2023 Annual Progress Report
for the
Murrieta General Plan 2035
CITY COUNCIL
Lori Stone, Mayor
Cindy Warren, Mayor Pro Tem
Ron Holliday
Jon Levell
Lisa DeForest
City Manager
Kim Summers, City Manager
Ivan Holler, Assistant City Manager
Development Services Department
David Chantarangsu, AICP, Development Services Director Jarrett Ramaiya, Deputy Director
Carl Stiehl, City Planner
INTRODUCTION
This General Plan Annual Progress Report, hereafter referred to as APR and/or Report, is being prepared to comply with Government Code Section 65400. The purpose of the Report is to inform the local legislative body (City Council) and the State Office of Planning and Research (OPR) on the status of the City’s General Plan and progress in its implementation.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT
The Development Services Department (DSD) is tasked with preparing, updating and amending the General Plan. In addition, DSD implements the City’s Development Code, and coordinates the review and approval of development applications, specific plans and special studies. DSD also functions as the staff liaison to various commissions and committees, including:
Planning Commission
Development Advisory Group (DAG)
Murrieta Housing Authority (City Council)
Additionally, DSD staff, along with other departments are involved with regional planning efforts:
Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) Technical Advisory Committees SCAG RHNA Subcommittee
SCAG Housing Policy Leadership Academy
Lasting Affordability Grants Advocacy Group
GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION:
On July 7, 2020 a focused update of the General Plan was approved by the City Council. The General Plan was last comprehensively updated in July of 2011. That update, referred to as General Plan 2035, was done to comply with State law, which requires that local jurisdictions adopt a General Plan and keep the document current with Federal, State and local laws. The General Plan goals and policies reflect the long range vision of the community; including elected officials, staff and the public. The most recent update in 2020 included Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) implementation, an update to the Climate Action Plan (CAP) as well as land use changes to preserve open space and implementation of a new land use designation and zone, Innovation.
The Office of Planning and Research (OPR) provides guidelines for preparing the General Plan, for complying with Government Planning, and a Guide to complying with legal requirements for Tribal consultations. The City of Murrieta chose to update the General Plan to provide the goals and policies for economic development as the national, state, and local economies recover from the great recession and in order to implement VMT and to update the CAP. OPR also provides a “Strategy for Sustainable Communities Guidelines” to assist local communities in developing policies that encourage sustainable development and comply with new regulations requiring GHG reductions, and adoption of sustainable policies and programs to meet those requirements.
The General Plan 2035 update was implemented, in part, to put the City into compliance with new State laws such as Assembly Bill (AB) 32 for greenhouse gas reduction, and Senate bill (SB) 375, which requires a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). SB 375 requires Regional Planning Agencies like the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to develop an SCS that integrates Regional Transportation Planning, and local planning efforts to meet the State requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. The updated CAP provided an updated baseline year of 2016, emission forecasts for 2030, 2035 and 2050 with emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 in line with the more recent State targets. Moving forward into 2024 the City is planning for a cleanup of the General Plan as additional changes have happened in State law since 2020 and the City has annexed a new area in late 2022, Murrieta Hills Specific Plan. Updates are planned for the CAP as well.
The Housing Element is a required element of the General Plan regulated by its own sections of applicable State Law. The most recent Housing Element for the 2021-2029 (6th) housing cycle was adopted by the City Council June 6, 2023 and certified by HCD on October 26, 2023. The City continues to move forward with implementing Housing Element Policy Actions and Programs, including the recently adopted Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Residential Objective Design Standards to facilitate multi-family residential development. More detailed information on Housing Element implementation is included in the Housing APR attached to this report.
Existing General Plan:
The General Plan is currently organized with the following chapters:
01 - Introduction
02 - Vision
03 - Land Use Element
04 - Economic Development Element
05 - Circulation Element
06 - Infrastructure Element
07 - Healthy Community Element
08 - Conservation Element
09 - Recreation and Open Space Element
10 - Air Quality Element
11 - Noise Element
12 - Safety Element
13 - Housing Element
14 - Implementation Plan
The General Plan 2035 prepared in 2011 was drafted as a comprehensive update of the 1994 General Plan, and contains the required seven elements, Economic Development, Healthy Community and Air Quality Elements. Recreation and Open Space are combined into a single element. The City’s CAP as part of the General Plan EIR includes measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) as the City continues to build out. Each City department and division is annually requested to provide a list of actions taken and/or programs developed, which implement the policies in the General Plan related to these elements. Examples from those lists of implementation tasks in process or completed during the year 2023 are listed below under each element.
Land Use Element Chapter 3:
Assisted with approving additional City funding for affordable housing development of the Oak View Ranch Project on the City-owned Adams Ave. property.
Issued all necessary permits and broke ground on the Oak View Ranch Apartments, a 200 Unit Affordable Apartment complex with an integrated Boys & Girls Club and other amenities.
Issued all necessary permits and broke ground on the Monamos Terrace Apartments, 140 Unit Affordable Apartment complex on Los Alamos.
Approval of the entitlement for the Jefferson JPI Apartments project, 851 Unit multi-family residential development on Jefferson.
Additional residential developments were entitled, approved and/or permitted, refer to the attached Housing APR for Building Permits Issued and Finaled and Residential Projects Entitled in the year 2023.
Economic Development Element Chapter 4:
Business Retention and Expansion:
Assisted the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort with clearing Building & Safety, Environmental & Fire hurdles to work towards early 2024 grand opening.
Solicited and accepted RFP for design work related to the U.S. Department of Commerce $3 million grant to build a wet lab, dry lab, and creative office space in the Murrieta Innovation Center. Design work was completed in November 2023.
Assisted new owners of Village Walk commercial center with tenant acquisition.
Assisted multiple hotel groups in site selection, including one that has completed a Purchase and Sale Agreement in the Office Research Park Zone to assist hospitals with medical tourism needs.
Hosted two Job Fairs in Murrieta.
Celebrated many new restaurant openings, including:
El Patron
Wingstop
Tijuanazo
Wingz & Mi.
Aerostat Creamery
The Cajun Trap Seafood
Goi Thai
Dickey’s Pit BBQ
Blaze Pizza
Recruited new restaurants to the City, including Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop.
Assisted Home Depot with their entitlement process to locate in The Orchard.
Worked with large destination entertainment user in site selection within Murrieta.
Assisted multiple grocers in site selection.
Worked with BioTech Development Group on a submittal to build new medical space in the City.
Continued work on “Murrieta Money Match Shop Local Campaign” for both retail and restaurants.
Assisted well known exotic sports car dealer with the selection of final undeveloped site in our Automall.
Assisted Bravo Auto Collection in back-filling former Auto Gallery Mitsubishi dealer site.
Assisted CryoQuip with expansion plans on current location.
Assisted Walmart with application for 50K sq.ft. expansion on current location.
Assisted CarMax with application for multi-acre expansion adjacent to current site.
Assisted Hotel Developer with acquisition of Sapphire property to build a two hotel project.
Economic Development Opportunities:
Planned for new water and road infrastructure in the Madison Corridor, in part utilizing ARPA funds, to create the opportunity for developing a dense job corridor west of I-15, east of Jefferson and south of Murrieta Hot Springs Road.
Tourism has increased with the new resort opening in 2024 which will bring another 500,000 visitors a year through Murrieta and will increase spending throughout the city with an anticipated $50M in economic impacts in the first year alone.
Circulation Element Chapter 5:
Pedestrian Safety Enhancements program continued with various curb ramps and crosswalks improvements.
Awarded CIP for traffic signal at Washington and Weeping Willow.
Facilitated Downtown Night Market Events signage and barricades twice a month.
Infrastructure Element Chapter 6:
Continued work on Recycled Water Retrofit Program with Rancho Cal Water District.
Performed ongoing stormdrain and stormwater maintenance and cleanup as needed with winter 2023 storms and impacts from record rains.
Healthy Community Element Chapter 7:
For 2023, successfully hosted many large-scale events for the community to be healthy:
4/1/23 and 4/2/23 – Provided assistance for the annual Tour de Murrieta. 4/8/23 – Facilitated Egg Hunt and Recreation Expo at Town Square Park Amphitheater. 4/15/23 – Facilitated Murrieta Fire & Rescue’s 76th anniversary Firefighters Barbeque at Town Square Park. 5/29/23 – Organized Memorial Day Ceremony held at Town Square Park. 6/17/23 – Held Father’s Day Car Show at California Oaks Sports Park. 6/24/23 – Coordinated Murrieta’s 32nd Birthday Bash with concerts and fireworks. 7/1/23, 7/8/23, 7/15/23, 7/22/23, and 7/29/23 - Coordinated Concerts in the Park at Town Square Park. 7/21/23 and 7/28/23 - Coordinated Movies in the Park at Town Square Park and Mapleton Park. 9/11/23 – Organized 9/11 the 22nd anniversary 9/11 observance ceremony. 10/6/23 – 10/7/23 - Supported Murrieta’s Rod Run in Downtown Murrieta. 10/8/23 – Supported the annual Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk for breast cancer awareness at Town Square Park. 10/28/23 – Coordinated alongside Murrieta Police Department the annual Trunk or Treat, concert, and laser show event at Town Square Park Amphitheater.
From 11/4/23 through 11/12/23 – Hosted the annual Field of Honor festivities at Town Square Park. 11/11/23 – Organized the annual Veterans Day Parade.
12/2/23 – Held the annual tree lighting event at Town Square Park.
From 12/4/23 through 12/7/23 and 12/11 through 12/14/23 – Coordinated the “Santa Stops” around the City. 12/9/23 – Supported the annual Project 99 teen suicide education and prevention 5K run/walk.
The City continued to implement the innovative and inclusive programming at the library:
Children’s Library Expansion Project milestones completed:
Targeted Community Input Meetings in July – August 2023 Preliminary Design Completed in November 2023
Community input gathered for upcoming Library Strategic Plan:
Online Community Survey conducted in April - June 2023
Community SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) analysis and visioning session conducted in June 2023.
Provided 50 storytimes that assist early learners with cognitive, physical, and language development through social interaction.
Provided 40 Library for All programs for adults with disabilities.
Awarded $159,345 in grant funds from various grant programs.
Inspiration Grant - $20,000 from the California State Library to fund the expansion of Library for All programs for patrons with disabilities, including programs for children, teens, and adults.
Lunch at the Library - $11,700 from the California State Library to fund pop-up library programs at Murrieta Valley Unified School District’s 2024 summer meal site at Murrieta Elementary.
E-Books for All - $40,000 from the California State Library to fund e-book and e-audiobook purchases on the Palace Project platform.
Community Improvement Designation Grant – $25,900 from the Riverside County Third District Supervisor’s Office to fund new furniture for the Children’s Area expansion project.
Zip Books - $26,745 from the California State Library to fund patron-driven collection development for new books not in the Library’s collection.
Solar Eclipse Glasses – Received 2,000 solar eclipse glasses from STAR Net.
Park Pass Grant Round 2 - $35,000 from the California State Library to fund outdoor learning stations.
Completed several grant projects and programs from grants awarded in 2022:
California Sustainable Libraries Grant - $30,000 from the California State Library Earth Day Celebration
Completed the design and installation of a pollinator demonstration garden Seed Library Expansion - $18,050 from the California State Library Zip Books - $21,128 from the California State Library
Park Pass Grant Round 1 - $3,500 from the California State Library to fund nature activity kits.
Conducted annual Summer Reading Challenge: a reading incentive program.
Reading program participants: 2,283
Books read by participants: 24,578
Take-Home kits distributed: 1,091
# of in-person library programs: 38
# of in-person library program participants: 2,312
Increased the number of State Park passes available for checkout from six (6) to thirty-five (35). The park passes are vehicle-day passes that provide free access to over 200 parks, lakes, beaches, and monuments in the State Parks system.
Expanded the Library of Things collection of available museum and park passes for checkout.
Four (4) Riverside County Park Vehicle-day Passes
Three (3) family passes to the Southern California Railway Museum Five (5) family passes to the Palm Spring Air Museum
Conducted the Foods for Fines program for Love Your Library Month, where Library patrons can donate a non-perishable, nutritious, pre-packaged food item to waive $1 of accrued fines up to $15, reducing the financial barrier for Library patrons to access the Library while providing donations for assisting individuals experiencing food insecurity.
Partnered with Parks and Recreation Division to host Ranger Rap programs at various Murrieta parks to promote Murrieta’s Park Rangers and Library.
Youth Center and Senior Center:
Membership check-in at the Youth Center was over 19,500 for 2023. 310 members registered for the Youth Center.
The Jr. Staff program had five volunteers earn community service hours for high school.
To date, the Youth Center offers eight different programs throughout the week. Programs are filled to capacity each month.
Membership check-in at the Senior Center was over 15,000 for 2023. 400 seniors registered for the fitness room.
The Senior Center served over 19,500 meals to seniors aged 60+ in 2023, with the option to eat their meal at the Center or take their meal to go.
The Senior Center continued to grow instructor based classes and offer 16 different classes throughout the week. Classes were full each month.
Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization came to the Senior Center monthly to distribute non-perishable food boxes to Murrieta residents. The program expanded to include all residents who qualified for the low-income based program. In 2023, over 3,400 boxes were distributed to those in need.
AARP tax service assisted over 200 participants.
The Senior Center continued to expand free external resources to the seniors in Murrieta such as an Alzheimer's Support Group, Parkinson’s Support Group, HICAP (Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program), legal aide, health and wellness talks, and technical support.
Homeless Services:
The Riverside County Continuum of Care awarded the city $225,706.33 in Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP) funding to subsidize the street outreach effort in Murrieta. • Utilizing the $500,000 in SAMSHA funding awarded by Congress Member Calvert, Baker Tilly was competitively selected as a consultant to create and formalize the Regional Homeless Alliance consisting of Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Menifee, and create a Homeless Action Plan for the region. • 298 individuals were sheltered through the partnership for emergency shelter with Project Touch under the ESG-CV grant, ARPA, and General Funds. Murrieta contracts with City Net to provide full-time case management to households in the shelter to reduce recidivism back into homelessness.
The Street Outreach Team had 531 contacts, with 190 unduplicated individuals. Of those, 108 had positive exits from homelessness:
20 Family Reunifications
18 Mental Health/Substance Treatment Linkages
58 Emergency Shelter Placements
6 Moved into Transitional Housing
6 Moved into Private Rental
The city entered into a reimbursement agreement with Riverside County’s Flood Control for $75,000 per year for three years. The first cleanup was held in December 2023 at a Flood Control Property in southwest Murrieta, where 28.8 tons of debris was removed.
Conservation Element Chapter 8:
Continued compliance with the Western Riverside Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), and cooperation with the Regional Conservation Authority (RCA), the Joint Powers Agency created to administer the MSHCP.
Continued compliance with the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency for various projects.
Partnered with the Neighborhood Forest to distribute 661 California native trees to children in support of preserving biodiversity.
Completed designing and installing a pollinator demonstration garden on the Northeast side of the Library.
Recreation and Open Space Element Chapter 9:
Conducted large-scale Children’s and Family Programs in Town Square Park:
Earth Day Celebration with approximately 2,500 in attendance.
Touch-A-Truck Storytime with approximately 3,500 in attendance.
The Alternative Recreation Program, a social program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, held 18 events in 2023, with over 1,000 participants.
The Community Service Department had 23 recreation instructors that taught 866 different contract classes and provided a variety of programming throughout the year to approximately 4,700 adults and children.
Alderwood Clubhouse opened for outside reservations.
Adult sports leagues had 24 teams sign up between softball and kickball, with an estimate of over 300 adult players.
Mini sports seasons are offered to encourage more registrations with fewer scheduling commitments.
The 2023 youth sports seasons experienced a surge in registration, boasting 12,796 youth players spread across 861 teams in eight different leagues.
The City hired a consultant team and began work on the Parks Master Plan and Trails Master Plan Updates, to be completed in 2024.
Air Quality Element Chapter 10:
The City continued to implement the updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) to reduce greenhouse gas inventory GHG impacts by with various measures related to projects and City actions as the General Plan is being implemented through 2035.
As part of the CAP the City continues to implement a CAP Checklist for projects not exempt from CEQA in order to comply with necessary GHG reductions for new development.
Participation in regional efforts with Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) and the other jurisdictions in Southwest Riverside County in reviewing and commenting on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) for the SCAG region.
Noise Element Chapter 11:
Continued to review projects to comply with the requirement for land use compatibility for community noise environments and to locate future residential development away from noise contours, such as the I-15 and I-215.
Safety Element Chapter 12:
Continued implementation of the Safety Element to encourage open space when necessary to protect property and provide safety from fires, require development in the fire hazard areas to be fire safe designed and to be able to consider different forms of mitigation in fire areas.
The City is working to finalize the most recent update to the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2023, which will be aligned with the Safety Element in 2024.
Fire Department:
Released the First Ever Murrieta Fire & Rescue Annual Report.
Completed the Community Risk Assessment Standards of Cover.
Responded to 11,616 calls for service (14,297 unit responses) 8,141 medical emergencies
2,300 public assistance calls
493 traffic collisions
451 Fire Alarms
144 Fires
70 Hazardous Materials Calls
Completed 26,304 hours of Fire Department Training.
Completed 2,257 hours of Emergency Medical Services Training.
Completed 2,788 hours of Fire Academy training of new recruits.
Completed a departmental budget kickoff Oct 3, 2022, to begin preparing the 2-year fiscal budgets two months ahead of City Hall to ensure meeting all budgetary deadlines.
Completed adoption of the 2022 California Fire Code with local amendments.
Participated in the development, testing, and deployment of the EnerGov development services software.
Went live with Streamline for Annual Fire Inspections and billing.
Reviewed 1,261 Fire Plans.
Issued 228 Annual Permits.
Inspected 363 construction projects.
Inspected 1,238 routine and business license inspections.
Conducted 363 AB-38 Escrow Defensible Space Inspections.
Conducted 9,100 State Mandated Defensible Space Inspections.
Delivered 130 hours of public education.
Installed 250 smoke detectors.
Conducted 2 CERT classes with 58 total attendees.
Activated the Emergency Operations Center on two occasions.
Cyber Incident
February Storm Event
Completed 3 Emergency Operations Center Activation Drills Participated in a total of 9 mutual aid events throughout the state of California.
Conducted MFR annual employee recognition ceremony; Medal of Valor and Distinguished Service awarded.
Submitted Annual Compliance Report (ACR) to the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and awarded continued accredited agency status.
Submitted self-evaluation documents and underwent an in-person peer review evaluation seeking reaccreditation through the Centers For Public Safety Excellence. Department was recommended for reaccreditation pending review by the CPSE commission in August.
Conducted Fire Engineer’s Academy.
Conducted Fire Captain Exam.
Placed 2 command vehicles in service.
Deployed Tablet Command incident management software.
Deployed to 10 Mutual aid incidents throughout the state, including eight responses to major wildland fires and two responses to assist communities impacted by reRecruited and hired a new Fire Marshal.
Police Department:
13 new and lateral police officers were hired and completed the Field Training Program.
Ranked 1st in “Crimes Against Property” and 3rd in “Crimes Against Persons” in the State of California for cities with a population between 100,000 to 249,999 inhabitants.
Launched the Unmanned Aerial System (Drone) Program.
Implemented in-house California Police Officer Standards and Training certified Driver Awareness training course for emergency vehicle operation.
Implemented Benchmark Analytics software for administrative investigation management.
Researched, created, and implemented the Team Kids program to replace the DARE program in public schools.
Assigned a Detective to the Riverside Computer and Technology High-Tech Response Team (CATCH). Additionally, remodeled and outfitted the new CATCH Task Force satellite office housed at Murrieta PD.
Hosted the department's 5th annual K9 Trials with over 40 law enforcement agency teams competing.
Hosted the department’s 15th and 16th Citizen Academies, graduating over 50 applicants from the community.
Awarded a grant from the Department of Justice for a juvenile Tobacco Education and Enforcement Program. The grant is for $142,000.00 over three years.
Reinstated the Southwest Valley Youth Court teen restorative justice program after being dormant due to the pandemic.
Resumed MPD’s participation in the Police Activities League (PAL) with the SAFE Family Justice Center.
The Police Department began hosting the Teen iLead program in partnership with the Police Activities League.
Additional station security measures were added to include ballistic windows and security cameras.
Engaged the City’s insurance provider (PERMA) in discussions on best practices in law enforcement.
Purchased suppressors for all department-used rifles to help mitigate damage to officers' hearing.
Purchased 20 40mm less lethal foam baton launchers to enhance officers’ ability to de-escalate volatile situations.
Purchased and started using the Performa-Labs Mobile application for mandatory California Police Officer Standards and Training certified Perishable Skills Program training for Strategic Communications and Use of Force.
Launched the department’s first-ever Support K9 Program.
Added an additional 20 Flock License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras, for a total of 40 now deployed throughout the city.
Signed a contract with Vigilant software for law enforcement and commercial license plate data to assist Detectives and Crime Analyst.
Entered into a 5-year agreement with Axon for body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, and the TASER 10 platform (first agency in Southern California to do so) Entered into a 5-year agreement with CentralSquare to transition our CAD/RMS software to a cloud-based system.
Entered into a 5-year agreement with Motorola Solutions for the purchase of new handheld radios to replace aging/obsolete supply.
The Police Department’s seven social media platforms reached over 161,000 followers.
Added one Administrative Corporal position to assist units department-wide.
Added one Dispatch Supervisor position.
One Driving Under the Influence (DUI) enforcement officer was assigned to the Traffic Bureau.
Hosted the third annual Trunk or Treat event with much success.
Remodeled the Administration Office.
Purchased a new SWAT equipment truck.
Range staff coordinated two pistol optics training courses. 40 Murrieta PD officers are now equipped with optics for their primary firearms.
Department Range Staff and Murrieta Fire & Rescue SWAT tactical paramedics developed and implemented an extensive “Active Attack/Active Shooter” training course, addressing critical tactical and medical aspects.
Created and selected instructors for the newly formed Active Shooter Training Team Lieutenant James Gruwell and Lieutenant Jeremy Durrant attended the Senior Management Institute for Policing training course hosted by the Police Executive Research Forum.
HOUSING ELEMENT REPORTING:
Housing Element Chapter 13:
See the attached Housing Element APR for Building Permits Issued and Finaled and Residential Development Projects Entitled and Policy Action/Program implementation.
In working to permit low income affordable housing Staff completed the permit processing and issued permits for two important projects in 2023:
The Oak View Ranch project with the developer (National CORE) on the City’s Housing Authority owned Adams Ave. property for a proposed 200 unit 100% affordable (very-low and low income) multi-family housing project including closing on the Disposition and Development Agreement documents. Staff, local leaders and the developer attended a ground breaking ceremony in June 2023.
The Monamos Terrace Apartments on Los Alamos a 140 unit 100% affordable (low income) multi-family housing project. Staff, local leaders and the developer attended a ground breaking ceremony in April 2023.
Although the Housing Element is one of the seven required elements in the General Plan, it is prepared separately from the other elements. Compliance with statutes that determine the preparation and content of the Housing Element are regulated by the State HCD. Updated forms to assist local jurisdictions in complying with the statutes that require reporting of General Plan housing information have been provided by HCD and are included in the attached Housing APR to be submitted to HCD.
V. MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
Major development projects approved in the prior year include the various housing projects in the City, including the two affordable housing projects. The City is also moving forward on entitlements in 2023 for additional regional shopping, including the opening of the Costco permitted in the prior year and the development of a new Home Depot which was permitted for grading in 2023. These projects play a major role in the City adding the necessary residential and commercial uses consistent with the goals of the General Plan.
Capital Improvement Projects Completed and Planned in 2023:
A new roof was installed on the Murrieta Library in September 2023.
Painted the exterior of the Murrieta Community Center.
Secured a $1.5 million grant, in addition to the 50% required match from the City, from the California State Library. Selected a design team for the planned expansion of the Murrieta Public Library. The preliminary design process was substantially completed in December 2023. Staff anticipates the construction will be bid on in late 2024.
Completed the design and engineering phase of the Sykes Ranch Park Windmill and Historic Marker project. Published bid opportunity in October 2023, and awarded the construction contract in December 2023.
Received a $250,000 grant toward the design and construction of the City’s third dog park at Glen Arbor Park. Project is currently in design.
Completed the purchase of tot lot equipment for nine different locations; and substantially completed civil engineering design for three of the locations where new playgrounds will be constructed where none exist today. Staff anticipates putting construction out to bid in early 2024.
Selected a design team for a planned replacement of the pool facility at Cal Oaks Sports Park Pool Renovations. The preliminary design process is expected to be substantially completed in early 2024.
Substantially completed civil and landscape design for the Town Square Park Amphitheater Parking Lot & Entryway Monument in December 2023. Staff anticipates that construction will start in summer 2024.
Completed the construction of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in September 2023, which is the fourth monument of a seven monument series.
Completed the construction of phase 1 of Pioneer Park, which included a train-themed tot lot, picnic shelter, picnic tables and benches, and a parking lot.
Conducted public input forums regarding pickleball court and signage needs.
Started the outreach for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan update process.
Started the outreach to draft the City’s first Trails Master Plan.
COMPLIANCE WITH STATE GUIDELINES AND CODE UPDATES:
Code Amendments:
Housing Element New 19-29 du/ac Zone
Completed the City of Murrieta Housing Element Update in June 2023 which, included a Code Amendment with a change to Development Code Chapter 16 in order to add a new multi-family zone of 19 to 29 dwelling units per acre, a density range not provided for in the previous Multi-Family Residential zones. The Code Amendment satisfied one of the early Housing Element Policy Actions planned for at adoption of the Element.
Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Residential Objective Design Standards Completed the City’s LEAP Grant funded Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Residential Objective Design Standards (ODS) in September 2023 which included changes to the Development Code Chapter 16 in order to implement the objective standards and a ministerial development plan permitting process for certain qualifying projects. The adoption of the ODS also satisfied an early Housing Element Policy Action planned for at adoption of the Element.
Other Updates:
State Law Implementation for 2023
Created new Information Bulletins and Applications consistent with State provisions in advance of effective dates of new laws (January 1, 2023) for new land use permit types and entitlements. Documentation is available on City’s website. Additional cross-discipline training on intake and processing of applications into 2023 occurred to facilitate smooth transition for permitting and utilizing the City’s new Energov software for online submittals for permit processing.
Native American Tribe Consultation:
In November 2005 the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research issued a Supplement to the OPR General Plan Guidelines for Tribal Consultation. In 2005 Senate Bill 18 (S.B. 18) took effect, which requires that local jurisdictions processing an application for a General Plan Amendment or Specific Plan must notify tribes identified by the Native American Heritage Commission as having a possible interest in the proposed project. S.B. 18 requires government to government consultation when a tribe makes the request. Additionally, AB 52 passed in 2014 included an update to Appendix G (Initial Study Checklist) of the CEQA Guidelines to include questions related to impacts to tribal cultural resources and updated the notification process related to these types of projects.
The City has since complied with SB 18 and AB 52 when applicable by responding to requests from sovereign governments such as the Pechanga Band and Soboba Band for consultations on projects. The City consulted with the tribes, having regularly quarterly meetings as needed, to discuss the various projects and proposed entitlements that could potentially impact cultural resources in 2023.
CONCLUSION:
The intent of this report is not to provide a comprehensive inventory related to every goal and policy in the Plan, but to provide a summary and identify significant activities that occurred during the reporting year (2023), which will show how the City is implementing the current General Plan. This report meets the requirements outlined in the OPR Guidelines for an Annual Progress Report. 12