CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Regional Sports Facility Discussion
MEETING DATE: April 1, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Mariana Mitchell, Community Services Director REVIEWED BY: Rebekah Kramer, Assistant City Manager
APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Review and discuss options to develop a regional sports facility in Menifee.
DISCUSSION
Interest in a regional sports park has been identified as a priority in the City’s adopted Strategic Plan and the Parks Master Plan. At the May 7, 2025, City Council meeting, a future agenda request was made by the City Council to discuss the feasibility of developing a regional sports facility within Menifee. Regional sports facilities are large-scale, often multi-sport complexes designed to serve both local recreation needs and broader regional and national tournaments.
These venues often act as economic drivers, attracting visitors, generating hotel stays, restaurant spending, and ancillary economic activity.
Notable characteristics of a regional sports facility include scale and reach that promote travel into the area from across the country and even internationally, with many facilities able to accommodate multiple sports. Regional sports facilities can vary significantly in size, programming, and function depending on community priorities, available land, and funding resources. While some focus on large tournament complexes with multiple fields designed to host national competitions, others emphasize indoor athletic facilities, sports performance centers, aquatics complexes, or community recreation hubs that support both local programming and regional events. Many communities pursue a phased approach that combines outdoor fields, indoor athletic space, and complementary recreational amenities over time.
In addition to evaluating new sports park opportunities, Menifee has several unique recreational assets and planned investments that could position the City to support regional sports and recreation activities. In May 2025, the City acquired Menifee Hills comprised of 19 parcels spanning approximately 398 acres located on the east side of the City to be designated as open space for parks, trails and recreational purposes. This land acquisition provides opportunities for
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regional active recreational tourism, such as hiking and mountain biking and could support regional outdoor sports events and competitions.
These opportunities are complemented by existing and planned amenities at Gale Webb Action Sports Park, which features bike trails for various skill levels and a 22,000-square-foot pump track, making it one of the largest bike parks of its kind in Southern California. The City is also currently designing the Evans Park North project (CIP 24-08), located north of Gale Webb Action Sports Park adjacent to Paloma Valley High School. This project is being evaluated as a potential expansion of the existing action sports amenities, with the opportunity to enhance the facility into a more inclusive, competition-ready venue that could further strengthen Menifee’s ability to attract regional events and users.
In October 2025, the City Council directed staff to work in collaboration with Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District (Valley-Wide) to pursue detachment and annexation of the Menifee Parks Landscape Maintenance District (LMD). The LMD includes approximately 65 acres of parkland across 12 parks located in central Menifee east of Interstate 215, including Aldergate Park adjacent to Menifee Hills and Wheatfield Park, the City’s largest developed park site, which features a community center and six ball fields spanning more than 25 acres. Annexation of these parks and open spaces would provide an opportunity for the City to enhance park amenities, including multipurpose and baseball fields, while also creating a potential access point to Menifee Hills through Aldergate Park.
This effort is anticipated to take approximately 18-24 months to complete and will require additional resources to support ongoing maintenance and operations, as well as capital investments to enhance park amenities. Based on a recent fiscal impact analysis, the annual General Fund investment required to maintain and program the additional parks and amenities associated with the Valley-Wide Menifee Parks LMD is estimated at approximately $650,000, excluding any required capital improvements. These considerations highlight the importance of evaluating long-term operational and maintenance costs alongside capital investment when considering the development of new regional recreation facilities.
The Menifee Valley Specific Plan (MVSP) area includes plans for a sports park that is anticipated to include the City’s first aquatics center and could include regional sports amenities such as pickleball courts with the capacity to support regional tournaments. These park amenities could enable Menifee to stand out in the region.
While regional sports facilities are undoubtedly a great public asset to support sports tourism and local recreation demand, the development and annual operation can be extremely costly and require a large amount of open land. Common funding mechanisms include public-private partnerships (developer/operator model), bonds or certificates of participation, revenue sharing agreements, the establishment of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFD) State/Federal grants, corporate sponsorships and naming rights, user fees, tournament rentals, memberships, and concessions.
Recent projects in the region also illustrate the range of approaches communities are taking when developing sports tourism infrastructure. For example, the City of Ontario is currently developing the Ontario Sports Empire, a regional sports destination spanning approximately 190 acres with City of Menifee Staff Report
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an estimated investment exceeding $100 million. The project includes eight baseball and softball fields, eight soccer fields, four multipurpose fields, and a minor league baseball stadium for the Los Angeles Dodgers farm team. Future phases are planned to include an indoor athletic facility for volleyball and basketball, a community center, aquatics complex, tennis and pickleball courts, and additional youth sports fields surrounded by retail and hospitality services. With a population of over 184,000 and a General Fund budget of over $447 million, the City of Ontario is a more established municipality with different needs and available resources. Additional examples of regional sports facilities in Southern California are outlined in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1 – REGIONAL SPORTS FACILITIES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Facility
Name
Location Size Ownership/
Operator
Development
Model
Key Amenities Key Funding &
Revenue Elements
Silver Lakes
Sports Park Norco, CA 130
Acres
City of
Norco, with
private
operator
Public-Private
Partnership
24 full-size
soccer fields; 5
equestrian
arenas; concert
venue; café
Public land and
private facility
operator;
tournament-driven
revenue model
Patricia H.
Birdsall
Sports Park
Temecula,
CA
44 Acres
City of
Temecula
Municipal
Park
Development
6 multipurpose
fields; 7
baseball/
softball fields;
Community
amenities
Capital investment
funded through
Development Impact
Fees; ongoing
recreation program
revenues
Big League
Dreams Perris, CA 30
Acres
City of
Perris, with
private
operator
Private
Operator, City
Partnership
6 replica MLB
baseball/
softball fields;
indoor soccer
pavilion;
batting cages
City constructed
facility; long-term
operating agreement
manages leagues,
tournaments,
concessions and
events
Momentous
Sports
Center
Irvine, CA
1.7 Acres
(90,000
+ SF
indoor)
Privately
owned and
operated
Private
Development
21 basketball
courts;
22 volleyball
courts;
large event
hosting capacity
Privately financed
indoor sports facility
focused on
tournaments, youth
leagues, and training
programs
Rosetta
Canyon
Sports Park
Lake
Elsinore,
CA
23 Acres
City of Lake
Elsinore
Municipal
Park
Development
5 lighted
baseball/
softball fields;
Playground
Community
amenities
Capital investment
funded through
Development Impact
Fees; ongoing
recreation program
revenues
Ontario
Sports
Empire
Ontario,
CA
190
Acres
City of
Ontario, with
private
operators
Municipal
Investment &
Public-Private
Partnerships
Minor League
Baseball
stadium; 8
baseball/
softball fields; 8
soccer fields; 4
multipurpose
fields
City-led sports
complex anchored
by minor league
baseball stadium;
partnership with
Dodgers; naming
rights agreements
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Menifee’s continued population growth, central location within the Inland Empire, and expanding park and recreation assets position the City to explore opportunities that support both local recreation needs and regional sports tourism that is unique to Menifee. In late 2023, the City of Menifee engaged Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) to prepare a Market Opportunity Report (MOR) to assess the potential of a regional sports facility. Completed in April 2024, the MOR evaluated indoor and outdoor facility concepts, identified facility program recommendations, and provided cost and revenue ranges based on the performance of similar facilities.
Based on Menifee’s population growth, strategic location near both the Interstate 215 and Interstate 15 freeways, and regional sports participation trends, SFA found a strong opportunity to develop a tournament-quality complex that could support both local recreation and sports tourism. The MOR noted that approximately 23.8 million people live within a four-hour drive of Menifee, representing a significant potential visitor base. The MOR recommended approximately 77 acres to accommodate both the indoor and outdoor facilities. To allow for circulation, stormwater management, and future expansion, SFA recommended planning for a total site area of approximately 85-93 acres. Preliminary cost estimates for developing both an indoor and outdoor facility were approximately $138.7 million, not including land acquisition.
It should be noted that the MOR reflects a best-case scenario, presenting a full buildout of amenities to evaluate the upper range of market potential. As the City continues to explore regional sports facility opportunities, additional analysis, such as a financial pro forma, could be considered at a future stage to refine assumptions and align the project scope with Council direction, available funding, and community priorities.
The MOR highlighted that a regional sports facility could serve as both a community resource and a sports tourism destination. While tournaments and regional events would bring visitors to Menifee, the vision also includes expanded practice and game space for local youth leagues and community programs. Ensuring affordable access for residents would be a central part of future planning and community engagement.
SFA facility-specific recommendations and financial estimates are summarized in Table 2 below .
TABLE 2 – FACILITY PROGRAM AND FINANCIAL ESTIMATES
Indoor Facility Outdoor Facility
Site Area Required 10.41 Acres 66.92 Acres
Key Features
8 Basketball Courts (Convertible to 16
Volleyball); 4,000-Seat Championship
Court; 15,000 SF Family Entertainment
Center; 10,000 SF Leased Medical Space;
Team Rooms, Concessions, Restrooms,
Offices, Training Spaces; Mezzanine and
Support Spaces; 590 Parking Spaces
8 Regulation 400’ Baseball/Softball
Fields (Convertible to 16 Youth
Fields); 4 Synthetic Turf Multipurpose
Fields; Support Buildings, Press
Boxes; Concession, Training/Warm-
Up Areas; Maintenance and Ticketing
Buildings; 1,080 Parking Spaces
Development Cost* $48.6M – $59.4M $62.1M – $70.4M
Projected Annual Revenue $993,000 – $2.9M $470,000 – $1.7M Cost Recovery 70 – 125% 60 – 120%
Annual Economic Impact $4M – $16M $9M – $30M
* Estimates are based upon 2022/2023 construction cost projections and exclude land acquisition costs. Actual costs would vary depending upon the funding source, timing, size, and scope of any project.
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The MOR highlighted that a regional sports facility would generate local jobs during construction and operation, could catalyze surrounding mixed-use or hospitality development, and support enhanced health, wellness, and youth engagement opportunities for Menifee residents. Some risk considerations noted were high upfront capital costs, competition from other regional facilities, operational complexity and revenue variability, long-term maintenance obligations, and potential environmental mitigation or impact. A copy of the 2024 MOR has been attached to this staff report.
The City has also recently evaluated broader land use and economic development considerations through the Economics of Community Development Report prepared by Urban3 and presented to City Council in December 2025. That analysis highlights the importance of understanding how land use decisions influence municipal revenues, infrastructure costs, and long-term fiscal sustainability. The report emphasizes that cities have a finite amount of land and that how land is planned and developed can significantly influence tax productivity, economic vitality, and long- term service costs.
Opportunities/Next Steps
Large recreational facilities such as regional sports parks can require significant land area and capital investment, making it important to consider how these facilities integrate into broader land use and funding strategies. When thoughtfully planned, regional recreation amenities can serve as community gathering places, attract visitors, and catalyze surrounding development such as hospitality, dining, and complementary recreational uses. These considerations highlight the importance of evaluating potential sports facility concepts within the context of Menifee’s long- term land use planning and economic development strategy.
With these considerations in mind, the City could also explore proactive planning strategies that support both future recreation amenities and broader community development goals. This may include evaluating land use and design standards that accommodate regional recreational and hospitality amenities while also addressing local housing needs. Such strategies could incorporate elements of blended or mixed-use zoning that integrate residential, commercial, and employment uses while reserving sufficient space to support recreational amenities such as multi- use fields, baseball or softball fields, sports courts, and other indoor and outdoor recreation facilities.
Additional measures could include encouraging or incentivizing the development or conversion of facilities to support indoor sports such as volleyball and basketball. Private-sector projects may also play a role in expanding Menifee’s sports and recreation offerings. For example, the proposed Fitwell Health Campus, recently approved by the Planning Commission, includes a 69,000 square-foot fitness center, museum, and multipurpose event space designed to host athletic competitions, wellness expos, and community events. Facilities of this type demonstrate how indoor athletic venues could complement larger outdoor sports parks by supporting tournaments, training programs, and specialty sporting events through private development.
Several other efforts that are underway may provide opportunities to support or incentivize the integration of larger regional sports park amenities. These efforts include evaluating the feasibility of establishing an EIFD in some portions of the city in addition to reviewing the Quimby Act fees used offset the impact of new housing developments and the City’s vision for park space.
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Other efforts underway that support the development of unique regional sports park amenities include:
Activation of Menifee Hills beginning with an assessment of potential right-of-way acquisition options to provide for greater public access. Evaluation of opportunities to activate regional sports events at the Gale Webb Action Sports Park with the expansion of complementary amenities at Evans Park North and Menifee Hills.
Pursuit of the detachment and annexation of the Menifee Parks LMD working in collaboration with Valley-Wide to provide an opportunity for the City to enhance park amenities, including access to multipurpose and baseball fields. Support development of the MVSP sports park anticipated to include the City’s first aquatics center and amenities such as pickleball courts with the capacity to support regional tournaments.
STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Community Engagement and Social Infrastructure
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2024 Market Opportunity Report (MOR)