• Planning Commission Meeting December 2015

There really wasn't much actual business in tonight's meeting. The agenda had a couple items that were approved by the county, before Wildomar became a city, that needed extensions. One being where the old Brown house was (Grand and McVicar) and the other on Monte Vista north of Cornerstone Church.

The red circle is where a traffic light is slated to go in. 

The only thing noteworthy was the public comment by Gina Castanon, a resident that lives in the area. I've uploaded a video to her 6 minute diatribe, so you can see her points as the rest of those in attendance heard them... a handful even applauded.

Where do I start here?

Do I sympathize with Gina Castanon?

A bit. She was here when Wildomar had a population of under 5000 and she's seen 30,000 people move into what used to be a vacant area. Across from her used to be Rancho Fortunado, a place that used to have a practice track for race horses. That property was still up when I moved here in 2001.

It's been gone for well more than ten years now, and had been slated for housing tracts before The Great Recession. It laid fallow until somewhat recently and is now graded and ready for nearly 200 homes. The project that was in question tonight is west of her home, and will have 108 single family homes, on 35 acres, once it gets built.

People tend to exaggerate when they are passionate, and passionate she was. Here are the parts I had to shake my head at.

• 1:15 of the video she reminds the audience that she was part of the incorporation committee (WIN - Wildomar Incorporation Now).

Let me suggest to all of you that still have this high up on your Curriculum Vitae, please feel free to retire it. It's nice and all, but has very little meaning in the real world.

• 1:26 "This is the most rural area of Wildomar."

Ummm... errrr.... again with the worn out "rural" hooey? Really? There? Take a look at the map at the top of this blog and you'll see that this vacant field is actually out of character with the rest of this part of the city. There are rooftops everywhere but there. 

• 2:35 "The other conditions I'm going to put on this project..."

I'll just chalk that one up to nervousness. She can't really think that she's in a position to dictate to others how their already approved project can be... can she?

• 4:30 "If you do go ahead and pass this extension, you better have some conditions on this project that they need to really work with this community. The city can't afford lawsuit after lawsuit because the planning commission doesn't get the job done."

Ouch... sounds kind of threatening to me. 

• 4:50 "Why don't you work with the community, and the concerns we have, and maybe the lawsuits might go away."

Who says that the planning department, the commission or the council isn't "working with the community" here? 

Like it or not, the people that will be living to the south of you, and also to the west, are ALSO members of the community... or will be so, once the Bekins trucks unload them. 

Their voices will be every bit as important as yours is. I truly love hearing the stories from people that have been in Wildomar for a long time, but the length of your tenure here has no value beyond being able to win at Wildomar Trivial Pursuit. 

I've heard it said more than once before, from others that were on the vaunted WIN Committee that forming a city wasn't to prevent growth, but to have a say in how the city grows. 

The response of the applicant begins at the 6:30 mark of the video. His opening sentence is as follows.

Sometimes this city gets sued unfairly. They get sued by a little cadre of people, who I will not name, but it costs many thousands of dollars to resolve these issues. CV Communities resolved these issues in favor of the city and their project. We are now resolving another issue with another woman who sued the city. Specious lawsuit at best, and we've given them two days to dismiss their case. We're through having the city be bullied.

This item passed by a vote of 4-1 with Commissioner Gary Brown dissenting. Once it was settled the applicant's team, about half a dozen professionals, left the council chambers. Not long after they made it out the glass doors Gina Castanon stormed out and a loud exchange could be heard coming from her aimed at the applicants. They wanted no part of it and headed for their cars.

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The other bits on the agenda didn't have any opposition, being that one was another extension request approved 5-0 and the other were some minor changes to another long dormant project that is on the extreme southwest border of Wildomar and Murrieta.

Tonight was also the night that the Planning Commission chose the Chair and Vice Chair for next year. Usually the current vice chair slides over to Chair, but it looks as if Commissioner Dan Bidwell will be relocating next year. So current Chair, Veronica Langworthy, was nominated by Commissioner Stan Smith to keep the Chair for another year and it was seconded by Commissioner Gary Brown.

Gary Brown was tagged for the Vice Chair position.

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The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have.

― Woody Allen

Wildomar Rap tip of the day: if you're one that wants to angle for flies, remember honey is a better bait than is vinegar. Since most of us aren't interested in catching flies in the 21st century let me restate it. If you want something, try sweetness. No one likes to be wooed with lemon juice.