Murrieta Council discusses budgets, CIP plans, multi-family home design standards, surplus land sales

Tony Ault Staff Writer

A budget workshop with the proposed 2023 to 2028 fiscal year Capital Improvement Plan and Operating Budget preceded the Murrieta City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday, May 2. In the regular meeting, council declared city-owned property near the current Murrieta City Hall as surplus and adopted an interim urgency ordinance regarding Multi-Family Objective Design Standards.

The proposed CIP programs provided by Finance Director Javier Carcamo and City Manager Kim Summers provides for the appropriation of $16,595,269 for new projects and additions to existing projects. The program currently has $60,039,574 in previously appropriated projects that will be continued for a total CIP budget of $76,634,843 in fiscal year 2023-2024.

Funding for these projects is provided by a variety of funding sources, which include development impact fees, transportation funds, grants and reimbursement agreements that are restricted for the purposes for which they are budgeted. These funds, for the most part, cannot be used for city operations.

The CIP proposed changes in the report with revenues and expenditure include a number of improvements to the city’s fire stations, police department, community center, city hall, library, community parks, streets and sidewalks and other projects that are listed in the report on the city meeting webpage. The council is in the process of refining the needs of the city in its General Plan budget, CIP plan and other plans to be approved for the next fiscal year by Friday, June 30.

In another regular meeting action, the council with all members present, reviewed the possible sale of three parcels of city owned land near, but not next to the city hall complex by declaring it surplus land with Assistant City Manager Ivan Holler making the presentation.

Those three parcels had a combined appraised value of $4,268,000 according to Holler. The vacant properties are along Kalmia Street west of the City Hall. The council, once declaring the properties surplus may sell the properties to low income housing developers or for other public buildings, according to state law.

The reason for declaring the land surplus is that it has no planned future city use.

According to the report, “City Hall is very close to its programmed capacity for office staff. At some point in the near future, the city will need to design and construct another building on a portion of one parcel (adjacent to city hall) to house additional staff members that will be needed to provide services to city residents… The staff also evaluated the acreage required for parking areas associated with public Civic Center uses and has preliminarily determined that a portion of two parcels and all of the third parcel are likely surplus for future city needs.”

The council approved the request with the staff moving forward on the sale of the surplus lots.

In another discussion with Carl Stiehl, interim city planner, the council reviewed the city’s amendment to the city’s Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Residential Objective Design Standards. If it does not approve the amendment, a builder could use any design he chose for the project under current state law. The city, as mandated by state law, must provide a certain amount of low to moderate income homes or face penalties. The city council, somewhat reluctantly, has already set aside some of its land changing the zoning in the General Plan for that purpose to comply with the state mandate.

“Staff is recommending the City Council adopt an urgency ordinance that would temporarily and immediately amend the development code to implement the city’s Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Residential Objective Design Standards in conformance with AB 2011 and SB 35 while imposing certain restrictions that allow for greater local control through objective standards on these types of projects,” Stiehl said.

“Without these local control measures, the approval of MultiFamily Residential and MixedUse Residential projects will occur based solely on the default standards in the Development Code, without sufficient regulations governing project design, site planning, building massing, height, setback, landscape, building type, architectural review and similar criteria, which would threaten the character of existing neighborhoods and negatively impact property values, personal privacy and fire safety. These potential threats to the public safety, health, and welfare of the

A map used by Assistant City city owned land, west of Murrieta City Hall. Valley News/Courtesy photo community justify the adoption of this ordinance as an urgency ordinance, to be effective immediately,” according to the report.

The staff provided different site plans for the buildings that would be needed to meet the state standards for the low income residents still with some city control. Six design plans with sketches were presented to the council for their decision. They were described as Mission-Spanish Colonial Revival, Craftsman,

American Mercantile, Modern, Tuscan and Farmhouse. After each was described the council said they approved the designs, understanding they were exempt from California Environmental Quality Act codes. Any of the approved designs would have to be followed by any developers to meet amended city ordinances for the low to moderate income housing needs in the city The city would see that the developer followed design standards in specific areas of the city before they are approved. It gives the city some control over the type of designs allowed in low to moderate income housing in Murrieta, instead of the state having the final say.

The council also approved nine consent items, made some presentations for Mental Health month and Professional Municipal Clerks Week.

Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.