HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3Subject: Highway 395 Corridor Study for Southwest Riverside County Update
Contact: Alexa Washburn, WRCOG Program Manager (washburn(d)wrcog.cog.ca.us),
(949) 394-7996
Date: June 5, 2012
This item will be conducted as a 30 to 40 minute interactive workshop with the Planning Commission
members and members of the public who are in attendance.
Background: In August 2011, WRCOG received approximately $248,000 from Caltrans to prepare a Study
for a shared 16-mile, north-south arterial or corridor which parallels Interstate 15 and runs through the four
contiguous Cities of Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Temecula, and Wildomar in Southwest Riverside County. The
purpose of the Study is to develop a comprehensive transportation and land use plan to bring consistency to
the individual city planning efforts, stimulate greater dialogue, and identify land use and transportation
opportunities that can create a corridor that will achieve maximum efficiencies to serve future residents and
employers. Through a community-based planning process, the Study will evaluate existing conditions and
anticipated growth patterns, and identify opportunities to increase mobility and economic development.
Charrettes: Project team members including staff from the four participating cities, Caltrans, SCAG, WRCOG
and the consultant team have participated in two half-day charrettes for the Study. The first transportation
charrette was held in December 2011 and participants discussed an approach to building a multi-modal
transportation system along Corridor and prioritized transportation strategies.
The second charrette was held in March 2012 and the consultant team led participating staff in a discussion
focused on successful elements of mixed use development. Mixed use development options were explored to
examine the potential for greater economic development that focused on creating increased revenue and tax
base as well as additional jobs. Each jurisdiction prioritized their individual goals and desired mixed use
development options for the Study to focus on.
A final charrette will be held in August 2012 and will focus on implementation strategies, funding opportunities
and other current factors which might be utilized to implement transportation and land use recommendations
included in the Study.
Community Workshops: The public was first introduced to the Highway 395 Corridor Study in November
2011 during a community workshop in the City of Murrieta. Approximately 40 members of the public, along
with elected officials and staff from the four participating cities, as well as representatives from the SCAG and
Caltrans, attended the first community workshop to learn about the Study and share their vision for the future
of the Corridor including the challenges and opportunities that they foresee for better connecting the four cities
and supporting the local economies through transportation, land use and community design strategies.
A second round of community workshops was held in March 2012 and team members reviewed the emerging
vision for the corridor and presented best practices in transportation planning to the public. Workshop
participants were encouraged to provide feedback and ask questions about the Study, and took part in an
interactive exercise to prioritize preferred transportation strategies. All modes of transportation were explored
including automobile, pedestrian, bicycle, and multiple forms of transit. Some of the more popular corridor-
wide strategies included providing for the even flow of traffic, providing future capacity for automobiles, and
providing off-street bicycle paths in the corridor.
PC June 5, 2012 Item No. 3
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The next round of community workshops are as follows:
• Community Workshop #4: Thursday, May 31, 2012, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Murrieta Public Library, 8 Town Square, Murrieta
Community Workshop #5: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
(Conducted with the Planning Commission)
Lake Elsinore Cultural Arts Center, 183 North Main Street, Lake Elsinore
• Community Workshop #6: Monday, June 11, 2012,6:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
Council Chambers, 23873 Clinton Keith Road, Wildomar
During these workshops, the project team will review and affirm community input to-date, present the draft
transportation plan, review data related to market opportunities and potential mixed use development options,
and facilitate discussion regarding desirable development strategies within the corridor.
Project Website: The interactive project website provides the public with the opportunity to learn more about
the Study and sign-up for automatic email notifications when new project information is posted on the website,
review the latest information, download public documents related to the project, and provide input/comments.
The project website address is www.highway395corridorstudv.oro.
Reports: An Existing Conditions Report was completed in early January and is available on the project
website for public review. A Multi-Modal Transportation Plan was completed in May and is also available on
the project website for review. These reports include comments received from the staff who attended the kick-
off meeting and transportation charrette, community workshops, and project team review. A similar process
will occur with a Mixed-Use Development Plan and an Implementation Plan.
Next Steps: After finalizing the Mixed-Use Development Plan and an Implementation Plan for the Corridor
Study, the final Study is expected to be completed and presented to participating jurisdictions, WRCOG
Committees, and Caltrans in late 2012/early 2013.
PC June 5, 2012 Item No. 3
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