City rules Krikorian theater buildings must be demolished
George Krikorian has submitted updated plans for structures in the foreground, but his lack of response regarding the theater property (stru...
By Doug Spoon, Editor
The City of Menifee has officially declared the Krikorian theater property a public nuisance and has notified the owner that he must tear down the existing structures within two weeks.
A notice of violation, of which Menifee 24/7 has a copy, was sent to George Krikorian today. The only way he can avoid having to tear down the buildings is to “rehabilitate the structures and make all necessary corrections” by Sept. 21, which is virtually impossible.
This order does not affect the retail buildings on the corner of Newport Road and Town Center Drive. Krikorian met a Sept. 1 deadline to apply for permits to continue construction on that phase of the project, and those plans are being processed. The existing retail structures will not be demolished. Krikorian did not meet the Sept. 1 deadline to apply for new permits for the theater property, however.
“We have been extremely patient with the project developer, but the continued lack of progress and failure to meet deadlines has led the City to take additional action,” said City Manager Armando Villa. “While this project is on private property, the City has determined that code enforcement violations requiring corrective actions must be taken by the project applicant to ensure the health and safety of the Menifee Community.”
According to a City press release, “The deadline is considered a reasonable period of time and if the corrective actions are not fulfilled by the project applicant at that time, the City may consider additional enforcement measures.”
The theater site has been a source of controversy almost since the project was announced in 2014. Krikorian finally broke ground for the theater in early 2019 but halted construction in April of 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Krikorian said he has lost funding to resume construction. Additionally, he is involved in a lawsuit with contractors who maintain they were not paid for materials delivered to the site.
Krikorian was notified earlier this year by the City that his building permits would expire on June 2, 2023. At that time, he was given until Sept. 1 to submit new permits and resume construction. His only response during that time was to apply for permits for the retail property.
For more background information on the Krikorian project, search keywords Krikorian Theater on menifee247.com.
I was at the city council meeting that Gorge Kirkorian spoke, October 2020 I belive. He said he would build the theater when he could make money. I knew he ment he never would build it. He also said he would resume building the other structures the next January-that was years ago. Kirkorian is worth $5 billion he can finance the theater, he just dosn't want to. We suffer in Menifee with his dump, while he lives a hundred miles away on the coast. The city has been way too slow to deal with this issue.
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