Menifee Council Denies Appeal, Certifies EIR and Approves Pemcor Business Park

Acting Mayor Carwin and the Menifee City Council on Feb. 4 denied an appeal of the Pemcor Business Park project, certified the project’s final environmental-impact report (EIR) and approved a major plot plan that would allow construction of 11 buildings totaling about 338,000 square feet.

Senior planner Russell Brown summarized the project and its review history, saying the applicant submitted the application in December 2023, an EIR scoping meeting took place July 31, 2024, and a 45-day public-comment period ran Sept. 2–Oct. 16. He said technical studies addressed air quality, greenhouse gases, biology, cultural resources, noise and traffic; staff and the project consultant prepared written responses to commenter concerns. Brown told council that, even with mitigation measures, greenhouse-gas impacts would remain "significant and unavoidable," and therefore a statement of overriding considerations was required.

The project site is located on the west side of Ziders Road between Scott Road and Keller Road. Brown described roughly 677 parking spaces, two driveways on Ziders Road (a central right-in/right-out and a southern full-access signalized driveway shared with an adjacent property), and about 13% of the site in landscaping. He said the applicant agreed to additional glazing on the primary buildings and listed required mitigation for air, biology, greenhouse gases, hazards and noise.

Paul Mayer, the applicant representing Pemcor/Pemcor Properties, told council the applicant had reached out to the appellant but had not received a reply and urged approval, calling the project an asset that will benefit Menifee and the local business community.

Councilmember Temple, who moved the first resolution, and a second from Councilmember Diedrich, led a motion denying Golden State Environmental Justice Alliance’s appeal (PLN25-0208). The council then adopted the resolutions certifying the EIR and statement of overriding considerations and approving plot plan PLN23-0245. The motions carried by recorded voice vote, 4–0.

The action ends the appeal at the city level; Brown said staff received two appeals originally but SAFER withdrew its appeal after negotiations with the applicant. The project will proceed to subsequent permit and construction phases subject to the approved conditions and the mitigation measures in the EIR.

What’s next: Council adopted the EIR certification and plot-plan approval; implementation will follow the project conditions and required mitigation and any future permits or construction reviews.