Planning commission approves project near wildlife corridor after resident raises safety concerns
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Summary
A Lake Elsinore planning matter was approved unanimously after a neighbor testified that a wildlife corridor and an untrimmed hillside behind his home allow mountain lions and coyotes to approach a nearby school and yards; the applicant said the project complies with the county habitat plan and agencies reviewed it.
The Lake Elsinore Planning Commission closed a public hearing and unanimously approved an application for a project adjacent to a mapped wildlife area after a neighbor warned the site funnels mountain lions and coyotes toward homes and a nearby school.
Jacob Somerville, a resident who said he lives “directly across the street from this wildlife quarter,” told commissioners the city-maintained tunnel behind his house is used by mountain lions and that brush up to 60–70 feet high has not been cleared for eight years. “I don't want mountain lions going where my 13‑year‑old daughter is playing,” Somerville said during the public-comment period.
The applicant's representative, Steve Galvez, told the commission the project team has contested some outside comments and that the project underwent a multi-agency review. “We comply with the MSHCP consistency analysis,” Galvez said, referencing the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan used in Riverside County review; he also said the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Authority (RCA), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and other agencies participated in that review.
City staff advised commissioners the hearing record includes agency conditions intended to mitigate habitat impacts. After questions and discussion, Commissioner Pease moved to close the hearing and Commissioner Devore seconded; the matter passed unanimously, 4–0, as reflected in the hearing minutes.
The public remarks and the applicant's statement are now part of the project record. The transcript shows Somerville raised safety concerns about wildlife near backyards and a school, and the applicant and agencies responded that the project complied with the county's established habitat-consistency process.
Commissioners did not specify additional conditions in the hearing record beyond the agencies' previously noted requirements. The commission recorded the final vote as unanimous for the staff-recommended action.