Hemet council denies Newland Simpson warehouse project after lengthy public hearing

The Hemet City Council on July 14, 2025 refused to certify the final environmental impact report (EIR) and denied approval of the Newland Simpson warehouse project, a proposed logistics development on approximately 74.88 gross acres west of the Warren/Simpson intersection.

Community Development Director Monique Alanis Flater opened the re-noticed public hearing, identifying the items before the council as a General Plan amendment, conditional use permit, tentative parcel map and a building height exception for the “Newland Simpson warehouse project.” She told the council the property owner is HSL Hemet Land LLC and the applicant Newland Capital Group.

The council’s denial followed more than four hours of public comment in which several hundred residents signed speaker cards and roughly 60 people addressed the council. Speakers were sharply divided: many residents and community groups urged denial on air quality, traffic and quality-of-life grounds, while construction and union representatives and some residents supported the project for its local jobs and infrastructure commitments.

The developer, Tom Donahue of Newland Capital Group, told council members the applicant had returned with a reduced proposal after earlier hearings. “We’ve come back with a 40% reduction in the project,” Donahue said, and described elimination of a second building and a large trailer-storage lot as part of the amended plan. He and the…