Temecula Suit Over Traffic Needs Is Settled

Funding for road improvements must be in place before homes can be built in fast-growing southwestern Riverside County, according to a legal settlement announced Wednesday by the county and the city of Temecula.

The agreement, which prohibits building permits from being issued before the traffic effects of proposed housing developments have been dealt with, settles a two-year feud over the county’s general plan.

Temecula sued the county in Riverside County Superior Court in 2003, saying the county’s general plan didn’t address increased traffic resulting from the housing boom in unincorporated areas bordering the city.

Under the agreement, funding for road improvements must be secured before city or county building permits are issued, either through inclusion in a special taxing district that has funds available or by the developer paying a share of the costs to improve roads.

Additionally, the city and county will pay for a study by the Riverside County Transportation Commission to determine the effects of proposed development on freeways and major roads in the southwestern part of the county. The results of the study will be used to develop a plan to pay for freeway expansions and upgrades.

Local leaders have said the need to plan far in advance was urgent because state funding for road projects was jeopardized by the state’s budget problems.

“The bottom line, as we all know, is that Caltrans is not going to be able to fund these solutions for many years to come,” said county Supervisor Jeff Stone, a former Temecula councilman.

The area has grown rapidly in recent years, in part as people have left coastal counties in search of more affordable housing.

Temecula’s population has nearly tripled to 77,000 in the last 15 years. But a lack of high-paying jobs in the area has forced many to commute to San Diego County, creating traffic problems.