CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE From William L. Bopf, Interim City Manager CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE Riverside County Environmental Health conducted a sweep of illegal vendor activity. The operation resulted Administration in the issuance of nine misdemeanor citations, two Rotational Tow Program Update administrative citations, the suspension of one health Six local tow operators have new 5-year agreements permit and the confiscation and disposal of approximately effective January 1 to participate in the updated 550 pounds of perishable food items. Rotational Tow Program for the City. Per the approval by the City Council, one more operator is expected to join Planning the program by the end of the month upon meeting certain Planning Commission conditions. Staff is bringing several proposed revisions to th the Rotational Tow Program ordinance to the City The Planning Commission met on November 18 to Council for consideration on January 11. The tow review the following item: operators participating in the program provide tow services to the City’s Police Department and Code 1. Reviewed and recommended City Council approval Compliance Division. of the Updated General Plan Housing Element. The City’s Neighborhood Preservation Division has CITY CLERK’S OFFICE worked with the State Department of Housing and Community Development to craft a revised element General Municipal Election that is consistent with State Housing Law. The The General Municipal Election held on November 2, proposed element includes a number of programs that 2010 was certified by the County of Riverside Registrar will require the preparation and review of new or of Voters Office on November 26, 2010. revised development requirements or allowances as well as consideration of rezoning specific parcels to Swearing-in of the newly elected Council Members took R30 (Residential – up to 30 units per acre). place at the December 14, 2010 Regular City Council Neighborhood Preservation will be scheduling the Meeting. Newly elected Council Members for District 2 element for City Council review at a meeting early and 4 are Richard A. Stewart and Marcelo Co, next year. respectively. Reorganization of City Council also took place on December 14, 2010. Swearing-in of the Mayor Administrative Approvals and Mayor Pro Tem take place during a Special Meeting 1. Conditional Use Permit for co-location of a wireless on January 4, 2011. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem are telecommunications facility on an existing mono- selected annually by majority vote and serve a one-year palm located at 25430 Edwin Road in the Moreno term. The Mayor’s position is largely ceremonial and Valley Industrial Area. The applicant is Clearwire includes presiding over Council meetings, representing Wireless. the City at official functions and signing official documents. 2. Amended Conditional Use Permit to add a concrete access road to an approved, but not yet constructed Advisory Ballot Measures “N” and “O” relating to the wireless telecommunications facility on City Directly Elected Mayor overwhelmingly received property located behind the Moreno Valley Ranch majority “Yes” votes. Fire Station on Lasselle Street. The applicant is Core Communications for Verizon Wireless. Ballot Measure “P” relating to the Transient Occupancy 3. Plot Plan to allow installation of a paint booth and Tax received majority “No” votes. related roof-mounted and ground-mounted ventilation equipment at an existing manufacturing COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT facility at 25100 Globe Street. The applicant is BDG Architects for Masonite Industries. Code & Neighborhood Services Sweep Of Illegal Vendor Activity 4. Plot Plan to modify approved plans for Tract 31319 On November 12, 2010, the Code and Neighborhood to facilitate the construction of homes on five Services Division, Moreno Valley Police Department and remaining lots. The applicant is Bowlus Pacific Homes. Volume 4, No. 21 Page 1 of 9 December 2010 5. Plot Plan to add three walk-up ATM machines to Inland Empire, as well as seven other malls in Southern facilitate occupancy of an existing bank building in California. the Stoneridge Shopping Center. The applicant is Burnham Nationwide for Chase Bank. As part of its bankruptcy reorganization, GGP received a $6.8 billion equity infusion from a group of investors. 6. Plot Plan to establish a muffler shop in an existing GGP will also split into two separately publicly traded multi-tenant industrial building at 14300 Elsworth companies—one will be called GGP Inc. and the other Street. The applicant is Jose Espinosa. will be called Howard Hughes Corp. The GGP Inc. 7. Plot Plan to construct a 988 square foot detached company will control the vast majority of the mall garage at 29203 Kimberly Avenue. The applicant is properties and the Howard Hughes Corp. entity will own Mindy Turner. most of the company’s master planned communities and redevelopment projects, including the closed Redlands Ridge Realty Warehouse/Industrial Project Mall property. The Moreno Valley Mall, along with The Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) public Montclair Plaza and the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside as review period ended on December 6 th . On December 1 st well as eight other GGP malls in Southern California will staff and the EIR consultant conducted a public meeting stay with GGP Inc. Contrary to several articles from the to answer questions regarding the project and provide Press Enterprise, GGP senior officials report that the additional information on future review of the project by Moreno Valley Mall is not being considered for a sale or the City. Approximately a dozen people attended the re-trading to its lender. GGP officials like the long-term meeting. All written comments will be forwarded to the outlook for the Moreno Valley Mall. Sales have recently EIR consultant to prepare written responses. Once those been trending upward for the Moreno Valley Mall and responses are reviewed and accepted by staff, the project GGP’s leasing team reports that tenant interest is heating will be scheduled for Planning Commission review and up for the 1.3 million sq. ft. regional mall. recommendation. Since the project includes a proposed Zone Change and Municipal Code Amendment, it The Moreno Valley Mall has a new General Manager, requires City Council review and action. with Scott Lewis replacing Allison Mack the last week of November. GGP has also hired a new Vice President – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT Paul Loubet for Retail Big Box Development to manage the marketing and leasing opportunities of bigger spaces Administration at GGP’s 11 southern California mall properties, Panera Bread including the Moreno Valley Mall. It took a while, but the Lease with Panera Bread is finally fully executed. Seems like the last few years, the process PH Woods to negotiate and secure the necessary approvals for Economic Development staff is working closely with real commercial leases has become complex to navigate and estate representatives to market the restaurant opportunity extremely time consuming to complete. Panera Bread will with the former PH Woods’s site at the Plaza del Sol submit tenant improvement plans by mid December to shopping center at the NE corner of Alessandro occupy a 3,960 S.F. building space in TownGate Crossing Boulevard and Frederick Street. Reportedly, the that previously housed Tarbell Realtors. ownership of the shopping center—the Callender Family Trust, will be aggressive in seeking to reuse this Panera Bread is a popular restaurant with over 1,400 restaurant space. The Callender Family Trust actually locations nationwide in 40 states. The new Panera Bread owned the PH Woods restaurant business, but recently in Moreno Valley will be the 10 th location in the Inland made the decision to close the restaurant operation Region, with existing restaurants in Riverside, Redlands, because all the family members live outside of the area in San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Orange County and the Coachella Valley. Since Don Corona, Temecula and Chino Hills. Look for a late spring Callender passed away in January 2009 at the age of 89, or early summer opening for the new Panera Bread in the Callender Family Trust also has closed or sold off Moreno Valley. restaurants Mr. Callender had started in Redlands and Indio. After the closing of PH Woods in Moreno Valley, General Growth Properties-Moreno Valley Mall the only remaining restaurant operation owned by the On November 9, General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP) Callender Family Trust is Babe’s BBQ at the River in officially emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Rancho Mirage. protection. GGP is the owner of more than 200 malls across the U.S, including the Moreno Valley Mall, The improvements for the former PH Woods restaurant Montclair Plaza and Riverside’s Galleria at Tyler in the are quality and they’re offering a turn-key deal--including Volume 4, No. 21 Page 2 of 9 December 2010 all furniture, fixtures, and equipment. The terms being negotiation with General Motors Corp. (GM), this move presented are attractive, but this is a large restaurant space allowed Moss to bring back Buick/GMC, which had been at 8,800 S.F. (includes the brewing operation). Most dormant in Moreno Valley since the Moreno Valley mainstream restaurants look for 5,500 to 7,000 sq. ft. Buick/GMC dealership closed and went out of business in November 2009. The new Moss GMC/Buick operation Riverside County Auto Retail Study officially started business on Monday November 29. The Riverside County’s Economic Development Agency, new Moss GMC/Buick business occupies a showroom along with help from the Press Enterprise and the cities of situated at 12675 Auto Mall Drive—just behind Moss Moreno Valley, Riverside, Corona, Norco and Temecula Chevrolet. Moss GMC/Buick will share the Moss have been researching the issue of why do such a high Chevrolet service facilities. proportion of Riverside County residents buy their vehicles outside of the Riverside County.