CITY MANAGER’S UPDATE From William L. Bopf, Interim City Manager CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE commercial to be aired on MVTV-3, and with information posted on the City’s web site. Administration Rotational Tow Program Update CITY CLERK’S DEPARTMENT Proposals for tow companies to apply to participate in the recently updated rotational tow program were due to The Consolidated General Election is November 2. the City by October 12. The proposals will be reviewed by a committee comprised of Staff representing the • Polling Place - Polling places will be open from 7 following Departments/Divisions: City Manager’s a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 2, 2010. Office, City Attorney, Police Department, Community Development, Fire Prevention, Financial and • Early Voting - You may vote at the Registrar of Administrative Services, and Risk Management. The Voters office located at 2724 Gateway Drive, committee will review each proposal to ensure that the Riverside, CA, October 4 through November 1, tow operators meet all of the requirements established in 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 the rotational tow ordinance; site inspections will be p.m.; and Election Day, November 2, 2010, 7:00 included. Former Deputy City Manager Rick Hartmann a.m. - 8:00 p.m. has been retained as a consultant to assist in the RFP and proposal review processes. Rick has been meeting with • Vote-by-Mail – Applications must be received at potential applicants and recently held a pre-bid meeting the Registrar of Voters office no later than October with tow operators to discuss the program requirements. 26, 2010. Postmarks are not accepted. Vote-by- Each applicant is required to pay a $2,828 application mail ballots may be mailed, turned in at any fee to cover the costs of the proposal review process and Riverside County polling place on Election Day, or part of these fees are being used to fund Rick deposited in the vote-by-mail ballot drop-off boxes. Hartmann’s services. Results of the RFP process and the committee’s review will be presented to the City Council • Vote-by-Mail Drop-off Boxes - Drop-off boxes along with the consideration to enter into rotational tow for vote-by-mail ballots are available at the City program agreements with those operators that meet the Clerk’s Department and some County Libraries ordinance requirements. beginning October 4th through November 1, 2010. Veterans Day For additional information, please contact: The City Manager’s Office and City Council/City Clerk City Clerk’s Department at 951.413.3001, Registrar of Staff are planning the annual Veterans Day ceremony Voters office at 951.486.7200 or click on the following scheduled for Thursday, November 11 at the Veterans website: www.voteinfo.net ; Memorial at sunset. The initial banners for the Military Appreciation Banner Program will be in place for the For statewide ballot measures, visit the following ceremony and will honor those City residents who were webiste: www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov killed in action and whose names appear on the Memorial. The ceremony will begin with a scheduled COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT airplane flyover at 4:30 p.m. Planning Division Moreno Valley Day at UCR Women’s Basketball Planning Commission The University of California Riverside Women’s rd Basketball Team is celebrating “Moreno Valley Day” at The Planning Commission met on September 23 . At their November 14 game against Arizona State. The that meeting, the Commission reviewed and University is offering Moreno Valley residents two recommended approval by the City Council of a tickets for the price of one, Mayor Flickinger will be the Municipal Code Amendment to revise the City’s Honorary Assistant Coach, and the City Council is regulations on second residential units and single family invited to sit courtside for the game. Game time is 2:00 residential design standards and a number of non- p.m. Media and Communications Division will be substantive changes to other portions of the Municipal promoting “Moreno Valley Day” with a press release, a Code. Volume 4, No. 19 Page 1 of 12 October 2010 The proposal would allow second residential units in all Wireless. single family zones, subject to reasonable design and 4. Plot Plan for a vehicle towing and storage facility occupancy standards, in order to conform to current at 24385 Nandina Avenue in the Moreno Valley State requirements. The proposal would also make a Industrial Area. The applicant is Lawler Triple L variety of changes to single family residential design Towing. standards, including a requirement for “four sided 5. Plot Plan to expand an existing towing and storage architecture”. facility at 14451 Commerce Center Drive. The applicant is Exclusive Recovery. The item is scheduled for review by the City Council at 6. Plot Plan to allow a new restaurant (Sonora Grill) the November 9 th regular meeting. to locate in an existing shopping center at 23962 Alessandro Boulevard. The applicant is Rudy The Planning Commission met on October 28 th to review Garcia. two items. 7. Plot Plan to allow outdoor seating for a new restaurant (Baja Fresh) in the Main Street area of 1. The first item was a minor amendment to the the Stoneridge Towne Centre. The applicant is Permitted Uses Table to allow pharmacies in Don Walters. connection with a medical office in the Business 8. Conditional Use Permit for a multi-purpose Park – Mixed Use (BPX) zone. The change would banquet hall in an existing shopping center at the treat such pharmacies in a similar fashion to the southwest corner of Alessandro Boulevard and Office Commercial (OC) zone. The amendment Elsworth Street. The applicant is Naji Doumit. was submitted by a potential pharmacy owner 9. Plot Plan to allow a large (960 square foot) wishing to locate in the Aardex office complex at workshop at 24023 Roseleaf Place. The applicant the southwest corner of Alessandro Boulevard and is Cornel Gleason. Veterans Way. Staff is supportive of the proposed change. Foreclosures and Homes Listed for Sale Information available from the RealtyTrac website for 2. The second item was an amendment to the General September shows a slight increase in foreclosure activity Plan Bikeway Plan to modify various proposed in the City, similar to the County. For September, the bikeway segments to facilitate existing capital website reported one in 78 housing units in Moreno projects (Nason Street – Eucalyptus Avenue to Valley were in some stage of foreclosure. This Ironwood) and funding for prospective bikeway compares to a rate of one in 83 units in August, eight extensions (John F Kennedy Boulevard – Heacock percent (8%) deterioration between August and Street to Lasselle Street; Lasselle Street – Krameria September. The current rate is much improved from Avenue to Kentucky Derby Drive; Alessandro September 2009, when the rate was one in 62 units, a Boulevard – Old 215 to Moreno Beach Drive). 26% improvement. Foreclosure activity was six percent (6%) higher in the region, with the highest rates in Both items would require review and action by the City communities with the highest levels of single family Council. housing construction during the past building boom. Moreno Valley is in the middle of the list of local Administrative Approvals communities, virtually the same as Temecula. Slower 1. Conditional Use Permit to allow co-location of an growth areas such as Riverside and Banning had much additional telecommunications facility on an better rates, and faster growth areas such as Beaumont existing baseball field light pole in John F Kennedy and Menifee had much worse rates. Calimesa had the Memorial Park. The applicant is Clearwire lowest rate locally (1 in 257) and Winchester had the Wireless. highest rate (1 in 18). By zip code, area 92555 had the 2. Conditional Use Permit to allow co-location of an highest rate in the City (1 in 32) and area 92553 had the additional telecommunications facility on an lowest rates (1 in 98). Foreclosure activity decreased in existing mono-pine located behind the existing the 92551 zip code and increased in the 92553, 92555 Stater Brothers shopping center at the southwest and 92557 zip codes. Moreno Valley had 702 reported corner of Sunnymead Boulevard and Perris in some stage of foreclosure. The City of Riverside had Boulevard. The applicant is Clearwire Wireless. the highest number of reported foreclosure properties at 3. Conditional Use Permit to allow co-location of an 1,058. additional telecommunications facility on an existing mono-pine located at the Sunnymead Information available from the Realtor.com website Ranch Fire Station #48. The applicant is Clearwire indicates a small increase in the number of homes for Volume 4, No. 19 Page 2 of 12 October 2010 sale in the City and continued stability in median asking November 2008, Kroger Co.-Ralph’s closed the store in prices. As of October 1, 2010, 1,085 homes were listed TownGate Center, along with several other stores in for sale, compared with 1,038 on September 1st, and 938 Southern California. in October of last year. The median asking price in August was $159,000, compared with $159,000 in During the past eighteen months several potential users September and $149,900 last October. The current have expressed interest in all or part of the former inventory of homes for sale is approximately a three Ralph’s space. Negotiations on a possible reuse month supply. Anything less than a six month supply of opportunity have advanced with a furniture store and homes for sale is considered positive. several fitness clubs. However, before anything can be formalized with a new user, the participation of the Southern California Edison Rebates Kroger Co.