Wildomar Makes Way For Luxury Apartments

CORRECTION: This story previously stated, incorrectly, that no oak trees would be touched as as result of the Oak Springs Ranch project. According to an update from Wildomar City Manager Frank Oviedo, out of 244 total oak trees, eight will be relocated, and 27 will be removed. The remainder will be preserved. To mitigate the loss, 135 new oak trees will be planted, Oviedo explained. The tree preservation plan in the Environmental Impact Report matches the precise grading plans currently being used, Oviedo said. 

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Dirt being moved at Inland Valley Drive and Clinton Keith Road in Wildomar is part of a fully gated, 312-unit luxury apartment complex project targeting the nearby medical community, according to a city official.

The multi-million-dollar Oak Springs Ranch project by San Diego-based GLJ Partners will feature upscale amenities -- and consequently pricier rents -- said Wildomar City Manager Frank Oviedo, who has a bird’s eye view of the ongoing construction from his office at City Hall.

“This is not an affordable housing, a.k.a. low-income, project. GLJ is targeting nurses and possibly doctors who work at Inland Valley Medical Center and nearby medical facilities. Rents will be higher than most apartments in Southwest Riverside County,” the city manager explained.

In keeping with the “luxury” component, the Oak Springs Ranch project calls for Craftsman-inspired design and extras like the complex’s own movie theater and a cyber café, the city manager said.

“We’re excited about it,” he added.

The project is situated on 21 acres dotted with oak trees and blue-line areas that can’t be developed.

“There are a lot of green belts incorporated in the project,” Oviedo said.

The project also calls for construction of “town homes and flats,” but that Phase II part of the development is not yet scheduled, the city manager explained.

According to Oviedo, Phase I of the project is expected to be complete by 2014.

The Oak Springs Ranch Specific Plan states the complex “will play a vital role in the growth of the Wildomar area.”

The project is expected to wrap in sync with the that's forecast to relieve traffic congestion at the heavily traveled corridor located at the I-15.

Oviedo said developers have been eyeing the “Miracle Mile” along Clinton Keith Road at the 15 Freeway in Wildomar.

“They are holding on, waiting for that expansion to finish,” he explained. “We’re hearing from a lot people: They are interested.”