Dear Friends and District Five Residents:
This is the second installment of our monthly Newsletter that will provide some highlights with general updates and information on Economic Development, Housing, Infrastructure, Jobs, and more.
I encourage you to stay connected by following me on Facebook @CouncilmanBarajas or Instagram @CouncilmanBarajas
I hope you enjoy this e-newsletter. Please reach out to me if I may be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Chris Barajas
Mayor Pro Tem
economic development
The District @Rubidoux is a proposed project by the developer that encompasses the Emerald Meadows Ranch area. The proposal consists of approximately 70 acres of retail/commercial, approximately 17 acres of hospitality and destination retail/entertainment, approximately 10 acres of open space/parks, approximately 70 acres of mixed housing types ranging in affordability that equates to over 1000 dwelling units, approximately 1 to 1.5 million square feet of logistics with dedicated freeway access and roundabouts to isolate truck traffic from residential/park areas, trail systems and paseos, and more.
Some high level background information, this site had a specific plan that consisted of 1000+ dwelling units that consists of single family market value homes and a commercial/retail area. A few years back the Council at that time chose not to extend the specific plan, however it can be revisited if needed. The proposed industrial use would have initial conditions of a parcel tax per square foot of building that would increase annually and in perpetuity that would go to the City’s general fund for public safety, infrastructure, and other potential priorities of our residents. It would be conditioned to have a point of sale agreement meaning that although online sales happen throughout the world, the sales tax of each purchase would be as though the building itself is the store and apply the tax of those sales to Jurupa Valley. There would also be a comprehensive Community Benefits Agreement that the community and other Social and Environmental groups would be part of crafting.
The District @Rubidoux will be holding additional community meetings to receive feedback. They are expected to bring this back to Council for approval to study. In our City, when a proposal from a developer includes a logistics factor the applicants cannot fully study and provide a full proposal for what type of stores, housing, restaurants, hotels, etc. until they are able to fully study the project and bring back the findings to the Planning Commission which would then have multiple public hearings and if approved would then have to go to the City Council for additional public hearings. Assuming it continues to pass through each stage with public support, the public and all stakeholders would have multiple opportunities to participate in the process which I highly encourage.
You can learn more Here
Workshop Presentation Here
Montecito Housing Proposal:
BACKGROUND
On January 16, 2020 the City Council participated in a study session regarding the Montecito project, as part of a pre-application review (under Master Application No. MA19084). The City Council provided direction to the applicant to consider the following:
Contribute to the construction of a traffic signal light at Mission Boulevard and Agate Street to allow for higher density
Modify to the project to include single-story homes
Identify appropriate wall height to be constructed adjacent to the proposed auto parts store, under separate application, at the corner of Mission Blvd. and Agate St.
On June 4, 2020, the applicant submitted formal entitlements for the project. The required entitlements requested include the following:
1. Zone change from General Commercial (C-1/C-P) to Planned Residential (R-4) for the 5.3-acre project site.
2. Neighborhood Development Plan (NDP) required by the R-4 zoning classification and waiver of the 9-acre minimum area requirement for the R-4 zone.
3. Tentative Tract Map No. 37893 to subdivide the project site into 28 parcels, including 25 single-family lots, one detention basin, and two private streets. On August 12, 2020, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the waiver of the 9-acre minimum area requirement for this project. On September 17, 2020, the City Council approved the waiver. Therefore, the waiver is not being considered as part of this item
Full Staff Report Here
Phase A Vernola Gateway Apartments is a 397-unit upscale apartment complex. Building permits for the project were approved on 9/24/2020 with construction beginning in October of 2020. The project is presently in the framing stage, with grading, slab work, plumbing and retaining walls completed. The developer is diligently moving forward with the project. Phase B is currently in planning and will be headed to the Planning Commission soon for public hearings.
community service
We held our second Community Cleanup of the year on April 24, 2021 and was extremely successful!!! It was great to see so many of our residents. We focused on areas in District 1 which included the Downey Street area and Santa Ana River. Our next one is tentatively schedule for June 19th. #EarthDay
I have been working closely with our Sikh Temple in partnership with Riverside County to host multiple #COVID19 vaccination clinics at their site. More to come…..
infrastructure
Mission Rehabilitation Phase 1 construction contract was approved and work is expected to start in the next few months at a cost of close to $2 million. As a reminder, this will rehabilitate Mission between Valley Way and Pyrite with some additional features.
We approved $1+ million to rehabilitate multiple residential streets in Old Mira Loma near JVHS.
JURUPA ROAD GRADE SEPARATION UPDATE:
Construction of the Jurupa Rd Grade Separation is scheduled to start in May and go through June of 2023. New roads are being built to connect to Van Buren as alternate routes and improvements are being made to the intersection of Galena/Rutile and Van Buren including a traffic signal at Pedley and Jurupa. #jurupavalley #infrastructure
You can see more info such as design and more here:
city manager updates
Our City Manager Rod Butler is releasing bi-weekly City Manager Updates. You can view the full updates at the following links:
RESOURCES
homelessness
A local resident has reported a homeless encampment on a vacant lot on Granite Hill Drive between Pyrite & Pedley Road.
Code Enforcement has immediately followed up with Path of Life for assistance. Upon Code Enforcement’s inspection, one RV and five vehicles were observed on the property. Path of Life went to location to offer services and will be assisting two individuals with obtaining documentation. A Notice of Violation has been mailed out to the property owners for compliance and removal of the trespassers.
We approved $150+k for Path of Life for homeless services. Part of this is funding apartment leases in our city for families who are facing hardships. This also includes $20k for a senior nutrition program. In addition, we approved $530k for rental assistance which Path of Life administers. Over the past year, with the additional funding we provided Path of Life was able to help over 100 Jurupa Valley residents from becoming homeless with rent relief and/or utility assistance.
More info Here
In addition, this is now our third year in a row of offering our Home Rehabilitation Program. For those who qualify, you can receive as much as $10k to make vital repairs to your home.
More info Here
council business/community news
Last year we created a formal city grant policy and subsequently budgeted $30k for grants within that policy to non-profits who directly serve Jurupa Valley. We approved the first year's recipients last night. A few of them were the Jurupa District Lions Club, Queen of Hearts, VFW Local 10267, Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center, and more.
A project we've been working on and related to Downey Street is a new program that will allow our Code Enforcement to issue vehicle code citations. More details to come. This will potentially allow us to heavily enforce permit parking, street sweeping, and many other quality of life issues we have been working towards a solution on.
Jurupa Valley and Patriot High School Girls soccer teams finished at the top of their respective leagues! Headed to CIF playoffs. Both teams are represented by long time Jurupa AYSO coaches. Each team is represented by a huge majority of Jurupa AYSO players. Great soccer starts and stays in our region. #greatsoccerstartshere #greatcoaches #greatplayers Let's go Jag's and Warriors!
Great #cincodemayo2021 night out at our local #VFW with live music from Midnight Illusions! If you've never been to our local VFW be sure to check them out for Friday night dinner or their recently added Sunday Funday. #jurupavalley
We approved to move forward with our 6th Cycle Housing Element. The Regional Housing Needs Assessment has determined that Jurupa Valley must rezone to allow for higher density to the amount of 4700+ additional units to be built through 2029. This is a state mandate that applies to all cities in California. You can learn more about RHNA here. The full staff presentation can be found HERE
