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Published Monday, October 7, 2002

A preview of the long-awaited development agreement was the highlight of the Murieta Holdings “town hall” meeting for October.

Robert J. Cassano, half of the Murieta Holdings team, said the agreement, running about 50 pages, will be submitted to the Rancho Murieta Association this week, and the developers will meet with the RMA on Oct. 15 to go through the agreement, hopefully for the last time.

“That document is alive and well,” Cassano said. “It’s just a complicated document, one of the most complicated I’ve worked on.”

Murieta Holdings – Cassano and partner Gerry N. Kamilos, acting as development agents for the land’s owner, the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers – has been discussing the agreement with the RMA for more than two years. A preliminary outline of the agreement was released in November 2000 (and can be seen here).

Once final terms are reached on the agreement, the RMA plans to release it to the community for public comment.

Cassano alone represented Murieta Holdings at Thursday’s 20-minute session. The audience consisted of three residents, two of them candidates in next month’s board elections.

Cassano emphasized that the agreement is now known as the mutual benefit agreement, explaining, “There are mutual benefits, from the development side and the RMA side.”

Some of the agreement's key points, as outlined by Cassano:

Homeowners association: One association would govern all the new neighborhoods to be developed by Murieta Holdings. At one time, it was thought each neighborhood would have its own association. “It was decided it was too cumbersome to operate,” Cassano said. He pointed out that any of the new neighborhoods could have its own “cost center” – special fees charged residents of that area.

RMA dues: Each lot in the new development would pay the RMA’s regular dues. Costs for broadband Internet would be paid by residents of the new development if the new development participates in RMA’s broadband service, Cassano said. With today’s RMA dues schedule and 1,093 new lots scheduled to be developed, Cassano said the RMA would realize $1.3 million a year in dues.

Architectural review: The new development will have its own architectural design review committee, with a voting RMA member. Minimum construction standards would include a requirement that any home be at least 1,800 square feet. The RMA’s minimum is 1,000 square feet.

North Gate and other improvements: $1.4 million would be provided for improvements to the North Gate, the Lago entrance and landscaping on Jackson Road and Murieta Parkway. The funds would be placed in escrow when builders close on the first 333 lots to be sold on the North, or when the Murieta Hills and Retreats developments close escrow. Any improvements would be coordinated with the RMA.

Escuela gate: The RMA has discussed having a gate at Escuela and Stonehouse. If that comes to pass, Murieta Holdings would fund $75,000 of that gate’s costs, as long as it’s built within three years of approval of the Murieta Hills development map.

Parks: Parks fees would be paid when development maps record, not at annexation, which would accelerate the funding to the community. A 20-acre Clementia park, which RMA had agreed to buy for $600,000, would be deeded to RMA at no cost as part of the agreement. (The land, near the existing Clementia park area, is in a floodplain and probably is unbuildable.)

Community access: All residents of the community would have access to all areas, including parks, since all residents would be paying for maintenance of these facilities. All residents would have equal rights of access to any subdivision. The only exception would be if there were an “active adult” area, which might call for a gate and limited vehicular access. There are no plans for an “active adult” area at present.

Miscellaneous: The agreement sets the maximum number of homes to be built on the North. Plans now allow 2,326 homes on North; under the agreement, 1,093 would be the limit. … Under the agreement, each association would be allowed to merge with the other. … Residents of the new development would have to comply with all RMA rules, and the RMA would have the power of enforcement authority. … Conveyance of the cable TV site on Stonehouse to the RMA would occur when Murieta Hills closes escrow. … The developers and RMA would work together to get the county to terminate its easement rights for land along the Cosumnes River through the community.

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