What Did Lake Elsinore Approve for East Lake Villas?

If you’re considering a home near Lakeshore Drive, Lake Elsinore’s Planning Commission approved a 281,900 square-foot residential care facility for the elderly on about 10.9 vacant acres. The plan includes 144 patient beds and 192 independent living units in three buildings.

The available sources give no opening date or construction schedule, and they make no finding about an effect on nearby home values.

This is general information and not legal advice.

What did the Planning Commission approve?

The Lake Elsinore Planning Commission approved Planning Application No. 2019-79 at its November 3, 2026 meeting, according to Elsinore 24/7.

The requests were Conditional Use Permit No. 2020-20, which covers establishing and operating the facility, and Commercial Design Review No. 2019-28, which covers the buildings and site improvements. The application also requested a parking reduction.

The City of Lake Elsinore’s November 3 Report to Planning Commission recommended approval. Elsinore 24/7 reported that the commission unanimously approved the project at the meeting.

As of November 4, 2026, the vote described here comes from Elsinore 24/7. Minutes of the November 3 meeting are where the formal vote record will appear. Buyers can check the City’s Planning Commission agenda page for item 6.2 and related documents. The Planning Commission made this decision, not the City Council, and the sources do not say construction has begun.

A homeowner near East Lake Villas asked us whether the city’s approval meant construction would begin immediately. Her questions involved traffic, grading and the location of buildings closest to her property. We reviewed what Lake Elsinore had approved while explaining that later permits, project conditions and the developer’s schedule would still affect what happened next.

Where is East Lake Villas planned?

East Lake Villas is planned along the south edge of Lakeshore Drive, about 207 feet east of Lucerne Street and about 265 feet west of Marian Street.

The undeveloped site covers about 10.9 acres in Planning Area 8 of the East Lake Specific Plan. Its Assessor’s Parcel Numbers are 373-260-007, 373-260-008, 373-260-010 and 373-260-014. The land use designation is Action Sports, Tourism, Commercial and Recreation with a Mixed-Use Overlay.

The staff report identifies vacant land with a Residential Mixed Use designation north of the property. The staff report lists the lake, Lake Elsinore, as the existing land use to the south. Land to the east and west is identified as single-family residences and vacant land.

Those designations explain the planning context, but they do not establish what will happen on every nearby parcel. A buyer can ask the Planning Department to confirm the zoning and specific plan designation for the particular property under consideration.

What will the care campus contain?

The campus will contain one memory care and assisted living building and two independent living buildings.

Building A is a 74,940 square-foot, three-story progressive memory care with assisted living facility. It has 144 patient beds. Each room has its own restroom, but the rooms do not have kitchens or living room areas.

Buildings B and C are each 103,480 square feet and four stories. Together, they provide 192 independent living units: 32 studios, 128 one-bedroom units and 32 two-bedroom units. Unit sizes range from 661 to 1,053 square feet, and each unit has a full kitchen and bathroom.

The site plan also provides 243 parking spaces, three loading zones, a full-service driveway and a separate service vehicle driveway on Lakeshore Drive. The sources do not identify an operator or state rents, fees, sale prices or employment numbers.

Why did the project need a conditional use permit?

The project needed a conditional use permit because residential care facilities are conditionally permitted under the East Lake Specific Plan’s Mixed-Use Overlay.

City staff described residential care facilities as commercially regulated businesses and treated this proposal as commercial development. Table 2-12 of the specific plan lists the use as conditional rather than automatically permitted.

The staff report says the project meets the applicable commercial development standards except for parking. The minimum front setback is 15 feet with a 20-foot average. Building A is proposed at 113 feet from the front, while Buildings B and C are proposed at 103 feet.

The maximum building height is 45 feet. Building A is listed at about 40 feet or more, and Buildings B and C at 45 feet. The report also provides proposed side and rear setbacks for the three buildings and concludes that those dimensions comply.

Why was a parking reduction approved?

A parking reduction was part of the approval because the municipal code calculation called for 389 spaces while the project provides 243.

City staff used Lake Elsinore Municipal Code ratios for multi-family residential uses when calculating parking for the independent living units. It used the ratio for hospitals, convalescent homes and similar establishments for the memory care component.

That calculation required 160 spaces for studio and one-bedroom units, 32 covered spaces plus 43 open spaces for units with two or more bedrooms, and 48 spaces for the 144 patient beds. The difference between the calculated requirement and the proposed supply is 146 spaces.

The request was made under Lake Elsinore Municipal Code Section 17.148.030.D. That provision allows the Planning Commission, during design review of a commercial or industrial project, to reduce required parking when the applicant determines that actual demand is lower than the code requirement.

Staff relied on a December 6, 2023 parking study by Linscott, Law, and Greenspan Engineers. The study used the fifth edition of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Parking General Manual and proposed applying the standard for Congregate Care Facilities because the municipal code has no independent living standard.

The staff report concluded that 243 spaces would be sufficient for memory care, assisted living and independent living clients, visitors and support staff. It also says the project has been conditioned to implement a parking management plan and provide code-compliant parking if on-site demand increases. The staff report cites Conditions of Approval Nos. 11 through 14 for that plan; ask the Planning Department for the full conditions.

What site improvements and environmental findings apply?

The project includes Lakeshore Drive improvements, landscaping and a five-acre conservation area at the rear of the site.

Required off-site work includes curb and gutter, sidewalks, parkway landscaping, medians, applicable utility and signage relocation, and streetlight construction. Elsinore 24/7 also reported a sheltered bus stop coordinated with the Riverside Transit Agency and shuttle services.

The Spanish Colonial Revival design uses white and earth-toned stucco and simulated stone veneers. Landscaping includes drought tolerant shrubs and trees under the municipal code’s water efficiency standards.

The site lies within Criteria Cell 4742 of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan’s Elsinore Area Plan. On January 26, 2024, the Regional Conservation Authority completed its joint project review and concluded that five acres must be dedicated for conservation.

The City certified the current East Lake Specific Plan environmental impact report on November 28, 2017. Staff concluded that the project is consistent with the plan’s development intensity and is exempt from further review under California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15183.

What should a nearby buyer check next?

A nearby buyer should request the adopted project documents and verify the land use designation of the specific parcel being considered.

Ask the Planning Department for the adopted resolutions, Conditions of Approval and December 6, 2023 parking study under Planning Application No. 2019-79. The City’s eSCRIBE agenda portal is the place to check for meeting documents.

The hearing notice was published in the Press-Enterprise and mailed to property owners within 300 feet. At the time the staff report was written, staff had received no written comments about the application. The report does not state whether an appeal is available or give an appeal deadline, so ask the Planning Department what appeal steps and deadlines apply.

Project approval is only one part of property due diligence. Depending on the home, separate topics may include California HOA disclosures, supplemental property tax bills and Lake Elsinore fire hazard maps and seller disclosures.

The short version

Lake Elsinore’s Planning Commission approved East Lake Villas on November 3, 2026, according to Elsinore 24/7. The plan covers three buildings with 144 patient beds, 192 independent living units, 243 parking spaces and a five-acre conservation area.

Check the City’s agenda portal and request the adopted resolutions, Conditions of Approval and parking study before relying on the project details.

To understand what your property may be worth today, try the home value tool.