Commentary: It's time for City to take action against theater

The partial theater walls can be seen in the background behind unfinished retail buildings. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

It has been 10 months since the head of Krikorian Premier Theatres stood before the Menifee City Council and said, “I’m committed to moving forward as soon as things open up.”

It has been more than a month since a City of Menifee spokesperson said, “Krikorian has taken steps to move forward with the retail portion of the project adjacent to Newport Road. He has submitted enhancements to the facades and City staff is currently reviewing the phasing plan for the retail portion.”

Maybe the City isn’t as slow in reviewing building plans as George Krikorian is at “moving forward”, but it’s fair to say that in this case, neither one seems very good at moving at all.

It’s coming up on three years since work on the Krikorian theater site in Menifee Town Center stopped at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, contractors have sued Krikorian, theaters have reopened with new films produced, and the only updates on the Krikorian site are vague responses about funding problems and plan checks.

This leaves one to wonder: Who’s going to make the first move – the City or Krikorian himself?

The City would seem to have the easiest path to moving forward with Krikorian’s retail portion of his property – you know, the wooden structures standing at the southwest corner of Newport Road and Town Center Drive.

Last we heard – in Krikorian’s remarks to the City Council last October – tenants of that retail center would include a Broken Yolk Restaurant, Navy Federal Credit Union and a dental group. Whether that remains true is unknown; the City refers questions to Krikorian, and Krikorian isn’t answering questions from Menifee 24/7.

There’s nothing stopping the City from finalizing its plan review and beginning the “phasing plan” for the retail spaces, whatever that means. After a month, wouldn’t you think that could have taken place? And how long before the quote given to us last month did Krikorian submit the revised retail plans? How much longer has it actually been?

Is this a high priority with the City or not?

In response to our latest inquiry about the retail properties last week, City public information officer Phil Southard wrote in an email, “Krikorian submitted modifications to the architecture for the two retail buildings which the City has approved. The City is continuing to work with Krikorian’s team on a phasing plan which could allow the retail buildings to move forward. We would defer questions regarding project timing to Krikorian.”

It appears that’s as specific an explanation as we’re going to get. City manager Armando Villa no longer allows the media to personally interview department heads, so we get the company line via Southard, who is not at fault because he’s only the messenger. But wouldn’t you think the public deserves more of an answer?

And that’s just the retail spaces we’re talking about. What about the theater site, which remains vacant except for partial walls covered in gray to eradicate graffiti? Can the City do anything to move that along?

Krikorian could use the excuse that the impending jury trial will continue to stop further construction. There’s nothing keeping him from resuming work with other contractors, however – except money.

While Krikorian remains silent about his efforts to secure more funding for the theater, news reports paint a grim picture of the efforts of theater companies to secure financing these days. According to a recent news article by The Wrap, AMC Theaters stock has dropped 40 percent – something not particularly attractive to investors. Citing similar numbers, another news article stated in its headline that “Despite Post-Pandemic Progress, Theaters Are Still in Trouble.”

So how long does the City wait, either for Krikorian’s lawsuit to be settled, or for funding to magically appear, or both? How long before someone starts talking about an official City declaration of the theater site as an eyesore, followed by action taken to claim the land by eminent domain?

It isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Could anyone actually argue that the place isn’t an eyesore? This isn't some small structure on the outskirts of town. It's a big mess right in the center of town. It's supposed to be a focal point of the city, but not for this reason.

Krikorian said in October that he was going to erect a large fence to hide the walls from public view. He hasn’t even done that. The structure has been defaced by taggers and is the brunt of jokes all over town. It’s time to do something.

Eminent domain can be a complicated process. The local government would have to prove it has a valid reason for acquiring the property for public use. Then the property owner must get fair value for the property. This would be an expensive one with legal implications. But at this point, shouldn't that at least be considered a viable option?

City of Menifee officials, at least fast-track the retail plans and be transparent about exactly where that project stands. Make something happen in those shacks sooner than later. And if it turns out Krikorian doesn't have the funding for the retail space either, call his bluff. Then make a plan for “moving forward” with the theater site – even if that means acquiring the land, tearing down the walls and designating the property for public use.

Stop counting the sales tax dollars that may never come. Menifee Town Center was billed as the entertainment and recreation center of the city. Certainly an entire City Hall can stand up to one man and keep that dream alive.