Mega Theater Complex Declared 'Public Nuisance' In Menifee

MENIFEE, CA — A partially constructed, dilapidated mega entertainment complex in Menifee has sat unfinished for several years, and the city is done waiting on what has now become a longtime eyesore.

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.

On Friday, the multi-acre property was surrounded by screened chainlink fencing. Inside, wood-framed retail pads sat weathered. An empty behemoth cinderblock theater had no roof and was touched by graffiti. Piles of debris were spilled across the weedy property.

Deadlines have come and gone to obtain new permits for the theater, according to the city.

For all those reasons, the theater portion of the Krikorian Entertainment Complex project was declared a public nuisance by the city, officials announced Thursday.

“We have been extremely patient with the project developer, but the continued lack of progress and failure to meet deadlines has led the city to take additional action,” said Menifee City Manager Armando G. Villa. “While this project is on private property, the city has determined that code enforcement violations requiring corrective actions must be taken by the project applicant to ensure the health and safety of the Menifee community.”

That developer is movie-theater mogul George Krikorian. In October 2021, he provided an update on the Menifee project during a regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Krikorian admitted the unfinished construction was an "eyesore," but he promised that work would kickstart at a later, unnamed date. He blamed the lack of construction progress on the COVID pandemic, saying "now is not the time to move forward and restart the project." Krikorian was also involved in litigation with multiple contractors hired for work at the site.

During the 2021 City Council meeting, Krikorian said several retail tenants had agreed to move into the unfinished center despite the missing entertainment component. Navy Federal Credit Union, a dental office, a Broken Yolk restaurant, and a Vietnamese restaurant were some of the tenants named. He estimated several retail pads at the center could be ready in 60 to 90 days.

Two years later, the retail pads remain unfinished and there are no tenants, though pad plans were submitted to the city prior to a September 1, 2023, deadline and they will be processed "diligently" to allow for construction, according to the city.

The city is giving Krikorian options for the giant theater building, despite the public nuisance declaration: he can demolish the existing structure and return the site to its original state, or he can rehabilitate the structure and make all required fixes per the city’s Code Enforcement division.

Krikorian could not be reached for comment Friday.

In the meantime, surrounding residents and businesses at Menifee Town Center — Sprouts grocery store, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Olive Garden, Luna Grill and others — will have to wait and see what happens next.