• Planning Commission Meeting May 2018

There were a couple of items on the agenda worth going over from the May 2018 Planning Commission meeting. I'll also upload all the videos since the installation of the the chamber's video equipment has hit molasses going uphill in Winter speed. 

When it comes to official video at city meetings, the latest rumor suggests that September is when live streaming will start.

Now, if we juxtapose that information against the oft projected release dates of the city's updated website (which was talked about for years before the trigger got pulled), the safe bet is that live streaming will commence some time in Trump's second term... but I digress. 

2.1 Zoning Ordinance Amendment
This item was to help streamline the process where already approved projects seek a time extension before beginning construction.

I've never understood why a company would invest the time and money into a project, to design it and get it all the way through the process, to just sit on it for years and years.

One suggestion is that it can work to their advantage when they're sitting in a CPA's office in April, but that shouldn't be the concern of the city.

A legitimate reason could be downturns in the economy. I get that. The project's funding fell out, and they need more time to find other backers. 

Makes sense... but if after years you still can't scrape together the funds to move forward, then you should feel the heat of the clock ticking, and either break ground or face starting the process over again.

This ordinance is to make the process easier, to save money for the city —in staff time necessary to prepare for such a meeting. Again, seems reasonable to me, but if you listen to the video, at about the 8:45 mark, you'll hear Wildomar Planning Director Matt Bassi say, "... as well as cost savings to the developers."

Sorry, but the developers are the ones that are requesting the city spend time on their projects, and in these cases, long after they were supposed to be built and occupied. If they want an extension of time, mandate that every staff hour be paid for by them. It shouldn't be costing the taxpayers one additional dollar. 
(if that's already the case, then the point is moot to begin with)

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3.2 Extension of Time #3 Planning Commission review and consideration of a 2-year Extension of Time SEC of Bundy Canyon Road and I-15 Freeway

This was an interesting item in so far as when it came time for the vote, no one put a motion forward. There was the longest pregnant pause in human history (literally 20 seconds of dead air) before the silence was broken when Commissioner Langworthy asked, "I just have a question, when was the first extension given for that?"

It almost looked like this might not get approved, then the representative for the developer, Karine Kofdarali, told the commission that they had personnel issues due to health issues and had to start part of the process over.

After her explanation, the commission quickly voted to approve the time extension. For the full item, see the video below.

3.1 Breslin Family General Plan Initiation Proposal

This item took about half an hour. There were three public speakers that spoke their objections, and then the commission weighed in with their objections.

The spokesman for the Breslin family came up and basically threatened that if they didn't go along with this plan, they'd be looking to put in a wrecking yard, boat storage place, or some other such establishment on that land. 
(check the 20:00 minute mark of the video to hear him suggest such things)

Since it's just a GPIP, (and I'm not going to put my Mario and Princess Peach cartoon in this time, but you can click this link if you really want to see it again ☺) which is a bizarre dance where the applicant pokes his toe in the water to see how warm it is, before jumping all in with a formal request for a General Plan Amendment... I'm not going to bother with too many details on something that will never come about.

In short, they wanted to change the General Plan from EDR (Estate Density residential) to MHDR (Medium High Density Residential), or from 1 unit/2 acres 5-8 units/acre.

I counted 26 clusters, which they said would have 6 units apiece... basic math tells us that is 156 units in that area, but that far exceeds the numbers allowed with a MHDR designation.

According to the agenda packet, the project seeks to put between 80 and 134 units on about 17 acres of land... where with the current General Plan, with 1 unit per 2 acres, would allow about 8 units.

I get it, if I were the landowner, I'd want to squeeze as many dollar signs out of each acre too. Thing is, that's why we became a city, so that we would be able to control "spot zoning" attempts like this.

Commission Comments
  •  Veronica Langworthy: Our general plan is Estate Density Residential [in that area]. To change it to a Medium High Density Residential doesn't really fit in with our general plan. Typically we make conformity issues, where the zoning is not in conformity with the general plan, but to make such a drastic change to our general plan is not what I see for Wildomar.
  •  Kim Strong: I agree [with Commissioner Langworthy] we have to stay true to the general plan. There's been times that we've had to stay true to the general plan when we've not necessarily agreed with it, but I think we have to in this case as well.
  •  Michele Thomas: I agree [with the first two comments]. I have big concerns with the traffic study [...] this would be very inconvenient, it's a lot of homes, if they're apartments those are young families generally, they're driving to school. It's not a safe access, there's no way they can walk to school from this location. It's not safe, there're no sidewalks. 
  •  John Lloyd: The houses that surround this property, they have been relying that that area being Estate Density, it goes to Rural Mountainous [Density] afterwards. To put in condominiums in an area that wasn't designed for it, where it doesn't fit, it's not a good fit to me. I don't see it as something that we really need. We don't have a shortage of apartments on the books, at all. [...] I appreciate the time you guys took for the proposal, the sketches and designs, but I couldn't support this. 

3.3 Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2018/19: Planning Commission’s Annual Review of the Public Works Department 2018/19 Capital Improvement Program for General Plan Consistency.

Newsworthy points: 

• Clinton Keith road widening is 100% designed. It's a $7.5M project with about $3.6M ready to spend. Still no start date predicted.
• Palomar widening, the designing is at the 65% complete mark. Looking to phase the project in over time.
• Bundy Canyon interchange. This is a long term project that involves years of planning, dealing with CalTrans.
• New traffic signals associated with Bundy Canyon Road widening. When that goes forward, so will the new signals. 
   •   Bundy Canyon Road @ Sellers Road
   •   Bundy Canyon Road @ Monte Vista Road
   •   Bundy Canyon Road @ Oak Circle Drive
   •   Bundy Canyon Road @ The Farm Road
• Flood control/drainage, please see the video for details on the various items (starting at about the 5:30 mark of the video).
• Parks, next parks workshop will include the newly acquired 11 acres just south of David A. Brown school. 

Let me be the first to suggest that this park be named after the man that made it possible... Charles Tunstall Park has a nice ring to it.

• Trails, the Grand Avenue Multi-Use Trail is complete and the lines on the road will be painted within the next week or two. The city is working on getting the east side of Murrieta Trail opened for public use. Currently only the west side access road is readily available.

It was discussed that Grand Avenue will be striped as a two lane road from Corydon to Clinton Keith, which will affect the current lane count near the stop sign at Sheila. 

By my count, there are currently as many as five lanes at the intersection of Sheila and Grand.

Below is a short video that has the other bits and pieces of the meeting, including public comments. I'd prefer to post videos in chronological order, but that's not what Wildomar Rap is supposed to do... that's the job of the city.

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"Why don't you write books people can read?"
– Nora Barnacle to her husband James Joyce

Wildomar Rap is asked something similar by Mrs. Wildomar Rap at least once a week.

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.

• City Council Meeting August 2017 2.0

I wasn't really sure why there was a need for a second city council meeting in the month of August before the meeting, and after it was concluded, in under an hour, I still can't figure out why the agenda couldn't have been included in the prior or next meeting(s).

At that, I did find a few nuggets of info worth sharing that I gleaned from the meeting.

Public Comments on Non Agenda Items.

On behalf of Wildomar Little League, Mason Ballard presented a plaque of appreciation to the City Council. He and his family are relatively new to Wildomar, but he has shown outstanding levels of alacrity when it comes to The W. 

We need more people like him, and his wife Lisa, stepping up and helping out. In the short video you'll get a feel of his infectious good will as he recites the Little League pledge.

Let's segue to a prediction of the end of the world.

Miss Miller informed us that, according to a youtube video, the world is coming to an end during the month of September... at least that's what I got out of her sermon like comment. 

She also was plugging a demonstration she has planned in Temecula. If you are looking to tap into your inner SJW (Social Justice Warrior), then you'll want to be at Butterfield Square this Saturday night. By the by, she actually walked away from the microphone with 30 seconds left on the clock.

I guess that means she won't be attending the free concert in the park at Marna O'Brien that is slated for the same day and time. D'oh!

If you haven't been on Youtube lately, we have the phenomenal [sic] of the events of Revelations, perhaps culminating September 23rd, 2017. Supposedly the Sun turns black for three hours, the battle of Armageddon as the woman flees into the wilderness begins the tribulation.

I know some of you read the holy book and Revelations, and so the woman in the desert in the prophesy is symbolic of the nations fleeing from the wrath of armed and violent nations, America being the worst.  —Miss Miller, August 30, 2017

Her speech, which had NOTHING to do with the city of Wildomar, went on for another minute but I lost interest after her verbose anti-American barrage (It's an easy bet that Colin Kaepernick is her favorite football player).

I don't like to get religious, because we all have different beliefs, but you opened the door Miss Miller, so I'll walk through it. I was raised with the bible as the center of the family, and I guarantee you that you are NOT Christlike on any level. Give your lame attempts at preaching a rest... or save them for the snakes you've seen "slither from one hole to another hole across the street."  (an actual quote of hers from January 2017, link to blog covering it)

If you'd like to see her dire predictions, as the rest of us did, watch the video below. Always entertaining, and always for the wrong reasons.

Now for something of substance:

The Grand Avenue Multi-Purpose Trail Project is on target to begin in September and be completed by March. The funding for the entire project ($1,080,050.00 was procured through various grants).

Link to March 2016 Blog covering this topic

However, my favorite part of the project, the proposed roundabout at Sheila and Grand, is now on the shelf. Lack of funding is what nixed it. Thing is, now that it's off the table, don't look for it to ever come back to the drawing board.

Who doesn't hate the stop sign that is currently at this intersection?

The only other item of merit that I found interesting is that the State has changed the official term from "Second Unit" to "Accessory Dwelling Unit" (ADU) for something the rest of us call a "Granny Flat" or Casita.

Earlier in the year, the State of California passed a bill aiming to curb unnecessary burdens that local municipalities put in the way of people trying to build such a structure. 

Most of it is laudatory, but the part I couldn't help but get floored by is that the DIF fee (development impact fee) is $12K. 

That's even if the ADU is inside your home. I can picture a lot of people risking a code violation in order to save $12,001 if they're building this within the walls of their home.

I've included the three minute video of Planning Director Matt Bassi's presentation. 

A couple of screen captures stitched together in photoshop.

Business Insider article on the topic of ADU's in California

☺

Now for an "Oh Geesh" moment

During the consent calendar portion of the meeting, agenda items that generally don't need rehashing, five people pulled items. Most were talking about the Grand Avenue Multi-Purpose Trail that will be coming our way.

They all seemed to favor it, but still wanted to kvetch about apparent imperfections in the plans. In my former life I washed windows and there are few things less fresh than the comedian that comes up from the other side of the glass, points to the window and uncorks the very worn out, "Hey, you missed a spot!"

Yes, the dude was very clever and original with that remark (insert eye roll here)... as were the other five guys that had said it earlier that day. 

Hey, we all can find faults in nearly everything if that was our purpose in life, but what the hell benefit would there be in that course of action? 

Thinking outside of the box... if the goal is to repel people, then it's a terrific plan of attack.

The person that I always enjoy watching as she speaks during public comments is WIN Committee original, Gina Castanon. I can't figure her out. Is she nervous or actually as surly as she comes off?

She is also a prime influence in Wildomar's Historical Society, and when I went to one of their events (the yearly ringing of the bell at Wildomar Elementary in 2016) I was threatened with a lawsuit. LOL... but seriously, I just wanted to buy one of those root beer floats y'all were selling. 

After that, I better understood Stan Smith's nickname for that group: 
The Hysterical Society

I've had a few other encounters with her, and each have been almost as inexplicably negative as that one was. 

Which brings us to the point from the meeting. She got borrowed time, for a total of 6 minutes (points to her for only using four and a fraction of them), to complain about parts of the trail that must narrow to 8 feet in certain spots (also known as pinch points) where there just is no wiggle room.

Lo and behold I have video of the July 2016 Trails Meeting that she alluded to and was able to pull out Tim Walker's quote... so there wouldn't be any confusion as to what he actually said.

The long and the short of it was that a trails subcommittee meeting, that should have taken 30 minutes lasted more than 90 minutes... (what's new, right?).

Nearing the end of a tediously long meeting Tim Walker said, "If it comes down to people suing I'll tell you one thing right now, the city council —at least I will vote— to close some of the trails that are pinch points. If I'm afraid that people are going to sue me on a pinch point [...] I'll vote to close the thing."

Tell me again how that isn't reasonable, and the correct way to take care of the city's interests, if unavoidable litigation is hanging in the balance?

Here's a link to the blog discussing it.

I've made two videos on the topic. 

The first has just the salient parts of the issue. Starting with Castanon's claims that Walker's comments were "inappropriate" at last year's subcommittee meeting, and that he "would rather see the trails closed down and avoid litigation if that's going to be a liability issue" (again, as if that would be a bad move if it came down to it). 

Then Tim Walker's response, and a snippet from Mayor Walker dating back to last Summer's meeting. All a bunch of needlessly wasted time, but the types of nonsense that is the usual board of fare at Wildomar city meetings.

Just in case someone wants to accuse W'Rap of giving misleading reports, the second video includes Gina Castanon's entire comment from last night, Tim Walker's response and a response from City Engineer Dan York without edits. You watch, you decide.

The rumor mill has long had it that she is planning on running for city council next year. Could you even imagine it? 

Our city council has been so boring over the years that I've been attending city meetings that I'd find it to be hilariously awesome if she were to run, and exponentially more so if she were to win.

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What is the future? Isn't the future, after all, the fabric we weave out of the strands of the present? So, if you know all the strands, all the threads, and all the stitches, why isn't it possible to foresee the design? 

– EG Marshall (CBSRMT 1974)

Wildomar Rap reminds you that if you knew the future, such as who was going to run for city council next year, life would be pretty boring.

• Trails Subcommittee Meeting July 2016

I don't make a lot of the subcommittee meetings and this was the first Trails Subcommittee meeting I've attended. 

It started at 3:00pm and I was sure it was going to be opened and closed within half an hour, but life is always full of surprises.

I'd checked the agenda and it had 4 basic items on it. 

Hint, all were dealing with trails.

The only one that was newsworthy was item 4, which was an update on the Grand Avenue Project.

Click link to get more project details and pictures
  

Artist rendering of Grand Avenue after the project is complete.

This project is still on schedule and after the meeting I asked Public Works Director/City Engineer Dan York about it.

They hope to encumber the monies by the end of December and work should be starting in the first quarter of 2017. 

A traffic signal at the middle school is still part of the project, funding not coming from the city, and the roundabout at Sheila and Grand is still part of the project.

___________________________________

So what made a ho hum Trails Subcommittee last 90+ minutes? 

Public Comments of course.

Now don't get me wrong, public comments are the backbone of our democracy. What isn't the backbone of our democracy is the same people speaking on every topic. 

Some with borrowed time - upping their filibusters to 6 minutes.

You know, most of the city council is adept with email, and you can very easily get your views to them ahead of time... but I'm guessing that would take half the fun out of it.

The only thing missing from this matinee of horror was Wildomar's renowned warbler, Miss Miller. Had she attended, the meeting could have eclipsed two hours and with nary a difference for the trouble.

As it was, the constant cat calls from the audience more than made up for her absence. They must think they are smarter than the elected officials and the educated professionals too. 

The funny thing is that none of them, well almost none of them, ever think to actually represent the city from the other side of the dais. 

Is it because they'd have NO CHANCE at ever winning, or being appointed? Or is it that they love the power of wagging their finger in other people's faces? Who knows, who cares.

Though subcommittee meetings are less formal than regularly scheduled city council, and planning commission meetings, is it too much to ask for at least a modicum of decorum from the peanut gallery in the future?

My favorite part of the meeting was when a public speaker would go up to speak, and demonstrate that they weren't listening in the first place. 

One instance had a former trail czar think that bike lanes had been proposed on the Justin Hunt Memorial Trail.

Which had Dan York remind those in attendance, "No one ever mentioned, or intimated, that the Justin Hunt Memorial Trail was going to be anything more than a multipurpose trail; the bikes will stay on grand avenue."

The Justin Hunt Memorial Trail is behind the development known as Windstone Ranch.

The same guy then lamented that if the trails aren't wide enough in spots that the city would probably get sued in the future. 

Which led to this response from Subcommittee Chairman Tim Walker, "If it comes down to people sueing I'll tell you one thing right now, this city council —or at least I will vote— to close some of the trails that [have] pinch points. If I'm afraid that people are going to sue [us] on a pinch point because they went from ten feet down to seven, because that's all we had, and it was a trail and it was designated a trail, I will vote to close the thing, and it'll be that simple."

Another example of this was when a person went up to the podium to ask who was going to pay to maintain a future set of parks that are due to come in with some anticipated developments off of McVicar. 

4.6 and 6.6 acre future parks that will also work as trailheads.

Had that person been listening to Dan York's presentation, they would have heard him say that it was going to be taken care of by CFDs (Community Facilities Districts) with each development paying the city to maintain them. 

Although I don't think the staff would agree with me, I found it to be very entertaining... and the air conditioning was set lower than I have at home so it was a win-win no matter how silly it got.

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Fate is the friend of the good, the guide of the wise, the tyrant of the foolish, the enemy of the bad.



—William R. Alger, 1822-1905

Wildomar Rap enjoys the process of spending monies more than encumbering them.

• Grand Avenue Bike and Multi-purpose Trail Improvements

At last week's city council meeting, agenda item 3.1, Grand Avenue Bike and Multi-purpose Trail Improvements, seemed like it deserved it's own blog. 

Almost a year ago, about a dozen or so citizens, and city staffers, rode from city hall to Grand and Corydon to see first hand the existing conditions for peds and cyclists. 

I can tell you after that ride that the current road is not bicycle friendly to old guys over 50.

Here's a link to the blog discussing it.

The first mention this project got in Wildomar Rap dates back to 2013.

This project has been in the works for a couple of years now, and would not have had a chance to see the light of day if not for the diligent work of Assistant City Manager Dan York.

An overview of Grand adjacent to David A. Brown middle school, looking north.

The project will be installing bike lanes on both sides of the street and a multipurpose trail on the lower southwesterly portion of Grand.

Below is a look at the different funding sources for the project.

Currently the city has about $3.66M at the ready, and the overall project that Dan York has in mind runs about $6M. He's still working on the additional funding for it. 

There are still a few hurdles to deal with regarding encroachments in the public right of way. In the past, when adding sidewalks in town, no one had to move their fences to make room, but in this case a few residents will have to move their fences.

In the project is a proposed roundabout/traffic circle at Grand and Sheila. I for one look forward to this improvement since that stop sign is about the biggest waste of time of its kind. 

In the ten years that it's been there, I think I've seen cross traffic less than half a dozen times, and I used to use that road five times a week.

Gotta love that artist's rendering... but I'm thinking that in real life, those trees on the right will be an issue.

Below is a look at what the finished project is going to look like.

One thing that is missing, according to Dan York, is a consistent black pavement that a new project should have. 

His idea is to fix all the pavement repairs throughout that section, put a nice slurry seal coat over it, then paint the lines.

Like he said, "That's a goal. I can't promise you we're going to get there [but we're going to give it our all]."

Last for this project, though there wasn't a slide for it, were improvements to the entrance of the middle school. At a recent meeting with the LEUSD, the district agreed to realign the entrance with a nearby cross street. (Willow Bay if my notes are accurate).

What was missing was installing a traffic signal. The school district was hoping that the city would shoulder that responsibility, but the city reminded them that student safety was the school district's responsibility.

The hope is to have the traffic signal in by December, but it's only a goal at this point. Without funding, nothing gets done. If this issue concerns you, perhaps you can contact the school district and make your feelings known.

Though there is a hope that construction could start as early as August, realistically it may be closer to October. Again, a lot hinges on the funding sources. 

One way or another, Dan York anticipates construction beginning before the end of the year.

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Well, maybe my children like running wild in the street. Did that ever occur to you?

— Caracticus Potts (Dick Van Dyke, C.C.B.B.)

If Wildomar Rap was a TV show, it would be a Netflix Original and not available on HULU.