CURRENT PROJECTS AND RECENT DECISIONS

 

Most decisions are effective 15 days after the date of the City’s Notice of Decision unless an appeal is filed.

Administrative approvals by the Director of Community Development may be appealed to the Planning Commission. Planning Commission decisions may be appealed to the City Council. Any appeal must set forth in writing the specific grounds for the appeal and be directed to the City Clerk. Refer to the Municipal Code for more information regarding the appeals process, or contact the City Clerk at (949) 461-3420.

For information on a specific project, please contact the planner assigned to that project.

Planner Title Phone Email
General Assistance Planning Division (949) 461-3535 planning@lakeforestca.gov
Gayle Ackerman, AICP Director of Community Development (949) 461-3463 gackerman@lakeforestca.gov
Amy Stonich, AICP Assistant Director of Community Development (949) 461-3479 astonich@lakeforestca.gov
Ron Santos Senior Planner (949) 461-3449 rsantos@lakeforestca.gov
Jennifer Mansur, AICP Senior Planner (949) 461-3472 jmansur@lakeforestca.gov
Connor Musler Associate Planner (949) 461-3491 cmusler@lakeforestca.gov
Xiomara Solis Assistant Planner (949) 461-3466 xsolis@lakeforestca.gov
Vacant Planning Aide (Part-Time) (949) 461-3573  
Bryan Tran Community Development Intern (Part-Time) (949) 461-3496 btran@lakeforestca.gov

We would appreciate hearing your feedback on the services provided to you!

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Planning Projects Status and Decisions

View status of current planning projects, recent decisions and corresponding appeal periods, when applicable.

 

Environmental Documents for Public Review

Below is a listing of current environmental documents for public review:

Proposed Western Realco Enterprise Way Industrial Project

Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for Proposed Western Realco Enterprise Way Industrial Project

Public Scoping Meeting for Proposed Western Realco Enterprise Way Industrial Project - January 15, 2025 (PowerPoint Presentation)

Public Comment Cards (Fillable Form) may be emailed to EnterpriseProjects@lakeforestca.gov

Proposed IPT Business Center LLC Project

Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Appendix H

Appendix I

Appendix J

 

Notice of Availability of Draft EIR for Public Review

Notice of Completion & Environmental Document Transmittal

 

IPT Business Center LLC Notice Update of Extended Comment Period & Public Participation

IPT Enterprise Business Center LLC Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

IPT Enterprise Business Center LLC Environmental Scoping Meeting (PowerPoint Presentation)

2024 CEQA Statute and Guidelines Handbook

Noise Policies and Standards Update

City staff has initiated an update of the City’s noise policies and standards to align with the community's vision for the future and provide clear, comprehensive, and consistent policies, standards, and thresholds to regulate mobile, stationary, and construction noise sources within the City. 

The updated policies and standards are encompassed in three existing City documents:

  1. General Plan Public Safety Element (“GP-PSE”);
  2. Lake Forest Municipal Code (“LFMC”) Chapter 11.16 – Noise Control; and
  3. Local Thresholds of Significance Guide for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA Thresholds”).

The update would establish: (1 – GP-PSE) new, modified, and deleted policies and implementation actions, modified criteria for land use compatibility, and modified performance criteria for stationary noise sources, as well as incorporation of the recently updated Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (“LHMP”); (2 – LFMC) new and modified definitions, exterior noise standards, and exemptions; new prohibited noises; new and modified construction noise and vibration standards; new and modified enforcement provisions; and modified provisions for temporarily exceeding noise limits; and (3 – CEQA Thresholds) modified thresholds for determining the significance of project related noise impacts, based largely on the standards and criteria in the proposed amended versions of the GP-PSE and LFMC.

Current versions of the draft updates are available for public review and comment below.

Public Comments on the draft documents may be directed to Ron Santos – Senior Planner at rsantos@lakeforestca.gov . The draft documents are tentatively scheduled for consideration by the Planning Commission as a public hearing item at its regularly scheduled meeting on April 3, 2025.

  1. CEQA Significance Thresholds Guide - DRAFT
  2. GP Public Safety Element - DRAFT (PDF)          
  3. LFMC Ch 11.16 - DRAFT (PDF)

View FAQ's pertaining to the Noise Policies and Standards Update.

 

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

2025 Community Services Commission

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Community Services Commission. Two seats are available on the Community Services Commission. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 6 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The Community Services Commission advises the City Council on matters pertaining to the acquisition, development, and maintenance of public parks and recreational facilities. The Commission also advises the City Council on matters relating to recreational programs and provides advice to the Community Services Department.

This Commission meets the Wednesday after the first City Council meeting of each month, at 6:30 p.m. Commission members pledge upon appointment to represent the overall public good and not that of an exclusive group or interest and will sign an Ethics Policy upon appointment to the Commission. The City assigns a staff liaison to work with the Commission and facilitate communication between the Commission and the City Council.

In addition to attending the regular monthly Commission meetings, Commissioners are expected to periodically attend and participate in City programs and activities. Commissioners receive a salary of $59 per meeting, not to exceed $118 per month.

One file only.
2 GB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Please limit your responses to 100 words each for Questions 7-10.

Tell us about your relationships to Current Council Members or Employees. Please limit your responses to 50 words each for Questions 11-13.

Tell us about your understanding of government: Please limit your comments to 100 words each for Questions 14 & 15.

Tell us about your vision for the City: Please limit your comments to 200 words each for Questions 16-18.

Attachments

The following attachments are part of the reference materials for the application:

Applicant Verification

I attest to the following: 1. I am a legal resident of the City of Lake Forest. 2. I am registered to vote in the City of Lake Forest. 3. I am able to attend Community Services Commission meetings that are regularly scheduled on the Wednesday following the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. 4. I have submitted a Statement of Economic Interest, in accordance with the Political Reform Act. 5. I understand this application is a Public Record and may be made available to members of the public upon request, with personal contact information redacted. The information provided in this application is true and accurate.

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2025 Planning Commission Application

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Planning Commission. Two seats are available on the Planning Commission. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 6 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The City's Planning Commission is a decision-making body tasked with reviewing matters related to planning and development in the City. The Planning Commission consists of five members which are appointed by the City- Council with Commissioners serving four-year terms. Typical projects reviewed by the Planning Commission include applications for new development, proposed changes in zoning or the text of the Municipal Code, as well as review proposed subdivisions of land. The Planning Commission is also responsible for making recommendations to the City Council as to whether a project or action would be consistent with the General Plan.

The Commission meets on the same week in which the City Council holds their first meeting of the month on Thursdays and meetings commence at 6:30 p.m. In addition to attending the regular monthly Commission meetings, Commissioners are expected to periodically attend and participate in City programs and activities.

Commissioners receive a salary of $118 per meeting, not to exceed $236 per month.

One file only.
2 GB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Please limit your responses to 100 words each for Questions 7-10.

Tell us about your relationships to Current Council Members or Employees. Please limit your responses to 50 words each for Questions 11-13.

Tell us about your understanding of government: Please limit your comments to 100 words each for Questions 14 & 15.

Tell us about your vision for the City: Please limit your comments to 200 words each for Questions 16-18.

Attachments

The following attachments are part of the reference materials for the application:

Applicant Verification

I attest to the following: 1. I am a legal resident of the City of Lake Forest. 2. I am registered to vote in the City of Lake Forest. 3. I am able to attend Planning Commission meetings that are regularly scheduled on the same week in which the City Council holds their first meeting of the month on Thursdays and meetings commence at 6:30 p.m. 4. I have submitted a Statement of Economic Interest, in accordance with the Political Reform Act. 5. I understand this application is a Public Record and may be made available to members of the public upon request, with personal contact information redacted. The information provided in this application is true and accurate.

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2025 Traffic and Parking Commission

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Traffic and Parking Commission. Three seats are available. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 6 p.m. on Monday, January  2025. 

The Traffic and Parking Commission advises the City Council on issues relating to parking and the safe and efficient movement of traffic, including vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and other modes of transportation upon the circulation network of the City. The Commission will provide recommendations related to traffic and parking including, but not limited to traffic and parking related field studies, requests for traffic control devices, requests for permit parking and street sweeping parking restrictions, and other related matters.

This Commission meets the Monday prior to the first City Council meeting of each month, at 6:30 p.m. Commission members pledge upon appointment to represent the overall public good and not that of an exclusive group or interest and will sign an Ethics Policy upon appointment to the Commission. The City assigns a staff liaison to work with the Commission and facilitate communication between the Commission and the City Council. In addition to attending the regular monthly Commission meetings, Commissioners are expected to periodically attend and participate in City programs and activities.

Commissioners receive a salary of $118 per meeting, not to exceed $236 per month.

One file only.
2 GB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

Please limit your responses to 100 words each for Questions 7-10.

Tell us about your relationships to Current Council Members or Employees. Please limit your responses to 50 words each for Questions 11-13.

Tell us about your understanding of government: Please limit your comments to 100 words each for Questions 14 & 15.

Tell us about your vision for the City: Please limit your comments to 200 words each for Questions 16-18.

Attachments

The following attachments are part of the reference materials for the application:

Applicant Verification

I attest to the following: 1. I am a legal resident of the City of Lake Forest. 2. I am registered to vote in the City of Lake Forest. 3. I am able to attend Traffic and Parking Commission meetings that are regularly scheduled the Monday prior to the first City Council meeting each month ar 6:30 p.m. 4. I have submitted a Statement of Economic Interest, in accordance with the Political Reform Act. 5. I understand this application is a Public Record and may be made available to members of the public upon request, with personal contact information redacted. The information provided in this application is true and accurate.

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Responsible Pet Ownership

Vet / Clinic:
20780 Lake Forest Dr., Lake Forest, CA 92630, (949) 600-8310
23162 El Toro Frontage Road, Lake Forest, CA 92630 (949) 837-5222
29040 Portola Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92630 (949) 380-1255
24301 Muirlands Blvd Ste P, Lake Forest, CA 92630, (949) 837-7660
22377 El Toro Road, Lake Forest, CA 92630, (949) 855-9744
3 Rancho Circle, Lake Forest, CA 92630, (949) 581-7979
26741 Rancho Pkwy Suite 105-D, Lake Forest, CA 92630 (949) 354-5201 BlissAnimalHospital.com

Owner Information

City: Lake Forest

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