Residents given city updates at Town Hall meeting

A large crowd attended Tuesday's Menifee Town Hall meeting at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

Local residents, primarily from the Sun City community, packed the auditorium at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church Tuesday to hear from Menifee city officials in a Town Hall meeting.

The event was organized by City Council member Greg August, who represents the Sun City Community of District 1. Residents were invited to send in questions in advance on areas of concern. City department heads also provided updates in their areas of responsibility.

August introduced new mayor Bill Zimmerman to the audience and praised the efforts of city manager Armando Villa, who has made a positive impact in his seven months on the job.

"He will stabilize and provide continuity to the city's most important position," August said about Villa. "We are in a good position. Losing Neil Winter was a huge setback, but the city will move forward."

Highlights of the presentations made and answers given by city officials:

-- Approximately 2,500 new residential units have been added the last five years in Menifee, adding about 8,000 new residents, Villa said. Estimates are that the city's population will be at 100,000 by 2020.

"We need more rooftops to attract more community development that will offer services to you," Villa said.

-- Villa said city officials "are pushing hard" to get the owner of the closed North Golf Course to submit plans for re-development.

"We hope we will be back in a couple months to tell you they are able to do something there," he said. "They want it to be restored -- maybe not as a golf course, because that's a business decision."

Meanwhile, the golf course owners are issued daily citations until the property is cleared of weeds and dead trees.

-- Gina Gonzalez, economic development manager, said Krikorian Premiere Theatres "is moving forward" with leasing retail pads that will accompany its entertainment complex. Construction plans for the theater complex is 80 percent done, she said. George Krikorian told Menifee 24/7 recently that he hopes to begin construction in September or October.

-- Construction of a courthouse planned for the same Menifee Town Center on Newport Road was delayed last year for lack of state funding. However, according to Gonzalez, that funding was included in the current state budget. Design of the building is scheduled to be completed this fall with construction taking place in fall of 2019.

The building is scheduled to include nine courtrooms. It will handle civil cases but no criminal cases.

-- Walmart still owns property at McCall Boulevard and Encanto Drive but has shown no interest recently in moving forward with plans.

"The project is considered inactive," said Cheryl Kitzerow, community development director for the City. "We have seen no plan updates in the last year."

There also is no movement in plans for a Walmart on property purchased at Scott Road and Haun Road.

-- Plans for a commercial center at Menifee Road and McCall Boulevard are "working their way through the process," Kitzerow said. This center has been discussed for years and would provide valuable services to the Heritage Lake community. Plans include a grocery store, gas station, drug store, self-storage facility and other retail businesses. Plans should go before the Planning Commission before the end of the year, Kitzerow said.

-- Design is almost complete for a Bradley Road bridge crossing Salt Creek. This would prevent the kind of flooding that closes the important north-south route during heavy rains. The timeline for this project is to be determined.