Planning commissioners approve vacation of Washington Avenue right-of-way for Downtown Marketplace

The Murrieta Planning Commission on a unanimous vote approved a staff recommendation to vacate a portion of Washington Avenue to accommodate the Downtown Marketplace mixed-use project at the corner of Kalmia and Washington.

City Engineer Jeff Hitch told the commission the project is a four-story, roughly 51,000-square-foot building on a 1.66-acre parcel. Hitch said the building columns encroach into an historical downtown right-of-way and that the developer needs the excess 15 feet vacated so the structure can sit where planned. "The right of way does need to be vacated, the extra 15 feet," Hitch said.

Hitch outlined the right-of-way history, saying the downtown section has an 80-foot designation (a 40-foot half width) and the current configuration leaves an unused 15-foot strip that the project proposes to release. He also said the developer relocated city and a private utility out of the affected area and city staff confirmed no utilities remain in the hatched portion of the exhibit.

Commissioners posed brief technical questions about sidewalks and a right-turn lane; staff confirmed the existing sidewalk sits inside the 40-foot half-width the city will retain and that traffic circulation is preserved. Commissioner LaPaglia characterized the item as "pretty straightforward." The commission then adopted a resolution determining the 3,181-square-foot vacation on the Washington/Kalmia frontage is consistent with the general plan. Commissioner LaPaglia made the motion and Commissioner DeSenna seconded; the clerk recorded the vote as unanimous, 4-0.

The approval is a planning-level finding; the vacation process and any required recording steps will follow the city's administrative procedures. Staff said it will be available to answer remaining project implementation questions as the developer moves forward.