City Council delays decision on warehouse on Murrieta Road

By Doug Spoon, Editor

By a 3-2 vote, the Menifee City Council on Wednesday delayed a ruling on the 517,720-square-foot warehouse/distribution building proposed for a portion of the northern Economic Development Corridor.

Although the project site is located south of Ethanac Road in an area zoned for such use, it is adjacent to a small neighborhood in which several local families have lived for decades. Many of them spoke at Wednesday’s meeting to oppose the project.

The site is located south of Floyd Avenue (a dirt road), east of Geary Street (also a dirt road), west of Murrieta Road, and north of McLaughlin Road.

Wednesday’s public hearing was to address an appeal by the applicant, Ares Industrial Management, of a denial of the project by the Menifee Planning Commission on Oct. 23. During that meeting, commissioners had doubts about the applicant’s testimony that “overriding considerations” would mitigate high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and noise stated in the Environmental Impact Report.

After considerable discussion on Wednesday, the majority of Mayor Bill Zimmerman, Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines and council member Lesa Sobek voted to continue the item for 90 days to give the applicant more time to interview as many local residents as possible about their concerns. Voting no on the motion to continue were council members Bob Karwin and Ricky Estrada. Both favored an outright denial of the project.

Peter Schafer, representing Ares Management, told council members that the developer had noticed all residents in the area about the project. He said Ares only spoke personally to two of those residents. Deines, who made the motion to continue the item, said he believed that was not sufficient input from the residents.

“Talking to just two people is a little disappointing,” Deines said. “I’m concerned that there hasn’t been enough conversations with the residents. I believe we should continue this matter until after we have the traffic study, and to give them time to talk to all the residents.”

Deines was referring to a traffic study that has been conducted about the effects of industrial development along the Ethanac Corridor on traffic. This study, being conducted for the cities of Menifee and neighboring Perris, has been completed but has not yet been reviewed by city staff, said Public Works Director Nick Fidler.

Eight residents addressed the council in opposition of the project. Six other people – including labor union members who would be employed by the project – spoke out in favor of it. Residents opposed to the project cite the noise and traffic of incoming trucks, which would drive south on Murrieta Road from Ethanac Road to enter the facility.

The project calls for three entrances to the site off Murrieta Road for trucks that would be entering throughout the day to use the facility’s 90 dock-high doors, 28 trailer parking spaces in the northern truck court and 64 trailer parking spaces in the southern truck court.

“This is the wrong time for this project,” Karwin said. “There is a well-established community right there. I went out there and drove the area. I spent about 20 minutes watching the traffic. Approving this project would create a freeway [on Murrieta Road] between Ethanac and McLaughlin Road.”

One of the residents speaking in protest of the project was Kelly DeChristopher, who lives on Floyd Avenue.

“Our street is special. I grew up on this street,” she said. “On this street alone I have my sisters, my parents, brother-in-laws, along with many of our lovely neighbors. We have a total of 12 kids, all under the age of 12. They all ride their bikes and play up and down the road. This is not merely an inconvenience, it changes an entire neighborhood. It will drastically change the air quality and add traffic. This is complete disregard for the residents.”

One of those who spoke in favor of the project during the public comments section was Randy Madrid, one of the two Planning Commissioners who voted in favor of it at the Oct. 23 meeting.

“We didn’t take this lightly,” he said. “I don’t speak for the other Planning Commissioners, but I am pro growth. I am speaking for the developer on the side of growth.”

Later, during council members’ discussions, Karwin expressed shock at Madrid’s comments.

“I’m a little stunned that we have a Planning Commissioner say he’s speaking on behalf of a developer,” Karwin said.

Estrada also expressed his opinion that the project should be denied.

“I don’t buy the aesthetics; I don’t buy the project at all,” Estrada said. “There are many potential suitors out there that could bring a better project to the area. We need to wait for the global traffic study. I’m not willing to be bought out on this.”

The matter will be reconsidered at a date to be announced later, in approximately 90 days.