Murrieta City Council approves Murrieta Hills development

Design graphic shows a proposed aerial view of the Murrieta Hills development south of Keller Road by the 215 Freeway.

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A planned community with 750 homes, parks, trails and open space was approved Tuesday for a hillside area popular with hikers and bikers just south of Menifee.

The Murrieta Hills development was approved unanimously by the Murrieta City Council, six months after a marathon Planning Commission meeting in which opposition was expressed by hundreds of residents as well as representatives of environmental groups and the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians.

Revisions made in the project in the months since that meeting have resolved virtually all of those issues. Although Tuesday's public hearing lasted nearly three hours, most of the meeting centered around a detailed presentation of the project, including its history and recent changes made to accommodate those with legitimate objections. There were only three public comments made during the meeting, with only one in opposition to the development.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the project come to fruition,” said council member Jonathan Ingram, who lives southwest of the proposed development in the Greer Ranch community of Murrieta. Ingram was the most outspoken council member during the meeting and the one who made the motion to approve all six resolutions regarding the project.

The project is located south of Keller Road and west of the 215 Freeway in one of the most popular hiking areas in the region. A series of trails head into the hills – the most popular from behind a gate at the south end of Scenic View Drive, which runs along the west side of the freeway and across from the Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Graphic shows the layout of the Murrieta Hills development, including the various sections.

Although the site has been private property for years and under the ownership of the current developer since 2006, hikers and mountain bikers frequently ignore the "No Trespassing" signs to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. In addition to the lush vegetation, oak trees and wildlife, the hills include an abandoned nursery and the locally famous “rock house” -- a structure built by the Wright family in the early 1900s but abandoned since the 1930s and now covered in graffiti.

When all phases of the development are completed, Scenic View Drive will be removed and replaced by an extension of McElwain Road, providing an access road to the community running from Keller Road south to Linnel Lane. And although the southwest corner of Keller Road and Scenic View Drive will become the right of way for the future Keller Road freeway interchange and site of a commercial center with shops and dining, the plan assures that a staging area for hikers will be constructed.

In addition, concessions made by the developer since the contentious May 12 Planning Commission meeting include agreements that hiking trails will remain open to the public, parks within the development will be public, and none of the communities within the development will be gated.

The development, to be built by Pulte Homes on 972 acres, will include the following:

-- 750 homes (522 single-family units and 228 multi-family dwellings)

-- 663 acres of open space

-- A 4.6-acre public park

-- A 2.7-acre HOA Recreation Center

-- 9 acres of pocket parks

-- Right of way for the Keller Road freeway interchange

-- An 18-acre commercial center with plans for shopping, dining, lodging and office space

The project will be built in three phases, with the first phase scheduled to be completed in 2023. According to the development agreement, only the first 300 homes can be built before the Keller Road interchange is completed, thus helping to alleviate traffic.

Hikers and bikers enjoy the rural, scenic areas surrounding the trails in the hills south of Keller Road.

Laura Miranda, representing the Pechanga tribe, told council members that although her tribe had serious objections about the original plan’s ability to preserve sacred cultural sites, revisions in the areas of open space and development boundaries have resolved the major issues.

“My tribe has called this area of Riverside County home since time immemorial,” Miranda said. “This project site was slated to be part of our reservation in the Treaty of 1852, but the Senate never ratified it because gold was discovered in the area. We have an obligation we hold deeply to preserve and protect that area, which was a large village complex.

“At a meeting in July, we expressed disappointment in the discussions that had taken place over the last few years. I’m pleased that staff heard our concerns and were diligent in working with us the last four months. With the added measures, Pechanga is moving from an opposed position to a neutral position.”

The plan includes passages allowing wildlife to travel between areas of natural habitats. Representatives of the developer also assured council members that the project includes plans to mitigate the danger of wildfires by creating 150-foot “fire modification zones” surrounding residential areas, including thinned plant areas and drip irrigation.

The council’s action included approval of the environmental impact report, a general plan amendment, the development agreement, a zoning change, and the tract map. An amendment was required to a 1995 approved land use plan for a project planned by Rose Hills that called for a memorial park, elementary school, 1,585 homes and 395 acres of open space. The project was never processed, however, and the land eventually was sold to the current developer.

Although opposition to the revised project was limited, the City did receive eight letters or emails from opposing parties in advance of the meeting – including expressions of concern from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which arrived hours before the meeting. Ultimately, council members agreed with City staff’s assertion that the issues raised had been resolved.

“As a resident of Greer Ranch, I have been concerned about what would happen with the property behind us,” said Ingram, who spent seven years on the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority committee. “The revisions presented makes me feel more comfortable with the project. And the existing trails that were there will stay.”

Although the community will be part of the City of Murrieta, it will be within the boundaries of the Menifee Union School District and Perris Union High School District.

Hikers can look to the northeast from trails on the hillside to a beautiful view of the entire Valley.

Red star shows the trailhead where hikers start out after parking on Scenic View Drive. (Credit: Google Maps)