A tentative approval last week of the annexation of a 7-square-mile swath to Temecula’s southern boundary has spurred discussions over the future of a rugged ecological reserve that makes up the bulk of that expansion.

In a 6-0 vote, with one member absent, the Riverside County Local Agency Formation

Commission tentatively approved the city of Temecula’s bid to annex about 4,300 acres.

The final approval is pending a city application to change the classification of land that includes part of a hotly-contested quarry proposal. The city could not seek to annex that 200-acre section after the pending application is approved.

The review of that application could unfold as the final steps are taken in the annexation or it could extend the process another several months, said George Spiliotis, chief executive of the county boundary-setting agency.

"It’s a significant thing," Spiliotis said in an interview after the commission tentatively approved the annexation on June 24. If the annexation comes to fruition, it could boost Temecula’s size to about 35 square miles. About 20 people reside in the annexation zone.

The city’s pending application would omit the entire quarry site and several property owners who disliked the idea of their land ever coming under Temecula’s authority.

Six people spoke during the hearing, which took less than 1½ hours to complete. All of the speakers were in favor of the annexation. No one commented on behalf of the Watsonville-based Granite Construction Co., which is proposing a granite mine that is nearing a string of land use hearings by county planning commissioners and supervisors.

Last week’s hearing was in sharp contrast to a session about a year earlier that lasted nearly 10 hours and drew comments from more than 100 speakers. A subsequent hearing attracted fewer people and resulted in the city submitting a revamped annexation proposal, which won tentative approval last week.

Granite initially battled the annexation because its proposed Liberty Quarry project would have come under city control if the area was annexed. The company softened its opposition when its development site was removed from the annexation area after the contentious LAFCO hearing about a year ago.

Temecula will have spent about $400,000 throughout the process on annexation-related studies, reports, application fees and other costs, city records show. Granite spent more than $300,000 fighting the initial annexation plan, its officials said.

The 155-acre mine Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] site anchors a rock-strewn bluff on the west side of Interstate 15 behind a California Highway Patrol truck inspection and weigh station near the San Diego County community of Rainbow.

Granite hopes to extract 270 million tons of sand, gravel and other materials over a 75-year period from the site, which would be surrounded by open space land the company would purchase.

The mine site flanks a sensitive San Diego State University nature reserve and research station that is split by the Santa Margarita River. The river, which is formed by the merger of several creeks in southwest Temecula, flows about 27 miles to the coast.

Matt Rahn, director of research and education for the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, was among the speakers at last week’s hearing.

In an interview afterward, Rahn said eliminating uncertainties surrounding the annexation will allow the university to move forward with its "strategic planning" for the reserve that straddles two counties and stretches from Interstate 15 to the Fallbrook area.

The environmentally-sensitive reserve has been the site of hundreds of scientific experiments in recent years. It is also rich in history, as it includes the former Luiseno Indian Temeku village site and once contained a railroad line that linked coastal routes with Temecula and other Inland cities.

SDSU hopes to craft a management plan that would spotlight the reserve’s historical assets and boost its ties to the city and the Pechanga Indian tribe while protecting its pristine settings and value to research scientists.

"The whole point is to keep it antiseptic and keep it in a pristine state," he said.

The plan could also draw upon city park rangers to protect the reserve against vandalism and other unauthorized access.

"We’re getting into the process right now, but we were kind of in a hold pattern until we knew what would happen with the annexation," Rahn said. He said the mine controversy and annexation debate have fueled a broader regional awareness of the reserve.

"We’ve been quiet with our doors shut for many years," he said. He said the scope and cost of the planning effort have not been determined.

"I think it’s really important," he said. "The annexation is sort of the nexus for regional planning. I see this as a great opportunity on how to run the reserve and partner with the community."