission. Location. Way back
in the day several of the residence. From grand ave and all around the lake sedco wildomar
.disruped for months progress on the site .removing survey stakes bench marks elevation hubs
Time after time after time popping heavy equip tires time after time.damaging cooling system
and hydraulic systems time after time on the heavy equip.removing stake on foundation forms
time after time untieing REBAR steel in footings time after time. The dirt work contractor
pulled his heavy equipment off the job after spending thousands on tire replacement and
replacing cooling system and hydraulic line and hydraulic pumps . who's pocket get lined. IV
been in the construction trade well over 40 yrs many of my friends are general contractors and
couple are developers .i fully and completely understand the games played pockets being lined
disregard for over enveloping the community with reckless disregard for residence peace of
mind by creating undue and undeserved mental stress to in tire families from young to old for
the sakeOF a greedy for gain MENTALITY.there are many people with their horses and small
animal farms . build an EQUESTRIAN center combo comunity center slash spots park instead
of a bunch of dam strangers sleeping In a motel driving back and forth all hours of the nite
disrupting what peace and quiet wildomar has left. The developer most likely live on a big
peace of land .no immediate neighbors nice and peacefull no light pollution. He probably has a
little machine that his nanny uses to remove the paper off the toiltel paperrolls then it replaces
100 dollar bills on it so his brat grand kids can wipe their asses with 100 dollar bills after they
have a bowel movement.rich money greedy people ruining the natural environmental a
DIFFERENT community other than their .people are tired of it can't y'all see the unrest in our
country right now massive protests dam liters and rioters.by the hundreds of
thousands.wildomar dosent want or need unrest added air pollution added undue undeserved
mental stress cause by heavy traffic. I had to use rough language to get this point properly
expressed hepe wildomar keep the peace
---
Like we don't have enough pour air quality and traffic problems as it is .so bassi how much
money is the developer want to line you and your families pocket with.screw the developer
and his family members peace of mind AND I MEAN EVERY MEMBER FROM THE
VERY OLDEST TO THE VERY YOUNGEST.THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT
OUR PEACE OF MIND AND MENTAL HEALTH .MORE TRAFFIC WILL
ABSOULUTLY CAUSE ADDED MENTAL STRESS TO WILDOMAR
RESIDENCE.YOU WANT MAJOR PROTESTS IN OUR PEACEFULL CITY .FINDING
OUT WHERE THE DEVELOPERS PRIVATE RESIDENCE IS CAN BE VERY EASY
TO LOCATE FOR THE SOUL PURPOSE OF DISRUPTING HIS FAMILIES PEICE OF
MIND. AND MENTAL HEALTH .WEEKLY HARASSMENT OF HIS FAMILIES
PEACE AND QUIET.LET SEE HOW HE LIKES IT .HOWEILL HIS FAMILY
MEMBERS LIKE THEIR PEACE OF MIND AND QUIET DISRUPTED .ASK HIM
.HEAVY EQUIPMENT CONTRACTOR WOULD BE AXASTERBATED WITH
THOUSANDS IN TIRE REPLACEMENT AND COOLING SYSTEM REPAIR COST
AND HYDRALIC REPLACEMENT COST LEAVE THE WILDOMAR PEOPLE
ALONE.MR DEVELOPER STAY HOME GO SOME WHERE ELSE
---
If I'm wrong, and you think the emails above are pretty cool and make logical and reasonable points... yikes! Seriously folks, it's not that difficult to be nice and treat each other with some dignity while making a cogent point.
If you think I'm a jerk for pointing out the obvious, then put "vote against Joseph" on your bucket list.
• • •
I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. – Harriet Tubman Wildomar Rap pulls all weeds except purslane... that's a superfood and tastes pretty good sautéed with onions and garlic in olive oil. Wild mustard too.
This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links).Link to proper format.
First thing you need to know is that this just a notice, nothing has been brought to the Planning Commission or City Council, and certainly NOTHING has been approved.
What's your opinion. Does this look like Wildomar to you?
Jump down a few paragraphs to where you see the words Proposed Project:for the details. If you're you have questions or concerns or simply hate it because that's your right as an American, I encourage you to take a few moments and compose an email, sending it to Planning Director Matt Bassi. Conversely, if you love the idea, or are just so-so about it, send an email making those points. This is your chance to participate. You have a whole month (Due no later than May 7th), and considering that most of us will be cooped up most of that time, you have NO excuse. Write an email even if it's just to say, "Hello, how's it going?"
All the drawings are preliminary, but looks like they didn't consult the Wildomar design guidelines before punching this up on the computer.
Below is the NOP we all received as an email. (you are signed up for such emails aren't you?)
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY FOR PUBLIC REVIEW OF A NOTICE OF PREPARATION (NOP) FOR A SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
Orientation of the proposed buildings. This is part of several images found at the web address below.
A Notice of Preparation (NOP) has been prepared by the City of Wildomar for the revised Baxter Village Mixed-Use project (Plot Plan No. 14-0002-R1) Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR). The NOP is available for public review and can be downloaded from the City of Wildomar website at
The purpose of this NOP is to fulfill legal notification requirements, and to inform the public and Responsible and Trustee Agencies that a SEIR is being prepared for the proposed Revised Baxter Mixed-Use project (Plot Plan No. 14-0002-R1).
This NOP solicits agency and interested party concerns regarding the potential environmental effects of implementing the proposed Project.
Proposed Project:The proposed project would eliminate the approved 75,000 square-foot retail center in order to permit the construction of an 84,000 square-foot (3-story, 50-foot high) outpatient medical office building (MOB) on 7.2 acres, and the construction of a 102-room (5-story, 50-foot high) hotel building on 2.4 acres. The approved residential planning areas of the project will remain as originally approved. While a single proposal for processing by the City, the proposed project requires two (2) distinct development actions described as follows:
1)Plot Plan – The proposal requires approval of a single Plot Plan for the entire project site with updated conditions of approval for the proposed medical office building (MOB) and hotel development (APN: 367-180-057).
2)Parcel Map – The project will require approval of a Parcel Map to subdivide the commercial parcel into two parcels, one each for the hotel and MOB.
I added the green highlight to these images. Isn't it easier to spot the key points?
The City has determined that the following environmental topic areas will be discussed in the SEIR as the proposed project may lead to new or more significant environmental effects when compared to the original project: Air Quality; Greenhouse Gases; Hydrology and Water Quality; and Transportation.
Using the certified EIR as a base, the SEIR will revise only those portions of the environmental analysis that would be affected by the proposed project. Mitigation measures from the certified EIR will be applied to the proposed project as appropriate and may be modified by the new analysis.
The CD to this NOP includes the DEIR, FEIR, Appendices, and approved Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) of the certified EIR, as well as the project applications, development plan package, and technical studies for the proposed project. Except as modified by the analysis in the SEIR, all of the measures in the existing MMRP will be included in the SEIR.
Based on the time limits defined by CEQA Guidelines, this Public Notice is posted to officially notify the public, public agencies, responsible and trustee agencies, that the required 30-day public review period will commence on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 and conclude on Thursday May 7, 2020. Any written comments (via email or letter) on the NOP must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on May 7, 2020.
It was first known as Baxter Crossing, then Baxter Village... I wonder if they know the road's name has been changed or not? I'm using an old graphic, that's why the street names are off here.
Written comments may be mailed to Matthew C. Bassi, Planning Director, City of Wildomar Planning Department, 23873 Clinton Keith Road, Suite 201, Wildomar, CA 92595. Email comments can be sent to mbassi@cityofwildomar.org.
The June planning commission meeting came with no decisions that the average Wildomartini will ever notice. There were four items on the agenda... and the last item just sought input, and no decision was issued. The first three were known as "zone consistency" changes where land that is already being used according to the General Plan Land Use Map were being rezoned to match the GP. But let's start at the top of the meeting with public comments. There were two. • Ken Mayes asked why are we still building, issuing permits, when the state has said we are in a severe drought condition. He also spoke about the general plan, and that he wants the city to update it with input from current residents. • Paul Hayes asked about Baxter Village and what's its status. If you're unsure what, and or where, Baxter Village is, click the keyword at the bottom of the blog.
After the meeting I had a chance to talk to Paul, and he just was curious as to what the hold up has been with that project... and honestly, I'd like to know too. This isn't a city/city council/planning commission/city staff issue, it's a developer issue. Anyone else remember how many years that Wildomar Square's developer(s) dragged their feet before that place got up and running? This is on the developer(s) here, and why they would bother to go through all the pain of getting a large project approved, to then just sit on it, is baffling to me. But it's their money, and they can use it how they best see fit. We just don't have to be all hunky-dory about it. The part of the project's limbo status that bothers me most is that they don't maintain the property to the standards that I'd like to see. First, the grove of eucalyptus trees need to be maintained so that it doesn't become another homeless encampment. There is already evidence that at least one person lives among the olive trees there.
There is nothing nice about those trees, unless you like easy access fire hazards with untrimmed brush that goes right down to ground level, giving ample hiding place for a future homeless hangout.
Also, it's an easy-to-reach dumping ground, and they need to put in serious barricades to keep people from being able to drive in there. About two weeks ago I saw that impediments were placed on the dirt road to keep people out, and about five days later the path was cleared.
The red arrow points to an old tree stump that someone thought would make a impenetrable barrier... ummm, think again. It was easily moved and access to the property was 'restored' to what it was the week before.
This is the type of thing that we need code enforcement to be hounding the property owners about until they do some lasting work in this regard.
This photo was taken in early April. Let's award a gold star to whoever cleaned up this dumping ground, but it's just going to be whack-a-mole if they don't either fence the place or start building.
Back to the meat of the meeting. There were four items that were all somewhat similar. None of them have any bearing on our day to day lives so I'm not going to [over] elaborate here, but I will add the video of the entire meeting at the bottom of the blog (less the part where my camera malfunctioned during item 2.1 — that was rather vexing. lol). They were somewhat similar because they all dealt with zoning consistency in one way or the other. Properties that are being used as they are allowed in the General Plan, but out of sync with the Zoning Map (such a headache).
Here are a couple of paragraphs from the agenda packet on the issue. When the County of Riverside adopted its General Plan update in 2003, they planned to follow through with a consistency zoning program to rezone all the land in Wildomar that had changed as a result of the update. The County never completed the consistency zoning program, thus, when the City incorporated on July 1, 2008, the city inherited a large number of parcels with inconsistent zoning. Government Code Section 65860(c) states that in the event that a zoning designation becomes inconsistent with a general plan land use designation by reason of an amendment or update to the plan, the zoning map shall be amended within a reasonable time so that it is consistent with the general plan as amended. It now has been 14 years since the 2003 County General Plan was adopted. While the City has been unable financially to prepare its own consistency zoning program for the hundreds of parcels (350+) that are inconsistent, it is a positive benefit to the city when an Applicant proposes to change the zoning at their expense.
Of the three items seeking zoning consistency changes —that you'd ever seen before— is on the east side of the freeway, on an unpaved road called Western Way.
An illustration that was found in the agenda packet indicated the location.
It's a window manufacturing business that is visible on the north side of Baxter. It's really out of the way, and unless you were sightseeing, you could easily have looked right through it.
The arrow points to where the "notice of public hearing" sign was located on the property.
One neighbor spoke his objections to the rezoning, wanting to "keep it residential". Here's the rub, that land is already being used for light industrial purposes, and has been since before we became a city. It's kind of hard to "keep it residential" when it hasn't been for years, and is actually on the GP as Light Industrial. Another zoning consistency item was dealing with a sliver of property behind the westside Starbucks area on an unpaved portion of Stable Lanes Road.
You'll see by the two maps of the same area, that the area is designated as commerical retail (red) on the GP, but still has the placeholder designation of R-R on the zoning map.
There are no current plans in the works for this property. Agenda Item #3.1 For as much as this won't actually affect anyone's lives (other than the property owners) this can bog down quickly in the various rules and regulations. Quick note, this was a GPIP. If you're not sure what that is, and want to know, click this link to read a past blog on the topic —it's about halfway down the page.
The current location of Wildomar Storage is L-shaped, and the request would be to include two other parcels to the south so they could upgrade and expand.
First let me include some of the language from the agenda packet: The land use change (and concurrent zone change), if approved, would allow an
existing/dilapidated mini-warehouse storage facility to be replaced with a new self storage
facility meeting all code requirements. The Planning Commission, as part of its comments to City Council, could also
consider the following: • whether allowing the BP land use and M-SC zoning designations at this specific
location is an appropriate and/or logical policy decision? • is redevelopment of the site to allow a new self-storage facility to replace an
existing/dilapidated self-storage facility a good policy decision? • could this land use change result in a “de-facto” policy decision that would
“open the door” for other legal non-conforming self-storage facilities in the
commercial zones to redevelop? If this was empty land, and someone wanted to put in a self storage yard, where it was neither zoned for it, nor part of the General Plan, this would be a slam dunk "NO". However, there ALREADY is a self storage yard there, and they are looking to bring it into the 21st century; the owners have used the term "dilapidated" describing its current condition.
A view from Mission Trail courtesy of Google Maps (2016).
A legitimate concern that was noted by Planning Director Matt Bassi dealt with potential consequences of changing the General Plan. What if the GP gets amended, and the project doesn't go through? Would that then allow for a manufacturing business to locate there? The way the rules are written (passed by the council in 2012), storage yards can't be put into commercial retail areas, they go into areas designated as light industrial with a CUP (Conditional Use Permit). With that 2012 ordinance, it allowed such businesses to exist legally, but restricted them when it came to improving them beyond basic cosmetic upgrades... hence the need to ask for a General Plan Amendment (GPA) now.
Just a preliminary drawing to give a feel of how a rebuilt "Wildomar Storage" could look from Mission Trail.
Without knowing the ins and outs of such minutiae, I'd think it would be a reasonable expectation that any GPA would be wholly contingent on the plans at hand, or it would simply revert back to its existing designation. The problem is, that is far too reasonable, and easy to follow, for that to be how things get done on a governmental level. So I wouldn't be surprised if such a logical solution were to be greeted with titters and guffaws by those that do this for a living. Again, no matter how this gets dealt with by the city council (where it will come before them in July) it's quite preliminary and years away from being anything the rest of us would see, even if "fast tracked".
There was a thread that started with Kenny Mayes' public comment at the front of the meeting, that I touched on when addressing Wildomar Storage's GPIP agenda item, and responded to by Planning Director Matt Bassi. It was about our General Plan, and it having last been updated in 2003 when we were county, and the map redone in 2007 (still before cityhood). In my comment I asked how much it would cost to redo the General Plan. I asked some direct questions, that really weren't part of the item at hand, but Director Bassi still did his best to answer them without any prep time; kudos to him. The questions were: 1) How much would it cost for a whole new General Plan, and or complete zone consistency project? 2) As specifically as you can, please estimate how much time such an endeavor would take to complete... both in actual man hours and in weeks/months 3) Why would it cost that much? Director Bassi's answers begin at the 2:10 mark of the video below. I had another two paragraphs on the backside of my notes that I didn't read at the time, but they'll work here. I ask these questions because I know there isn't a large cash reserve in town, to the point that the city hasn't been able to swap out a $5,000 broken guardrail for more than three years. (my ballpark guess on how much the cost would be) So a million dollar project, on something that isn't pressing, would seem absurd to have pushed to the front of the line, even if it would be nice to have.
Below is a video of the entire meeting as described above.
• • •
A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually. – Abba Eban If "consensus" were a bird, Wildomar Rapwouldn't throw it bread crumbs.
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