CURRENT PROJECTS AND RECENT DECISIONS

Updated October 2024

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
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
Marie Luna Senior Planner (949) 461-3466 mluna@lakeforestca.gov
Jennifer Mansur, AICP Senior Planner (949) 461-3472 jmansur@lakeforestca.gov
Connor Musler Associate Planner (949) 461-3491 cmusler@lakeforestca.gov
Gabriela Aguirre Planning Aide (Part-Time) (949) 461-3573 gaguirre@lakeforestca.gov
Lauren Heyden Community Development Intern (Part-Time) (949) 461-3496 lheyden@lakeforestca.gov
General Planning General Planning (949) 461-3535 planning@lakeforestca.gov

Current Projects

View a list of projects (PDF) that the Planning Division is processing.

Environmental Documents for Public Review

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

Great Scott Tree Care Project, Recirculated MND

Great Scott Tree Care Project Technical Studies: Appendices A - I

Link to Planning Commission Agenda with Great Scott Tree Care Project: www.lakeforestca.gov/en/agendas

PC Attachment 10 items can be viewed at the following links:

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, in the form of “redlined” versions.  The redlined versions identify all proposed changes to the current documents in red font, with underlined and strikethrough formatting for new and deleted text, respectively.

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 November 7, 2024.

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

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

Recent Decisions

The following table is a list of recent decisions and corresponding appeal periods, when applicable.

Project Number Planner Decision Body Description Location Applicant Decision Date
Site Development Permit 09-24-5731 Jennifer Mansur, Senior Planner Admin Request for the operation of a retail automobile sales business (with 2 or fewer vehicles on-site) in an existing office building 22471 Aspan Street, Suite 239 Moe Zohrehvand, Carmoe Approved by the Director of Community Development on September 17, 2024. Appeal Period Ends October 2, 2024.
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

2023 Community Services Commission

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Community Services Commission. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

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.
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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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2023 Planning Commission Application

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Planning Commission. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

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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2023 Traffic and Parking Commission

Notice

The City of Lake Forest is accepting applications to serve on the Traffic and Parking Commission. Applications must be submitted online using this form and must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24, 2023. There is currently one seat available on the commission.

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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