Warehouses in Menifee: where I stand

Large distribution projects are already part of Menifee’s pipeline, and pending applications must be reviewed fairly under the law and the record for each project. My goal is to use the city’s lawful authority over future planning, zoning, and economic development to add more small bays, light industry, and flexible workspace for local employers.

City and state records show millions of square feet of industrial projects in Menifee’s pipeline, at stages ranging from proposed to approved to under construction. Much of it entered the entitlement process before September 30, 2024, the cutoff the Legislature wrote into California’s warehouse law. Recent approvals include a 1.26 million square foot distribution center in July 2026.

You may have heard that nine industrial projects were already in the pipeline ahead of the new law. They are not nine done deals, and they are not all the same. Some are under construction, several are approved but have not broken ground, at least one approval was set aside after a court challenge, and others face active lawsuits. The city’s remaining discretion is different for every one of them, and I will treat them that way. What the council cannot do is declare the new state standards applicable to a project the Legislature excluded.

For future policy and applications that do not carry earlier approvals or rights, the council can shape what comes next through the General Plan, zoning, development standards, and economic-development priorities. Those rules should be set in advance and applied fairly. My position:

• Make room for the business-park model. Use planning and zoning to allow smaller buildings and first-lease space for growing businesses, then let private builders respond to demand.
• Plan now for a broader industrial mix. Use future General Plan and zoning updates to make room for light industry and small bays, including in the Northern Gateway, with clear rules that guide future investment.
• Strengthen the city’s Industrial Good Neighbor Policies within the law. Review which standards can be adopted as enforceable rules, and apply project-specific conditions supported by the record for buffers, setbacks, truck routes, and operations near homes.
• Connect industrial growth with public services. When projects generate fees or new tax revenue, use lawful fee-program and budget decisions to support roads, parks, and services affected by growth.

I started my business at my kitchen table, and the hardest step was the first commercial lease. A council cannot make private builders deliver that space. It can set zoning that allows it, remove unnecessary local barriers, keep permitting clear and predictable, and make Menifee competitive for private investment.