BACKGROUND:
In 1982, prior to its annexation into the City of Cathedral City, two owners of vacant land west of Date Palm Drive, south of Varner Road, executed and recorded Declarations of Dedication granting the County of Riverside a 40-foot-wide public street and public utility easement along the south ends of their properties for an access road. At that time, the County did not accept the offers nor were the access roads accepted into the County maintained road system. The access road described in the Declarations remained unimproved, and no development took place on the parcels.
When the Rio Vista-Verano subdivision was approved in the early 2000’s, the subdivider executed an agreement with the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), in which he agreed to provide and construct a potable water reservoir in the area southwest of Date Palm Drive and Varner Road, as part of the CVWD area-wide potable water system, and as a supplement to the potable water system supplying the Rio Vista-Verano tracts.
This agreement required the acquisition of lands for the reservoir and access road and their construction after a limited number of residential water meters were issued in the Rio Vista-Verano developments. The Verano developer has acquired the land for the reservoir and access road easements and has approved plans and specifications for the required reservoir construction. The developer is now commencing the construction phase of the potable water reservoir.
DISCUSSION:
On June 8, 2022, the City executed an Agreement with the former owner/developer of the undeveloped portions of Rio Vista-Verano, in which the City agreed to cooperate with the developer in the construction of the reservoir by agreeing to accept the reservoir access road as a public street and to accept its maintenance upon its improvement.
The necessary rights of way for the reservoir access road have all been acquired, as shown on the attached sketch. Construction plans for the reservoir access road have been approved by the City and CVWD and construction of the potable water reservoir will begin soon.
Status of Access Road Right of Way:
There are seven parcels, including the reservoir parcel itself, where access road right way was required to reach the potable water reservoir site. Two Declarations of Dedication were recorded by landowners of three parcels in 1982, for a 40-foot-wide public road and public utility easement. This area was still in unincorporated Riverside County at the time, and the County did not accept the offer nor was the road accepted for maintenance by the County. It remains unimproved. These parcels were subsequently annexed into the City in 1988.
One other parcel, subdivided by Parcel Map 30726 in 2017, fronting on Date Palm Drive, has an offer of dedication of a 40 ft wide road, designated on the parcel map as Lot “F”. This offer of dedication was rejected by the City Council when the Final Map was approved.
Two other access road easements were acquired by the Rio Vista-Verano developers and have been granted to and accepted by the City. One final access road easement on the reservoir parcel has been acquired and accepted by CVWD.
In accordance with the City’s June 2022 agreement, the City is to accept the two Declarations of Dedication and the offer of dedication of Lot “F” of Parcel Map 30726, and to accept the maintenance of the access road upon its improvement.
As cited, prior Lot “F” was rejected at the time of the Final Map approval, but pursuant to the State Subdivision Map Act, such an offer can be rescinded and accepted at a later date by the passage of an appropriate resolution.
A Resolution has been prepared which accepts the two Declarations of Dedication as well as the rejected offer of dedication of Lot “F” of Parcel Map 30726. The Resolution stipulates that the reservoir access road will not be accepted into the City street system for maintenance until the reservoir access road is satisfactorily completed to City standards, and the Director of Engineering/Public Works so certifies this to the City Clerk. The City Clerk is then authorized to accept the reservoir road for maintenance pursuant to City Ordinance 398, enacted as Section 14.36.010 of the Municipal, Code (copy attached).
Staff is requesting that the City Council adopt the Resolution making the findings and accepting the Declarations of Dedication recorded on February 3, 1982; rescinding the previously rejected offer of dedication of Lot “F” of Parcel Map No. 30726; accepting the dedication of Lot “F”; and accepting the reservoir access road granted by said Declarations of Dedication and on Lot “F” of Parcel Map No. 30726, into the City maintained street system, subject to their improvement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There will be an additional annual expense to the Public Works Department due to the maintenance of this new access road once it is improved and accepted. This cost will be integrated into the future FY Public Works roadway maintenance biennial budgets.