Wildomar City Council Approves Oak Creek Canyon Housing Development

Despite threats of legal action, Wildomar City Council gave its approval Wednesday night on a housing development planned for the city’s northeast corner.

With the exception of one, council members green-lighted the Oak Creek Canyon project along Bundy Canyon Road. The development calls for 275 single-family homes and a five-acre commercial center to be constructed next door to The Farm community. The developer on the project is Sunbelt Communities.

Councilman Bob Cashman cast dissenting votes on the development after expressing concerns about, among other things, increased traffic and safety issues along Bundy Canyon Road. As part of the project, the applicant is required to widen a stretch of Bundy Canyon Road along The Farm community and place traffic signals on the main strip to help mitigate traffic congestion that will occur as housing construction gets underway and buyers take up residence.

Cashman argued police reports show a greater number of traffic collisions actually occur west of the planned road improvements.

“Don’t we need a mitigation measure for that area?” Cashman suggested. Although the county has plans to improve Bundy Canyon Road east of the 15 Freeway, the project is not funded and there’s no start date.

Temecula-based attorney Ray Johnson sent a May 22 letter to the city asking council members to consider additional comments about traffic impacts on Bundy Canyon Road.

Cashman hammered on the issue, but his colleagues pushed back. Mayor Tim Walker eventually stopped the councilman, who then moved on to concerns about block sound walls that will be constructed around portions of the development that line Bundy Canyon Road.

Cashman said the walls create “concrete corridors” and “grafitti walls.”

As part of the project plans, the developer is required to plant greenery along the walls to hide the block. 

Cashman also addressed the environmental impacts of the project.

A nearly 1,400-page environmental impact report (EIR) was completed on the project, including public concerns and the city’s responses.

“I’m sure it’s all legal. I just don’t think it makes sense,” Cashman said. “I think we are losing habitat that never gets put back.”

Cashman said his main concern is a nearly 20-acre spot in the development situated along the creek. He argued the EIR only calls for environmental mitigation on less than one acre of the area.

“I was really put off and a little irritated,” Cashman said of the limited requirement.

Although the applicant is obligated to replace oak trees lost in the construction, Cashman worried not enough emphasis is being placed on the trees.

“We want to do whatever we can,” Cashman said, to save the trees.

During Wednesday’s meeting, none of the other council members posed questions to the applicant, who is represented by Larry Markham of Temecula-based Markham Development Management Group.

However several residents and representatives spoke Wednesday night on the project. Rocky Jackson, president of The Farm property owner’s association, spoke in favor of the development, as did Glenn Neal, who is a board member of the Farm Mutual Water Company.

Wes Fromlath heads Choice Water Solutions and provides The Farm community with its wastewater treatment needs. The Farm has its own sewage treatment facility on site that includes a “spray field” used for disposing of treated wastewater.

Under the current development plans, water service to Oak Creek Canyon residents would be provided by the Farm Mutual Water Company, and sewer would be handled by Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District after the developer installed required piping. Some have argued The Farm’s waste treatment facility and spray field is contaminating groundwater and the nearby stream with nitrates. Furthermore, the spray field is located near the proposed Oak Creek Canyon project. Wildomar resident Gary Andre spoke against the planned development Wednesday night, and he urged council members to consider the proximity of the spray field to the proposed new homes.

However, Fromlath took issue with environmental safety questions, saying The Farm’s system is up to standards implemented by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Patch has contacted the Board, which confirmed inspections at The Farm have not revealed any irregularities.

Council members will have another chance to discuss the Oak Creek Canyon project June 5 when there will be a second reading on the draft resolutions adopted Wednesday night.