Condo Development OK'd For Historic Spot In Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A proposed 140-unit condominium development on 34.81 acres that was once the site of the historic Machado Adobe was unanimously approved by City Council Tuesday night — and officials have worked to ensure the past is not forgotten by residents who will someday call the spot home.

Council members voted 5-0 to approve the Lakeside Residential Project along state Route 74, east of the Riverside Drive and Grand Avenue intersection, on the northwest side of the lake. Tri Pointe Homes is the project applicant.

The gated community will feature 140 three- and four-bedroom detached two-story condos with yards, according to a city staff report.

More than 15 acres on the site will be preserved open space, and there will be more than an acre of recreation lots and open space, according to the report.

The project will "dramatically improve the area," especially for the nearby Butterfield Village residents who have encountered many homeless people camping on the empty property, City Council Member Robert "Bob" Magee said.

Once work begins on the project, "we will see an improvement almost overnight," Magee said.

The site's historical significance is not going unrecognized. Local and county officials worked with the developer, and according to city documents the project will now include an "entry monument structure" that replicates the Machado Adobe that burned down on Sept. 2, 2017.

The monument structure will feature historical information and will incorporate bricks saved from the original Machado Adobe that was built in 1858 by Don Agustin Machado. The house became a stop along what was the Butterfield Overland Stage route and put the area on the map.

The historical home was unoccupied when it burned, but some locals believe the structure was being used by squatters and the fire was arson. Magee, who was the city's mayor at the time, pledged a $1,000 reward for tips leading to a conviction in the case. No arrests were ever made.

Before its destruction, the Machado Adobe was the oldest building in Lake Elsinore.

According to city documents, mitigation measures have been added to the project to address concern over "the potential for uncovering tribal cultural resources or other tribal-affiliated resources during the construction of the project."