Temecula to pursue annexation study

By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer | Tuesday, January 23, 2007 10:51 PM PST ∞

TEMECULA ---- The Temecula City Council has set the ball in motion Tuesday night for a fact-finding mission that may end with the city in a power struggle over 4,600 acres that include the site of a controversial quarry.

The council voted 5-0 to direct city administrators to begin a study on the possibility of annexing the 7-square-mile area just south of the city's southern border.

Even in the early stages, the council seems poised to take the land out of the control of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Such a move would make Temecula the government body responsible for approving or denying Granite Construction Company's proposal for a quarry on 311 acres just north of the county's border with San Diego County.

Councilman Jeff Comerchero, who proposed the annexation study, said his intent is to give Temecula a voice in the process, not necessarily to kill the project.

"The government that governs best is the one that is close to the people," Comerchero said. "The county will be making a decision that will tremendously affect the residents of this community."

No representatives from Granite Construction Company were present at Tuesday's meeting, although the company sent letters asking the council members to keep Granite apprised of action the city takes in relation to the property.

The council members at Tuesday's meeting echoed their individual support for the study.

"I'm afraid if we don't take control, we're going to lose control," said City Councilman Ron Roberts. "This is the time to take action. There is a lot to learn about this issue and I believe this is going to be the start of that process."

Temecula City Manager Shawn Nelson said the city staff would report back to the council on the annexation study in 30 to 45 days.

The property on which the quarry would sit is slightly north of the San Diego County line and west of Interstate 15 near Rainbow Valley Boulevard and is adjacent to the eastern border of the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, which has protected habitat for research and education on Southern California ecosystems.

Granite representatives have said the quarry would generate up to 5 million tons of material per year that would be excavated, crushed and screened to make aggregate.

Gary Johnson, aggregate resource development manager for Granite Construction Co. said in a previous interview that without a local source of aggregate, construction materials will be further stretched and construction costs will increase to the point of becoming prohibitive.

"This action by the council is directly in opposition to the two-thirds of Temecula citizens who voted in favor of the transportation bonds in November. It's shortsighted," Johnson said.

The approval of transportation bonds to which Johnson was referring will add $19.9 billion to the state coffers of which $4.5 billion will go to corridor projects such as adding lanes to Interstates 15 and 215.

He said the Liberty Quarry would infuse the county with more than $300 million in sales tax revenues during the 75-year life of the mine.

Meanwhile, the city will be working with the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission to determine where the ultimate borders of the city should be. LAFCO is a state-mandated legislative agency that oversees municipal government borders.

George Spiliotis, executive officer of LAFCO, said Temecula's "sphere of influence" ---- the area next to the city into which it would likely expand ---- is up for review this April.

"This is an atypical proposal," said Spiliotis of Temecula's interest in possibly annexing the land south of the city. "Most annexation proposals are for the purpose of development or to provide services to an existing population. So, this is certainly unusual."

LAFCO representatives would review an annexation request and the affected taxation boundaries and analyze environmental reports relating to such a request.

-- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.