Where Is Downtown Wildomar? You Help Decide!

The Wildomar City Council and Wildomar Planning Commission will hold an open house and joint study session Jan. 23 to review development and design concepts for two potential “downtown” areas.

The open house will be held from 5-6 p.m. to allow the public to view and provide feedback on downtown concepts. Then at 6 p.m the public study session begins.

Both meetings take place at City Hall located at 23873 Clinton Keith Rd., Suite 201.

During the Jan. 23 events, concepts will be presented for two potential core downtown areas: an “Old Town” area around the intersection of Palomar and Central streets, and an area dubbed “West Wildomar,” between Mission Trail and Corydon.  

The “Old Town” area includes properties along Palomar and Central, mostly between Wildomar Cemetery and Wildomar Elementary School, according to Matthew C. Bassi, planning director for the city.

“Ideas for this area would seek to enhance its role as a historic community core while introducing new uses for residents and visitors. Development ideas for the area include a town hall or other civic/public uses, small-scale commercial uses, two-story mixed-use buildings, and an equestrian center by the cemetery property that could also be used for community events and markets. Equestrian trails would connect to surrounding areas and nearby trails,” Bassi said.

“West Wildomar” is the name given to the triangle of land formed by Mission Trail and Corydon by Skylark Airport, north of the Wildomar Library and adjacent residential neighborhoods, according to Bassi.

“Capitalizing on the nearby tourist/visitor attractions, ideas for this area include a gateway design feature, new retail uses, a civic center, and light industrial uses. DeJong’s Dairy contributes to the historic/rural character of this area. A trail along the drainage in the southern part of this triangle would connect to nearby trails, and light industrial uses near this drainage would complement similar uses around the airport,” Bassi continued.

In addition to these concepts for land uses, new streets and trails, the city’s consultant team will be developing illustrations that can be used to guide the design of buildings, landscaping, street furniture, and signs; preliminary work for these illustrations will be shared at the open house, according to Bassi.

Based on feedback received during the upcoming Jan. 23 open house and study session, as well as feedback from the Sept. 22, 2012 Community Visioning Session, the city’s project team will refine the concepts and illustrations and will present final proposals during open session of an upcoming regularly scheduled City Council meeting. According to Bassi, the March 13, 2013 meeting is the tentative date.

The Wildomar Old Town Vision planning process is funded by a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Compass Blueprint Demonstration Projects, according to the website wildomaroldtown.info that has been established to help keep residents informed about the initiative.

“The intent is to create a vision for a historic area in Wildomar along Old Highway 395 and guide its growth to become a focal point for the community,” the website states. 

The study was initiated by the City of Wildomar in early 2012, but currently the city has not secured or set aside funding to bring the project to fruition.

However, by completing a design concept the city will have laid the groundwork for future downtown development.

“It will build upon the Strategic Visioning Plan that was created through a community forum in 2008 when the city incorporated. It is also an opportunity to coordinate Wildomar’s aspirations for Highway 395 with the current Highway 395 Corridor Study, which is a separate process involving Wildomar and its neighbor cities,” the wildomaroldtown.info website states.

The Highway 395 Corridor Study is a comprehensive transportation and land use plan for the shared 16-mile, north-south corridor that runs parallel to Interstate 15 through the cities of Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar and Lake Elsinore.

The 395 study is a joint effort among the four cities; additionally, the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) is providing administrative leadership and coordination. Caltrans is providing the primary source of funds for the study through the Community Based Transportation Planning Grant Program. Each of the four cities also contributed matching funds. 

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is providing funds to support community outreach activities for the study through the Compass Blueprint grant program.

Click here for the latest on the Highway 395 Corridor Study.

For more information about the Wildomar Old Town Vision project, visit www.wildomaroldtown.info.