The City of Murrieta is thrilled to announce that the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort project was selected for the Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse award at the 10th Annual Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet Awards. Hosted by the Inland Empire Economic Partnership (IEEP), this award recognizes real estate development or adaptive reuse projects that create jobs or additional tax sources. Winning projects are selected because they will catalyze economic growth and demonstrate innovative partnership approaches, including both the public and private sectors.
Receiving the IEEP award for the redevelopment of the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort was a long time in the making. Murrieta was once well known for its natural, mineral hot springs. The current main artery of the city, Murrieta Hot Springs Road, was named for this amenity. From the early 1900s until the early 1970s, Murrieta was home to a large hot spring resort renowned as one of the first resorts in the region, with many celebrities and visitors passing through. Once the resort was no longer operational, the space was home to a bible college. Yet, after the pandemic hit, they reevaluated their service delivery model at the site and decided to sell the property. The City worked directly with the seller with the goal of bringing in a use that would benefit everyone. After several buyers showed interest, a major hot springs resort group was selected, and the City got to work entitling the project. Finding that the bible retreat and college space also featured hotel rooms, the City was able to approve a substantial conformance in four months. This allowed the buyer to close escrow and begin the massive work of redeveloping the 46-acred site.
Scott Agajanian, Murrieta’s Director of Economic Development, praised the efforts of the City’s Development Services Department for the work of transitioning a bible college into what will be the new Murrieta Hot Springs Resort. “This project is a shining example of how government can work in unison with property owners and developers for the betterment of everyone involved. Everyone at the City of Murrieta who played a role in seeing this project through to the finish could not be more proud of what we accomplished,” shared Agajanian. He also noted that “the project could not have been made a reality without the help of Olympus Real Estate who had the vision to acquire the property and invest in this community.”
The IEEP works collaboratively with prominent business and government leaders to make the Inland Empire a great place to live, work, and invest. With a constant need for change and adaptation, the IEEP strategizes the most successful ways to accommodate regional needs that succeed today and prepare for what is to come tomorrow. The IEEP’s Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet event honors agencies that have developed innovative ways to avoid bureaucratic red tape for the betterment of local economies and communities.
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