CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Heritage Valley Business Center
MEETING DATE: June 17, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Fernando Herrera, Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Orlando Hernandez, Community Development Director APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Adopt a resolution certifying the Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse No. 2025051051), adopt the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, and adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Heritage Valley Business Center (Project) generally located east of Trumble Road, south of Ethanac Road, west of Sherman Road and north of McLaughlin Road; and
2. Adopt a resolution approving General Plan Amendment No. PLN24-0197 for the Project; and
3. Introduce an ordinance approving Specific Plan Amendment No. PLN24-0199, and Zone Change No. PLN24-0198; and
4. Adopt a resolution approving Plot Plan No. PLN24-0195 for the Project.
DISCUSSION
Project Description
General Plan Amendment (GPA) No. PLN24-0197 proposes an amendment to the General Plan by changing the land use designation of APNs 331-110-024, 025, and 026 from Heavy Industrial (HI) to Specific Plan (SP), more specifically the Menifee North Specific Plan (SP).
Zone Change (ZC) No. PLN24-0198 proposes to change APNs 331-110-024, 025, and 026 from HI to Menifee North SP.
Specific Plan Amendment (SPA) No. PLN24-0199 proposes to change the boundary of the Menifee North SP by adding APNs 331-110-024, 025, and 026 and designating it as Planning Area 2 – Industrial as well as increasing the height of Planning Area 2 to 60 feet.
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Plot Plan (PP) No. PLN24-0195 proposes to construct an 829,755 square-foot warehouse facility on a 41.16-acre site. The warehouse will consist of 10,000 square feet of office space and 819,755 square feet of warehouse space. The proposed development will have 503 parking spaces and 258 trailer parking spaces along with landscaping improvements. The Project is located on ten parcels (APNs: 331-110-023, 024, 025, 026, 027, 031, 035, 038, 039, and 041) in the City of Menifee.
Location
The Project site is located along Sherman Road, in the City of Menifee (City), County of Riverside, California, on Assessor Parcel Numbers (APNs: 331-110-023, 024, 025, 026, 027, 031, 035, 038, 039, and 041). The Project is generally located in the northeastern portion of the City, approximately 0.37 miles to the east of Interstate 215 (I-215), east of Trumble Road, south of Ethanac Road, west of Sherman Road and north of McLaughlin Road.
IMAGE 1 – PROJECT SITE
General Plan
The Project site currently has two General Plan land use designations. Parcel 331-110-024, 025, and 026 are designated as HI which is intended for more intense industrial activities, such as manufacturing uses, that can generate significant impacts such as excessive noise, dust, and other nuisances, Parcels 331-110-023, 027, 031, 035, 038, 039, and 041 are designated as SP— more specifically the Menifee North SP Planning Area 2 – Industrial. Surrounding Land Use designations and existing uses can be found below in Table 1. As part of the Project approval, the development seeks to consolidate the General Plan designations to one under the Menifee North SP to create consistent development standards.
City of Menifee Staff Report
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IMAGE 2 – EXISTING GENERAL PLAN MAP IMAGE 3 – PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN MAP
Zoning
The Project site currently has two zoning designations. Parcel 331-110-024, 025, and 026 are designated as HI which is intended for industrial uses and parcels 331-110-023, 027, 031, 035, 038, 039, and 041 are designated as SP—more specifically the Menifee North SP Planning Area 2 – Industrial. Although the existing zoning of the Project site allows for the development of industrial warehousing and distribution facilities, as part of the Project proposal a zone amendment is proposed that will consolidate the designations under the Menifee North SP to create cohesive and consistent development standards.
IMAGE 4 – EXISTING ZONING MAP IMAGE 5 – PROPOSED ZONING MAP
City of Menifee Staff Report
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IMAGE 6 – EXISTING SPECIFIC PLAN IMAGE 7 – PROPOSED SPECIFIC
TABLE 1 – SURROUNDING LAND USES
Location Existing Land Use General Plan Land
Use Zoning Classification
North Industrial Land Use Specific Plan / Heavy
Industrial
Menifee North SP /
Heavy Industrial
East Menifee Commerce Center Specific Plan Menifee North SP South Flood Control Channel Specific Plan Menifee North SP West Vacant Land City of Perris City of Perris
Discussion
The Project applicant is proposing a Project that consists of an approximately 829,755 square- foot warehouse, of which 819,755 square feet will be warehouse area and 10,000 square feet is proposed to be office space on a 41.16-acre site. Building tenants are unknown at this time. The Project will also provide associated Project improvements as discussed below including but not limited to parking, landscaping, lighting, and offsite improvements. The Project site is currently utilized for storage purposes and appears to be predominantly vacant but highly disturbed, there are also structures which were formally used as residences. Warehousing/distribution is a permitted use in the existing (HI) and proposed (Menifee North SP Planning Area 2) General Plan and zoning land use designations with the approval of a Plot Plan.
City of Menifee Staff Report
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IMAGE 8 – PROPOSED SITE PLAN
Circulation and Parking
Regional Project access would be from I-215 via Ethanac Road. Local access would be provided via four access points, two on Trumble Road and two on Sherman Road. Two are located on the northern portion of the site and the other two are on the southern portion of the property to the south. The driveways would provide full access for both passenger vehicles and semitrucks on Sherman Road and only passenger vehicle access on Trumble Road. The City of Menifee Development Code outlines the parking requirements for the Project. As demonstrated in Table 2 and discussed below, the Project meets all the parking requirements.
City of Menifee Staff Report
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A minimum of 460 passenger vehicle parking spaces is required, and 493 passenger vehicle parking spaces are being provided. Of the 493 parking spaces being provided, ten will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and 49 will be future electric vehicle (EV) compliant (or as determined by the current Building Code). Of these, two are both ADA and EV parking spots. Furthermore, the Project is required to provide a minimum of 20 Class I or II bicycle parking spaces and will be conditioned to do so during the tenant improvements. There are 32 trailer parking stalls for the building. The Project is consistent with the Menifee North SP.
TABLE 2 – PARKING SUMMARY
Development Code Parking Requirements
Office: 1 per 200 square feet 50
Warehouse: 1 per 2,000 square feet 410
Required 460
Total Spaces Provided 493
Infrastructure Improvements
The Project Applicant would be responsible for the construction of public infrastructure improvements. Sherman Road shall be improved along the Project frontage to a major roadway (four-lane) designation. Trumble Road shall be improved along the Project frontage to a collector roadway (two-lane) designation. Turning movements on Sherman Road will be full access on both driveways. Turning movements on Trumble Road will be full access on both driveways, but restricted to passenger vehicles only. Additionally, a paved section of the street would be required along Sherman Road from the northern property line of the Project to Ethanac Road.
Improvements are also required to the intersection of Sherman Road and Ethanac Road for a traffic signal, left turns in all directions, and adequate turning movements for trucks into and out of the Project site.
The Project has also been conditioned to participate in a Road and Bridge Benefit District (RBBD) that will be established for the area in the future. The Applicant is required to pay the RBBD fees based on the designated land use and development areas prior to the issuance of a Building permit.
Fair share cost participation would be required at multiple off-site intersections including I- 215/Ethanac Road southbound and northbound ramps, Trumble/Ethanac Road, Encanto/Ethanac Road, and Sherman/Ethanac Road. Utility improvements would be constructed which include new water lines, recycled water lines, sewer, and storm drain lines.
Prior to this Project moving forward with development, Riverside County Flood Control Line A-21 Storm Drain improvements and connection to the storm drain line from the Project site must be installed. Anticipation is that these storm drain improvements shall be constructed by the adjacent (previously approved) industrial projects, however in the event where these improvements are not constructed, the responsibility falls on the developers of this Project.
Landscaping
Landscape standards for the Project are outlined in the City’s Development Code and the Menifee North Specific Plan. Irrigated landscaped areas for the Project site would total approximately 263,583 square feet (14.7 percent of the site) and would be comprised of drought-tolerant shrubs City of Menifee Staff Report
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and groundcover and evergreen and deciduous trees. This exceeds the development standard for the SP area which is ten percent. The conceptual landscape plan includes trees at the perimeter, street frontages, parking areas, and adjacent to the building to soften the edges of the development and the proposed building. Larger sized (36” box) trees are proposed at all the Project entry driveways. In addition, the landscape and architectural plans feature site amenities that coordinate and compliment the proposed Project, including outdoor break areas, benches, tables, bike racks, lighting, and trash receptacles.
IMAGE 9 – CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE PLAN
Screening
On Sherman Road and Trumble Road, a fourteen-foot tall decorative concrete wall would be constructed to screen all loading areas, trucks, and trailers from public view within the project. On the public side the walls will be broken up with a six foot landscaping berm leaving only eight feet of wall as shown on the landscaping cross sections. The walls will be enhanced on the public
City of Menifee Staff Report
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street side through the use of landscaping. There are two rows of trees that consist of Oak species and Pines as well as some Plane Trees and Chinese Pistache Trees. As shown in the conceptual landscape plan, the intent is to provide landscape coverage with a variety of trees, shrubs and ground cover to soften the wall and to provide a more aesthetically pleasing street scene.
Elevations
The buildings will feature enhanced architectural facades on all sides. Staff worked with the Project Applicant to ensure that the design features along the exterior elevations of the building break up the long building façade. A change in wall plane and exterior finish occurs at a minimum every 50 feet, as does a change in the roofline to soften the visual appearance. The Project contains a variety of architectural treatments and elements to add depth and variety to the building as outlined in the Citywide Design Guidelines. There are complementing roof forms, colors, and materials. The various colors include different tones of beige, white, and gray as well as wood accents. The Project is distinguished by the cut metal that is on two of the wall sides that adds unique character. The applicant also worked with staff to ensure that the portions of the building which would be visible from the public right-of-way along the loading docks area would be enhanced.
IMAGE 10 – ELEVATIONS
Industrial Good Neighbor Policies
On March 2, 2022, the City Council adopted the Industrial Good Neighbor Policies. The focus of the policies can be summarized in three sections:
1. Minimize impacts to sensitve uses (residential, schools, parks, nursing homes, hospitals)
2. Protect public health, safety and welfare by regulating design, location and operations
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3. Protect neighborhood character of adjacent residential communities When reviewing the proposed Project, the Industrial Good Neighbor Policies were referenced to ensure a compliant Project. Implemented policies include added landscape buffers, screen walls, improved building design, community outreach, increased building and loading dock setbacks, on-site truck queuing, on-site signage, and environmental mitigation measures.
Environmental Determination
Notice of Preparation (NOP)
On May 21, 2025, the City of Menifee publicly noticed its decision to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and hold a public scoping meeting for the Project by noticing the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (State Clearinghouse {SCH}) and distributed the NOP to various agencies and surrounding property owners and residents in accordance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements. The NOP review period was from May 23, 2025 to June 23, 2025. On June 3, 2025, the City of Menifee held a duly noticed public scoping meeting at City Hall regarding the preparation of the Draft EIR and provided an opportunity for members of the public to comment on the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR.
EIR Impacts
The EIR that has been prepared for the Project (SCH No. 2025051051) determined that the Project could result in significant and unavoidable impacts under the category of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Transportation based on the analysis and findings in the Draft EIR and requires adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations (SOOC). A brief description of these impacts is as follows:
GHG Emissions
The Project’s unmitigated emissions would be approximately 7,315.46 MTCO2e/year with a new net production of 6,491.99 MTCO2e/year. Even with the Project’s compliance with applicable rules, adherence to standard conditions and requirements, and the imposition of all feasible mitigation measures, the Project’s operational-source GHG Emissions would exceed the applicable regional thresholds of significance (3,000 MTCO2e/year). Approximately 87 percent of the Project’s GHG Emissions are associated with non-construction-related mobile sources.
Emissions of motor vehicles are controlled by State and Federal standards, and neither the Project applicant nor the City has control over these standards. Therefore, the Project’s operational GHG Emissions are considered significant and unavoidable.
Transportation
The Project would exceed the City’s impact threshold by 11,909 total Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and would require a 30.6 percent reduction. Three mitigation measures are proposed including commute trip reduction marketing, rideshare programs, and bicycle supporting infrastructure. Even with implementation of regulatory requirements and reasonable and feasible mitigation measures, the Project would result in unavoidable significant impacts with respect to conflicts or inconsistencies with CEQA Guidelines. Due to the location and use, there are no other feasible mitigation measures that would further reduce employee-generated VMT associated with Project operations to completely reduce Project-generated VMT below the City Threshold. As such, even with implementation of mitigation measures, the Project’s VMT impact cannot achieve City of Menifee Staff Report
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the required 30.6 percent reduction needed to meet the City’s threshold. Therefore, a significant and unavoidable impact would occur.
Draft EIR Public Review
The City distributed the Draft EIR for public review beginning March 18, 2026 and ending May 1, 2026. During the public review period, comments on the Draft EIR were received from the following agencies, groups, or individuals:
1. Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
2. SoCalGas
3. South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)
4. Alex Munoz
5. Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo
6. Advocates for the Environment
7. Riverside Transit Agency
8. City of Perris
9. Cal Trans
The City prepared a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), consisting of all the comment letters received during the 45-day public review and comment period on the Draft EIR, written responses to those comments, and revisions and errata to the Draft EIR. Responses to the comments were prepared as part of the FEIR or as separate attachments.
Findings of Fact and SOOC
Because the Draft EIR identified unavoidable significant adverse impacts that could not be mitigated below the level of significance, Findings of Fact (Findings) and a SOOC are required to approve the Project. The Findings and SOOC are included within the Resolution for the EIR for consideration by the Planning Commission.
According to the SOOC the following economic, legal, social, or technological benefits, independent of the other benefits, override the potential significant unavoidable adverse impacts and render acceptable each of these unavoidable adverse environmental impacts:
1. All feasible mitigation measures have been imposed to lessen Project impacts to the greatest extent feasible; and furthermore, alternatives to the Project are infeasible, because while they have similar or less environmental impacts, they do not provide the economic benefits of the Project, or are otherwise socially or economically infeasible when compared to the Project, as described in the Statement of Facts and Findings.
2. The Project is consistent with and will contribute to achieving the goals and objectives established by the General Plan. Implementing the City’s General Plan as a policy is a legal and social prerogative of the City. The Project would be consistent with the General Plan Goals and Policies contained within the attached “Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Consideration” through the implementation of Project Design Features and Mitigation Measures.
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Although significant impacts will remain, the City will mitigate any significant adverse impacts to GHG Emissions and Transportation to the maximum extent practicable. In its decision to recommend approval of the Project to City Council, the Planning Commission has considered the Project benefits to override the environmental impacts.
Community Outreach
In addition to the required project noticing for CEQA, City staff and the consultant held an environmental scoping meeting on Monday, June 3, 2025 at City Hall to discuss the Project and to receive comments from the public. No participants were present to listen to the Project. For the Draft EIR 45-day comment period and public hearings, property owners and residents within 500 feet of the Project boundary were mailed notices at each step of the Project (i.e., scoping meeting, Draft EIR comment period, and public hearing).
Planning Commission
On May 13, 2026 the Planning Commission considered all public testimony as well as all materials in the staff report and accompanying documents to recommend City Council adopt the EIR for GPA No. PLN24-0197, SPA No. PLN24-0199, ZC No. PLN24-0198, and PP No. PLN24-0195 The Commission recommended that the City Council approve the project 4 to 1.
Findings
Findings for the EIR, GPA No. PLN24-0197, SPA No. PLN24-0199, ZC No. PLN24-0198, and PP No. PLN24-0195 are included in the attached Resolutions.
Public Notice
The proposed Project was noticed on June 7, 2026 for the June 17, 2026 City Council public hearing. A public notice was published in The Press Enterprise, and notices were mailed to property owners and non-owner residents within a 500-foot radius of the Project site. The proper public notice was posted on-site, and in addition, all relevant public agencies and those requesting notification were notified of the public hearing.
STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Thriving Economy
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Plans & Exhibits
2. Resolution – EIR
3. Exhibit A – FEIR
4. Exhibit B – MMRP
5. Exhibit C – Findings
6. Resolution - GPA
7. Ordinance – SPA & ZC
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8. Exhibit A & B
9. Resolution - Entitlement
10. Exhibit A – Conditions of Approval
11. Public Hearing Notice