Murrieta Council reviews updated Parks and Trails master plans as residents press for equestrian access and short-term priorities

Leah Kolick, Murrieta’s parks and community services manager, and consultants from RJM Design Group presented updated Parks & Recreation and Trails master plans at the June 3 council workshop, outlining community‑driven needs, recommended strategies and a 10–15 year funding outlook.

The presentation summarized 18 months of outreach — three in‑person workshops, multimodal statistically valid surveys and stakeholder interviews — that identified high utilization of city parks (the consultant cited roughly 119,000–120,000 residents and 53 parks) and recurring priorities such as improved playgrounds, more sports fields, restroom maintenance, pickleball courts and expanded trails. RJM recommended five key strategies: prioritize multi‑use facility development, adopt a comprehensive maintenance and upgrade plan, create an integrated trail network, plan aquatic facilities for multiple ages/skill levels, and develop a targeted outreach campaign.

The plans include short‑, mid‑ and long‑term cost estimates and tie recommended projects to the city’s capital improvement plan (CIP). The consultant said some projects — including Glen Arbor dog park and Cal Oaks sports lighting — are already underway and noted that larger projects such as Los Alamos Hills phase two will require multi‑source funding and long‑term planning.

Council members sought more concrete near‑term steps. “This looks like a wish list,” Mayor Cindy Warren said, asking staff for a 1–3 year prioritized list tied to funding. Councilmember Stone and others asked staff to produce a short‑term strategic plan that distinguishes what the city must do (maintenance), what it should do (near‑term capital), and aspirational projects that require fundraising or grants.

Public comment highlighted equestrian concerns and access. Several residents urged that equestrian trails and trailheads be explicitly preserved and mapped; one resident said equine use had been raised in earlier outreach but not emphasized in the presentation. Staff and the consultant responded that equestrian use had been captured in the trail engagement and that future trailhead signage and the trail user classification system will identify permitted uses, including equestrian staging areas where appropriate.

The Trails master plan recommends standardizing signage, adopting trail classification and design standards, improving trail connectivity (including the Murrieta Creek Regional Trail), adding wayfinding kiosks and digital QR mapping, and establishing recurring maintenance programs. The consultant noted an approximate inventory of 19 city trail segments and turned over updated GIS data to the city to support implementation.

Next steps: staff said it will incorporate the plans into the general plan update and return with prioritized CIP recommendations and funding options, including short‑term items such as signage and mapping and longer‑term strategies for land acquisition and major park expansions.