Notice of preparation for Elsinore Heights Industrial Project's Environmental Impact Report.

NOTICE OF PREPARATION CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE
TO: Interested Agencies, Organizations, and Individuals
FROM:City of Lake Elsinore Ms. Nancy Huynh, Principal Planner 130 South Main Street Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
DATE: February 18, 2026
SUBJECT: NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE ELSINORE HEIGHTS INDUSTRIAL PROJECT (PLANNING APPLICATION NO. 2023-35, GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2024-01, ZONE CHANGE NO. 2024-01, TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP NO. 38897, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN REVIEW NO. 2023-01, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 2024-01)
The CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE (City) will be the Lead Agency and will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Elsinore Heights Industrial Project (proposed project) described below. In compliance with Section 15082 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the City is sending this Notice of Preparation (NOP) to responsible agencies, interested parties, and other agencies which may be involved in approving or permitting the project and to trustee agencies responsible for natural resources affected by the proposed project.
The purpose of this NOP is to solicit the views of agencies, organizations, and individuals as to the scope and content of the EIR. A 30-day review and comment period for this NOP is provided under State law. Please submit your comments on the NOP, by 5:00 p.m. on March 19, 2026, to Ms. Nancy Huynh, Principal Planner at the address provided above or by email at nhuynh@lake-elsinore.org. Contact information, including name, phone number, and e-mail address, should be included with all comments.
PROJECT LOCATIONThe project site is located south of Wasson Canyon Road, north of Camino Del Norte, and east of 2nd Street in the City of Lake Elsinore, in Riverside County, California. The project site consists of approximately 61.02 acres and would be located on five parcels associated with Assessor's Parcel Numbers (APNs) 347- 250-010, 347-250-011, 377-110-045, 377-110-057, and 377-110-058. Presently, the project site is primarily undeveloped, with the exception of an existing residential structure on APN 377-110-058 that would be demolished prior to grading as part of the proposed project's Phase 1. The Wasson flood channel is located in the northern portion of the site. The project site location is depicted in Exhibits 1 and 2.
The project site is not located on a list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code (Cortese List). 1 According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the site is located in the 500-year floodplain Zone X, an area of minimal flood hazard.2 According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the site is not located in a State Responsibility Area (SRA) or Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ); however, the site is located in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) within the Local Responsibility Area (LRA). 3
PROJECT DESCRIPTIONThe proposed project would develop an approximately 61.02-acre project site with two different design options on approximately 47.7 acres of the project site. Option 1 would feature four industrial warehouse buildings totaling approximately 555,060 square feet, and Option 2 would feature three industrial warehouse buildings and one data center building with the same overall building square footage as Option 1 (Exhibits 3 and 4). The proposed project also includes approximately 0.44 acres of open space, approximately 4.96 acres of drainage channel for planned Line L-14 of the Lake Zone Master Drainage Plan, approximately 2.8 acres of right-of-way improvements, and approximately 5.12 acres reserved for the potential development of up to 61 residential dwelling units. Access to the project site would be provided by Ohana Circle for the industrial buildings and Wasson Canyon Road for the future residential units. An emergency vehicle access road would be provided at the western boundary of the project site at Dexter Avenue.
The proposed project includes approximately 6.29 acres of off-site improvements, identical under both Option 1 and Option 2. These improvements involve but are not limited to widening Camino Del Norte between Ohana Circle and Main Street; installing new traffic signals at Dexter Avenue and 2nd Street, Dexter Avenue and 3rd Street, and Ohana Circle and Camino Del Norte; upgrading Dexter Avenue to a two-lane divided roadway between 2nd and 3rd Streets; and constructing and realigning portions of Wasson Canyon Road including the intersection at 2nd Street. The project also extends Dexter Avenue from 2nd Street to the property line for emergency access and installs a culvert under Camino Del Norte.
Project entitlements include the following applications: General Plan Amendment to change the existing General Plan land use designations from High Density Residential (HDR) and Business Professional (BP) to BP, Floodway (F), Medium Density Residential (MDR), and Open Space (OS); Zone Change to modify the zoning designations from Commercial Office (C-O) and Rural Mountainous Residential (R-M-R) to Limited Manufacturing (M-1), Open Space (OS), and Medium Density Residential (R-2); Industrial Design Review to establish the design and development of new industrial buildings; Tentative Parcel Map to subdivide the property into five numbered lots and 10 lettered lots; and Conditional Use Permit for M-1 uses within 100 feet of a residential district and to exceed the 45-foot maximum building height in the M-1 zone.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWBased upon technical analysis and supporting information, the City has determined that the proposed project could result in potentially significant environmental impacts and that an EIR is the appropriate CEQA document to assess potential impacts. The environmental topics that will be addressed in the EIR are as follows:1 California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). 2025. EnviroStor. Website: https://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/map/?myaddress=lake+elsinore. Accessed April 3, 2025.2 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 2025. National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Website: https://hazardsfema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8b0adb51996444d4879338b5529aa9cd. Accessed April 8, 2025.3 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). 2025. Fire Hazard Severity Zone Viewer. Website: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/03beab8511814e79a0e4eabf0d3e7247/. Accessed October 2, 2025.
The EIR will contain a detailed project description and maps identifying the proposed project's location and surrounding land uses, existing environmental settings, project-specific impacts, cumulative impacts, and mitigation measures. Agriculture and Forestry Resources and Mineral Resources will be addressed in the "Effects Found not to be Significant" section. It will also identify alternatives to the proposed project that would reduce or eliminate one or more of its significant environmental effects.
PUBLIC SCOPING MEETINGA scoping session has been scheduled to bring together and resolve the concerns of affected federal, State and local agencies, the project applicant of the proposed project, and other interested persons, as well as to inform the public of the nature and extent of the proposed project and to provide an opportunity to identify the range of actions, alternatives, mitigation measures, and significant effects to be analyzed in depth in the EIR. The Scoping Session is not a public hearing on the merit of the proposed project and NO DECISION on the proposed project will be made. Public comment is limited to identifying project issues regarding the potential environmental impacts. The project proponent will not be required to provide an immediate response to any concerns raised. The project proponent will be requested to address any environmental impact related concerns expressed at the Scoping Session, through revisions to the proposed project and/or completion of an Environmental Impact Report, prior to the formal public hearing on the proposed project. Mailed notice of the public hearing will be provided to anyone requesting such notification.
DATE OF SCOPING SESSION: March 3, 2026TIME OF SCOPING SESSION: 6:00 p.m. or as soon as possible thereafterPLACE OF SCOPING SESSION: Cultural Center, 183 North Main Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
As indicated above, please have any comments related to the potential environmental impacts to be evaluated in the EIR provided in writing to the City by 5:00 p.m. on March 19, 2026. Send to Ms. Nancy Huynh, Principal Planner at the City of Lake Elsinore Planning Division, 130 South Main Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530; or via email to: nhuynh@lake-elsinore.org.
Name: Nancy Huynh, Principal PlannerDate: February 18, 2026Phone: (951) 848-3906Email: nhuynh@lake-elsinore.org [nhuynh@lake-elsinore.org]
Attachments:Exhibit 1: Regional Location Map Exhibit 3: Site Plan (Option 1)Exhibit 2: Local Vicinity Map Exhibit 4: Site Plan (Option 2)The Press-EnterprisePublished: 2/18/26