Shopping center hinges on history, traffic

| Tuesday, April 16, 2002 10:00 PM PDT ∞

MATHIEU BLACKSTON
Staff Writer

A regional shopping center that's been tied to a tax sharing agreement, traffic concerns and the rehabilitation of one of the county's top historic sites is inching closer to construction once again after continual delays.

Local historians and a group of concerned residents are poring over an environmental document made public last week that details the Redhawk Towne Center project planned for Highway 79 South just outside Temecula's borders.

The shopping center, known primarily for the Wal-Mart it would include, is proposed for 43 acres near the intersection of Apis Road and Highway 79 South and will be built around what's left of historic Vail Ranch. The center is planned to have roughly 420,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and more than 2,000 parking spaces. Plans for a movie theater have been nixed, but the center will have a Kohl's, Ross, one other major department store that's yet to be named, and numerous smaller shops and restaurants, according to the developer.

Originally expected to open in 2000, the center is now slated for an opening date of spring 2003. In 1999, county officials agreed to expedite review of the project because of the number of jobs it would create, but construction of the shopping center was stalled as Riverside County and Temecula officials worked out a deal to split the sales tax revenue the center would generate.

Then a group of residents filed a lawsuit, claiming traffic studies for the shopping center were out of date and the developer was getting away with not spending an estimated $1 million in local road improvements. Last June, a judge ordered additional studies.

Those revised studies are part of the environmental document now available for public review. The county will take comments on the report until May 23. The developer hopes to get approval from the county Board of Supervisors in June.

Pamela Miod, a founding member of Citizens First of Temecula Valley, said her group is reviewing the revised traffic studies now to see if the group's concerns have been addressed. Her group was worried that the city and county would get stuck paying the bill for road improvements that would be necessary to move traffic in and out of the shopping center.

Tuesday, Bill Stone, senior vice president with developer Price Legacy, formerly Price Enterprises, said the new traffic analysis is much more extensive because it incorporates more information about the effects of growth in the region on local roads. According to the traffic analysis, Price Legacy will have to install traffic lights and improve intersections along 79 South between Butterfield Stage Road and the Interstate 15 interchange. On an "average" day, the shopping center is expected to add 13,738 net vehicle trips to the local roadways, the study states.

Stone said that despite the lawsuit and delays, Excel Legacy remains enthusiastic about the project. The center, which will cost about $30 million to build, is expected to generate nearly $1 billion in sales annually. Excel Legacy also anticipates spending more than $9 million renovating what's left of historic Vail Ranch.

Once an expansive cattle ranch, all that's left of what is commonly deemed one of the top historical sites in the county is a ramshackle bunch of buildings left over from Temecula's pioneer days. One of those buildings is the Wolf Store. Built in 1868, it served as a trading post, general store, courthouse and stagecoach stop that housed travelers riding along the southern immigrant trail. Now, the historic site sits in an open field surrounded by fast-food restaurants, gas stations and tract housing.

Dick Diamond, president of the Vail Ranch Restoration Association, said he's concerned about "crass commercialism" ruining the integrity of the historic site. The local group of historians are asking that the Wolf Store be turned into a museum and that a handful of sycamore trees be preserved.

Stone said he's not sure what will become of the Wolf Creek store but that Excel Legacy wants the Redhawk Towne Center to mimic Old Town San Diego in its combination of history and commercialism. The original agreement between the county and Price Legacy called for the developer to invest $5 million in the renovation of the historic buildings and for the county to pay back $2 million through tax breaks. However, a legislative aide to Supervisor Bob Buster has said he expects the terms of the agreement will change because the estimated cost of the renovation has nearly doubled.

Contact staff writer Mathieu Blackston at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2623, or mblackston@nctimes.com.

4/17/02

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