REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL AND
CORONA UTILITY AUTHORITY ACTION
DATE: 12-01-2021
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Honorable President and Board Members
FROM: Utilities Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Quitclaim deed to convey unused and unneeded 1963 water line easement to the Riverside County Transportation Commission (“RCTC”).
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This action is to terminate by quitclaim deed a 1963 water line easement that has not been used by the City in some time and is unnecessary. The City does not own the property in fee and is not entitled to compensation for the easement.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council and Corona Utility Authority approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a Quitclaim Deed to convey the water line easement recorded on August 28, 1963 as Document No. 90758 to the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
RCTC is attempting to sell a piece of property left over after its acquisition of public right-of way for the SR91 Corridor Improvements Project. The property was located at 2270 Frontage Road and was identified as APN 102-091-020. The Final Order of Condemnation was recorded in the official records of Riverside County on July 3, 2019.
Subsequent to the recordation of the Final Order of Condemnation, RCTC merged portions of Assessor Parcel Numbers 102-091-020, 102-091-004, 102-091-005, 102-050-020 and 102-091-021. The merged parcel, Parcel Merger No. 210012, was recorded on May 10, 2021 as Document No. 2021-0287798. The APN of the merged parcel is pending.
An old water line easement in favor of the Corona City Water Company, recorded on August 28, 1963 as Document No. 90758, appeared on the title and is still encumbering the merged parcel. RCTC has requested that the City execute a quitclaim deed to convey the easement to RCTC in order for RCTC to move forward with the sale of the property. The City does not own the property in fee.
ANALYSIS:
The Utilities Department inspected the location and determined that a former roadway was rerouted sometime between 2014 and 2017, and as a result, the water line is entirely in the new roadway and the City has no need to have access to the easement identified in the quitclaim deed. The easement has not been used by the City in some time and can be terminated without detriment to the City. There is no compensation in connection with this transaction as the City is simply terminating an old, unnecessary and unused easement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Not applicable.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The recommended action simply conveys an easement that is no longer used by the City to RCTC and there is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no further environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: TOM MOODY, GENERAL MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: DEAN DERLETH, CITY ATTORNEY/LRM DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit “1” - Quitclaim Deed