Meditation Retreat Proposed For Grand Avenue In Wildomar

WILDOMAR, CA — The Wildomar Planning Commission is set to review a proposal to build an all-faith meditation/retreat center on Grand Avenue that would include construction of a large activities hall, as well as two guesthouses for overnight stays.

The project site is approximately 21.76 acres at 19993 Grand Avenue, near the westward extension of Corydon Road. The project applicant, CEO Grace Young of Won Meditation Center, is proposing to build the retreat "typically used for organized activity purposes," according to Wildomar city documents.

"Specifically, the Won Meditation Center is a retreat facility where visitors can stay for temporary short-term retreats and hold religious-associated gatherings that include dining and meeting facilities," city documents read.

A craftsman-style administration/hall would measure 8,738 square feet. Two craftsman guesthouses would measure 3,404 square feet and 2,687 square feet — each with multiple sleeping quarters. In total, the two guest homes would feature 27 rooms, according to city documents.

Three- and seven-day stays would likely be offered for retreat visitors, according to city documents. The center would tax overnight guests — under Wildomar Municipal Code, a transient occupancy tax of 10 percent of the rent or fee charged would be required.

The property is currently zoned rural residential, and a single-family residence already exists at the site.

The property is surrounded by vacant land to the northeast, southeast and southwest. There is an existing single-family residential neighborhood to the north, and large-lot residential developments to the northwest, according to city documents.

If the project moves forward, an extension of undeveloped Corydon Road, from Grand Avenue to the site entrance, would be required. The road improvements include construction of a paved, two-lane roadway, approximately 600 feet long and 60 feet wide, according to city documents.

On Aug. 19, the Wildomar Planning Commission will decide whether to move the project forward. The commissioners will vote on two resolutions: approval of a plot plan and approval of a mitigated negative declaration. The latter resolution, if passed by the commissioners, finds that the project would have significant effects on the environment, but all of those potential concerns have been mitigated to a level of "non-significance" and mitigation measures are incorporated into the projects’ conditions of approval.

Anyone interested in weighing in on the project can view the city documents here. The special planning commission meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19. The meeting agenda provides information on how to view the live proceedings.