UPDATE: Giant Rooftop Statue Approved By Lake Elsinore City Council

UPDATE: During its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, the Lake Elsinore City Council voted 4-0 to approve the design and development of a medical complex that features a giant rooftop statue of a mortar and pestle.

Last month the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission gave the green light to the project slated to be located on a vacant Lakeshore Drive lot in the 16000 block, just north of Four Corners, near the Stater Bros market.

During last month’s meeting, commissioners Rick Morsch, Michael O’Neal and Vice Chair Phil Mendoza contested the large-scale statue, but still voted to approve the project.

According to city documentation, the project would include two medical offices and a pharmacy comprising nearly 6,000 square feet.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Bob Magee and Councilwoman Melissa Melendez said they liked the building's design and said the statue was not as important as job creation for the city.

Councilman Daryl Hickman said he was not familiar with a mortar and pestle icon and its medicinal connotation.

Mayor Amy Bhutta was not present during Tuesday night's meeting.

ORIGINAL POST: During its regularly scheduled meeting tonight, Lake Elsinore City Council is expected to vote on whether to approve the design and development of a medical complex that features a giant rooftop statue.

slated to be located on a vacant Lakeshore Drive lot in the 16000 block, just north of Four Corners, near the Stater Bros market.

The applicant on the project is Pablo Paredes of La Jolla; the complex owner is Ahmed Mashayekan, according to city documentation.

During last month’s meeting, commissioners Rick Morsch, Michael O’Neal and Vice Chair Phil Mendoza contested a large-scale mortar and pestle statue that is planned to adorn the new facility’s rooftop.

“I love what you’re doing with the building, but I have concerns about that mortar and pestle,” O’Neal said, explaining that the adornment reminded him of the “gigantic 1950s donut.”

“You might as well put a neon sign on top,” he said. “It doesn’t fit with the neighborhood."

Morsch agreed and suggested the design be incorporated into signage, but representatives for the project who were on hand for the meeting argued the adornment represents the “soul and character of the building.”

The commissioners conceded the point and voted to approve unanimously, noting that the owners will be required to remove the giant statue if they move from the facility.

If City Council approves the project, the owners say construction would be complete in a year.

According to city documentation, the project would include two medical offices and a pharmacy comprising nearly 6,000 square feet.

The owners of Gen-Rx pharmacy located at 16746 Lakeshore Drive are involved in the project and would relocate their existing pharmacy in the Stater Bros strip center to the new location.

Tonight’s City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Cultural Center on Main Street. Click here to read the full agenda for tonight’s meeting.