CURRENT STATUS OF THE SPORTS PARK ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS
BACKGROUND
The Opportunities Study is a comprehensive planning process that the City of Lake Forest has undertaken to re-zone nearly 838 acres of land previously zoned for business and industrial uses on five properties in the City. Plans are underway for the addition of new residential housing, commercial development, neighborhood parks, and public facilities such as a sports park and community/civic center. In addition to the program-level environmental study that was conducted to analyze the overall impact of the zone changes and general plan amendments, each individual project in the Opportunities Study Area (OSA) will undergo a separate environmental review and approval process.
The City of Lake Forest is proposing to develop a sports park and recreation center on vacant property located northwest of the El Toro Road and Portola Parkway intersection, as shown in the following exhibit. The project would include a number of active and passive recreational amenities, which will be determined during the coming months. The following Frequently Asked Questions will help guide you through the environmental review process and the precautions the City has taken to ensure that any impact to the environment as a result of these new facilities will be fully considered throughout the project’s development.
An Environmental Impact Report, more commonly known as an EIR, is an informational document used by decision makers to evaluate the anticipated environmental impacts of a project. This comprehensive report not only addresses the potential impacts to the site’s biological and natural resources, but it considers other aspects as well, such as noise, aesthetics, and public services impacts. An EIR also identifies appropriate measures to minimize or prevent significant environmental damage.
The decision to prepare an EIR is made when there is substantial evidence that a project may have a significant effect on the environment. In order to prepare the EIR, the lead agency in charge of carrying out the project (in this case, the City of Lake Forest) goes through an extensive process to analyze a project’s potential for creating significant impacts to the environment. Upon completion of a Draft EIR, the document is available for public review and comment for a period of 45 days.
City staff collects comments from interested individuals and public agencies during the 45 day public review and comment period. Following the close of the comment period, responses are provided to every comment received and a second volume of the EIR, known as the Final EIR, is produced. The Final EIR includes the following chapters: Introduction, Comments Received and Responses to Comments, Errata to the Draft EIR, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. The information in Volume 1, the Draft EIR, and Volume 2, the Final EIR, will play an important role in assisting the City Council to make an informed decision regarding the project.
The following timeline illustrates the next steps in the project's environmental review process, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Public review Period to
receive comments on the Draft EIR
Please note that the Planning Commission and City Council review of the environmental document will occur at public meetings, and, accordingly, these are additional opportunities to comment on the project.How do I stay up-to-date on the Project?
Periodic updates on the sports park and recreation center can be found on the City website: SportsPark. The City website will have details on any upcoming public meetings, important environmental documents such as the Draft EIR, and more information on the other project sites within the Opportunities Study Area. For further questions, please contact Cheryl Kuta, Planning Manager, at (949) 461-3479.
