Commissioners Get First Look at Hwy 395 Study

The agency conducting a study on the proposed multi-city Highway 395 Corridor was met Wednesday with some concern.

Murrieta Planning Commission Chair Gregory Goodman, who lives near Jefferson Avenue—part of the proposed corridor—was reluctant to throw his support behind it.

"Why are we doing this corridor?" Goodman asked, about the proposed 16-mile stretch of roadway from Temecula to Lake Elsinore.

Goodman's comments came during a Murrieta Planning Commission meeting in which Western Riverside Council of Governments, the agency conducting the study, made its initial presentation to the city advisory body.

"I have a real problem with this," Goodman said. A high-speed route would disturb the small-town lifestyle enjoyed by residents, he said.

Goodman said he has fielded questions from residents who live on or nearby Jefferson Avenue, north of Lemon Street.

Included in the was the potential, future widening of Jefferson to six lanes from Lemon to the city's border with Wildomar. Depending on the outcome of the Highway 395 Corridor Study, Goodman said some residents have expressed concern that parts of their properties might be lost to road expansion.

"We are talking about six lanes; we cannot make six lanes from Temecula to Lake Elsinore without taking property. I want to make sure I pass on the right information," Goodman said.

Community Development Director Mary Lanier said there were "no plans to take any property."

"We are not looking at that at this time," Lanier said.

According to Lanier, the study includes evaluating the feasibilities for each of the involved cities—Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore. Part of that would be determining if the six lanes even meshed with neighboring cities, she said.

WRCOG is about midway through the 18-month study, said Program Manager Alexa Washburn. A series of public workshops have already been held regarding transportation needs, she said. Additionally, WRCOG has held brainstorming sessions with each of the cities. The next series of workshops will focus on economic development along the corridor, she said.

"There is an overall lack of continuity," Washburn said. "Land uses are mixed."

In Temecula it's commercial; in Murrieta it's commercial, then residential, she said.

"It is our job to (see) where we can find some consistency," Washburn said.

The last series of workshops, to be held in the fall, will focus on implementing the plan, which Washburn said involves providing recommendations to each of the cities.

"The challenge is to identify strategies that will benefit the cities."

Read more about the study and

In other business, the Planning Commission approved an annual progress report on the city's General Plan. The report will be submitted to the state government once approved by City Council.

The progress report covers calendar year 2011. The biggest accomplishment was the approval of the city's General Plan 2035 in July, Lanier said. Along with that, the city made strides in economic development, climate control, affordable housing and conservation, she said.