Menifee 'Nuisance' Theater Shell Slated For Removal Starting Friday

MENIFEE, CA — A partially constructed, dilapidated mega entertainment complex in Menifee has sat unfinished for several years, will be demolished starting Friday, no longer held up by legal wrangling, the city said.

The Krikorian Entertainment Complex at the southwest corner of Newport Road and Town Center Road was promised to bring a giant 14-theater cineplex, sports bar, bowling alley, arcade, restaurants and shopping to Menifee. Construction began in December 2019 and was scheduled to be completed by late 2020. Five years later, there it sits, shrouded in chain link, touched by graffiti, piles of debris and growing weeds.

"We share in the community's frustration that this project has not moved forward, and that the site does not represent the high standards we hold for the Menifee community," City Manager Armando Villa said. "As this is a private project on personally owned property, it was necessary for us to follow the right legal process to be successful in having the structures removed and the site restored to its original condition to allow for future development opportunities that will benefit our residents."

The Krikorian Entertainment Complex had been planned at the intersection of Newport Road and Town Center Drive, across from the Menifee Town Center plaza. However, the developer, Showprop Menifee LLC, suspended construction for unclear reasons, leaving only the skeletal structure in place in the first half of 2023.
According to the city, legal proceedings for removal of the unfinished building, which had been intended as a venue for a bowling alley, cinema and sports bar, got underway in October 2023, with abatement notices issued.

By April 2024, the Menifee Office of the City Attorney procured warrants allowing for on-site inspections by engineers to determine what hazards there might be at the location. Two months later, the City Council approved a resolution declaring the existing structure a public nuisance and ordered demolition at the property owner's expense.

However, the developer challenged the order in court, obtaining temporary injunctions barring the city from taking further action pending a possible sale of the acreage, according to city officials.

After efforts to sell the property failed to gain traction, the injunctions were lifted, and the council approved a final resolution last month declaring the plot abandoned. A Los Angeles County contractor, Downey-based AD Improvements, was hired to clear the site at a cost of $231,000, officials said.

"The city will seek to recover the full costs of abatement through a lien or assessment placed on the property, or through direct recovery efforts against the property owner," according to a municipal statement.

There was no word on how long the demolition and clearance may take.

Related:

Mega Theater Complex Declared 'Public Nuisance' In Menifee