Politics & Government

Pechanga Tribe Protests Plan for Murrieta's Future

The tribe is dissatisfied with the vagueness of how it will protect archeological finds and land-use issues.

The Pechanga Tribe joined some residents and developers in opposing a plan that maps out Murrieta's future development for the next several decades.

A public hearing for the General Plan 2035 was held last week.

"This is the legally enforceable document for the city and we are concerned that it doesn’t protect the city or the tribe or the resources within the city," said Anna Hoover, cultural analyst for the Pechanga Tribe, in reference to the city's proposed stipulations for protecting cultural resources.

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"The mitigation measures that are proposed are somewhat vague, are lacking a few things," Hoover said.

"We have no concern with the human remains condition," she continued. "At this point in time we are asking for a continuance of this project. We would like to work with planning staff to develop something with a little more teeth so that we can address these before we get to the City Council."

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City planners remained firm on the 300-page document, stating that many of the issues could be resolved through further cooperation but did not call for major changes to the document prior to its adoption.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Gregory Goodman likened the detailed document to reading the Bible.

"The General Plan is a living document, it can change over time...as long as we maintain the flexibility of how to get there," said Mary Lanier, community development director for the City of Murrieta.

Now that the plan was approved by the Planning Commission, it moves on for City Council review, which is slated for July.

Lanier said the update to the plan started in fall 2009 and was built with the City Council's stated objective: economic development.

"So all of our focus has been on that," Lanier said.

"Great places really evolve over time and Murrieta has evolved to a great place.”

The elements of the plan -- a document required by the State of California that guides development and forms the basis for city services, ordinances and regulations -- includes policies and goals for land use, housing, circulation, conservation, open space, noise and safety. Included in that is an Environmental Impact Report.

Pechanga Tribe's Concerns

In a letter submitted to Murrieta City Planner Greg Smith, the Pechanga Tribe wrote that it was concerned that the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) contained in the plan did not spell out specific enough guidelines should developers unknowingly unearth human remains during excavation.

"...the Tribe is concerned that this lack of specificity may cause potential conflict and confusion in guidance of future development projects," wrote Hoover on behalf of Pechanga Cultural Resources, Temecula Band of Luiseño Indians.

As the most likely descendant within city boundaries, the Pechanga Tribe seeks an added clause to the city's FEIR that all future developers be required to conduct cultural resources studies for archaeological, historical and paleontological significance.

"We are happy to meet with Pechanga represenatives to discuss wording but at this time we do not recommend including them in the General Plan because it is much more specific than the General Plan calls for," Lanier said in response. "We are willing to work with tribal representatives before it goes to City Council."

The city received 18 comments on its FEIR during a 45-day public comment window, the correspondence from Pechanga among them. Other concerns were also raised.

"Traffic was a popular comment," said Collette Morse, a consultant with RBF Consulting, hired to help the city update its General Plan.

City of Menifee's Concerns

The City of Menifee submitted letters and had a meeting with Murrieta planners in April to discuss traffic impacts at Menifee Road and Scott Road, and Antelope Road and Scott Road, where the two cities converge.

According to a June 8 letter from City of Menifee Senior Planner Lisa Gordon, the City of Murrieta asked the City of Menifee whether it would support dual left-turn lanes at Scott Road, eastbound to Menifee Road. Gordon said Menifee agreed to the proposal.

"The response to comments from the FEIR...does not reflect our discussion and indicate that the City of Murrieta would be providing the dual left-turn lanes which could reduce traffic impacts," Gordon wrote.

Menifee's other concern was "the exclusion of an analysis of traffic impacts to the intersection of Antelope Road and Scott Road."

Gordon wrote that while the traffic analysis compiled by the City of Murrieta for the intersection did include traffic from Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta, it did not inlcude traffic from the two shopping centers on the southern corners of the intersection.

Menifee planners also asked that a policy be added to the North Murrieta Business Corridor Focus Area, the area near Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta, which Murrieta has pegged for commercial, office and research development.

Gordon asked that a fair share funding analysis be prepared for the Scott Road and Interstate 215 interchange for all new development projects.

Any changes to the Circulation (traffic) Element of Murrieta's General Plan would warrant a four-month delay in the Plan's adoption.

"The city has met with Menifee and will continue to meet with them," Morse told commissioners during the hearing.

Residents' Concerns

, a resident who opposes the extension spoke with Patch Tuesday about his ongoing concern.

Traffic studies conducted by city planners showed little difference in intersection service levels, with or without the extension.

The proposed extension, which can be faded out of the plan because alternate scenarios were included, would cut through valuable property, said Richard Lim, a Murrieta resident and real estate agent.

Lim lives in Creekside Village. The extension, should City Council elect to add it back in, would butt within 50 feet of some of the neighborhood's homes.

Lim said, however, that his major concern would not be the added traffic through the area, but the potential of 200 townhomes being developed there instead.

According to Lim's calculations, those homes would bring in $800,000 in property taxes per year, as well as bring new families in who would pump about $4 million a year into the City's sales tax revenue.

"The City Council has many factors to decide. Circulation is a very important factor, but we need to safeguard our fair resources," Lim said.

Another group that has been vocal during the General Plan process is Citizens for Quality Life in Murrieta (CQLM). Many of the group's residents live in Los Alamos Hills, and are asking the city to include in its General Plan a specific plan for the area.

Planning commissioners approved the General Plan on the condition that city staff begin addressing a specific plan for Los Alamos Hills within one year of adopting the General Plan. For five years, CQLM has been trying to get that accomplished, as much of the area is unpaved and without public utility lines such as water. The group has also asked for specified boundaries and development policies for the area.

"It does need to get done," said Commission Chair Thomas Butler. "And I appreciate the hard work that these residents of that area are putting in to get it done. I believe it will get done, but I don’t think the General Plan is for that...I don’t think we need to go as far as adopting a specific plan during the general plan process."

Visit the city's General Plan website at Murrietaplan.info. Interested parties can also subscribe to receive updates via email.

 


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