Menifee council adopts Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, clears path to pursue up to $3 million in EDA funds
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Summary
The City Council unanimously approved Menifee's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (SEDS), a federally recognized blueprint developed with RSG and funded in part by a $40,000 EDA grant; adoption preserves the city's eligibility to seek Economic Development Administration grants.
Menifee, Calif. — The Menifee City Council voted 4-0 on Wednesday to adopt the city's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) and authorize staff to submit the plan to the U.S. Economic Development Administration, preserving eligibility to pursue federal EDA grants.
Economic Development Director Kayla Charters told the council the SEDS is the formal document the EDA requires for cities seeking EDA funding and noted the city received a $40,000 EDA grant to help fund the project. "Once we have approval of the EDA of our comprehensive economic development strategy, it allows us to apply for EDA funding for up to $3,000,000," Charters said.
Consultants from RSG described a year-long, data-driven and bilingual engagement process that produced seven interconnected goals backed by action plans and performance measures. RSG emphasized the SEDS was "community crafted and data based," highlighting targeted priorities such as placemaking, expanding dining and entertainment, growing mortgage-paying jobs, and investing in strategic infrastructure.
Council members praised the document's action-plan focus and data detail. Acting Mayor Kerwin said the SEDS and its implementation metrics will help Menifee present a consistent message to developers and partners. Councilors noted the strategy aims to address a recurring problem: perceptions of Menifee in regional data versus the on-the-ground reality.
The final adoption was moved and seconded during the meeting and recorded as passing 4-0. With adoption, staff will submit the SEDS to the Economic Development Administration for compliance review; upon acceptance Menifee will be eligible to pursue EDA-funded projects and implementation will move into the city's economic-development work plan.
Next steps: submittal to the EDA for review, continued implementation by the Economic Development Department and coordination with identified partners to pursue funding opportunities and carry out action-plan items.
Sources: Presentation at the Menifee City Council meeting on Feb. 18, 2026 by Kayla Charters and RSG consultants Jessica Gonzales, Kevin Ham and Jenny Benitez.