Murrieta Planning Commission re-elects chair, unanimously backs two development agreements

Murrieta City’s Planning Commission on March 25 re-elected Chair Rumman and Vice Chair Voyek and voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve two development agreements that preserve existing approvals for large retail projects and extend their entitlements for an additional 10 years.

The commission approved a development agreement for French Valley Crossings (DA2026-00006), a roughly 10‑acre retail center with about 38,000 square feet of commercial space that includes a car wash, and a second agreement for the larger Murrieta Marketplace (DA26-00008), a multi-phase, roughly 49‑acre regional shopping center described in staff materials as about 518,000 square feet. Both decisions were unanimous (recorded in the meeting as 4-0) and will be forwarded as recommendations to the Murrieta City Council on April 21, 2026.

Staff presented the projects and the legal basis for the recommendations. Planning staff said the French Valley Crossings item relies on environmental review originally completed in 2005 and updated in 2020 and that “the development agreement is essentially a contract between the city and the developer,” establishing a vested right that staff recommended the commission forward to council with a finding under CEQA Guidelines §15162 that no further environmental analysis is required. For Murrieta Marketplace, staff said prior environmental review from 2018 remains valid and that the DA would preserve the applicant’s existing entitlements.

Commissioners focused questions on traffic mitigation, timing and the 10‑year term. Staff and the project team confirmed required roadway improvements include Clinton Keith widening on the project side, turn pockets and other mitigation measures; staff said some intersections will be signalized or modified as part of the projects’ mitigation packages. On the length of the entitlements, staff explained the municipal code limits the number of short-term extensions and that a development agreement, which is a legislative action approved by council, allows the city to grant a longer vested right under state law. Staff also acknowledged that, because the site lies within the French Valley Airport flight path, housing had not been pursued for the French Valley Crossings site.

Jack Gooflli, who identified himself as the general partner for French Valley Crossings, said he bought the property in 2016 and that “nobody could get to the property. We were landlocked basically,” and that recent completion of Clinton Keith Road access enabled the current civil submittals and plans to break ground later in the year if plan checks proceed.

Both motions to recommend council approval were made after staff presentations and a closed public-hearing period that produced no speakers. Votes were unanimous and recorded as 4-0. Meeting materials show staff will present both items to the Murrieta City Council on April 21, 2026.

The commission also approved meeting minutes and heard a staff workshop on new state planning and housing laws (see separate story).