New Housing Development On Council Agenda
Hundreds of homes would be built on an 82-acre plot south of Commercentre Drive in Lake Forest under a proposal coming before the City Council.
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Plans for a new housing development that could bring as many as 608 new homes to Lake Forest are scheduled to be discussed at the City Council's meeting Tuesday evening.
The site of the proposed development is an 82-acre plot south of Commercentre Drive, owned by the Irvine Ranch Water District, with which the city has partnered to develop for residential use.
A range of housing types are acceptable within the site's guidelines, from single-family detached homes to multi-family developments.
Specifics on the types of housing planned for the area haven't been yet been released, though the Planning Commission approved a height-limit increase for the proposed residences from 35 to 40 feet in February 2011.
According to the staff report, all residence designs would have to fall under the theme of "early Californian."
Three parks and a private recreation center would be included in the development, which would be called Serrano Summit in a nod to Serrano Creek and its namesake trail, which run immediately adjacent to the proposed community.
Nearby on the same property is a 12-acre area where the city is planning to build a new civic center. However, if the plan for the center's construction falls through, in its stead the developer could construct additional housing on the plot, up to a maximum of 833 units.
If approved, access to the Serrano Summit community would be provided through future extensions of Biscayne Bay and Indian Ocean drives from Commercentre Drive.
The site is one of five properties slated for development under the city's Opportunities Study, which rezoned a massive swath of land under what was once the El Toro Marine Corps base flight path to accomodate residential and public uses.
Just before Christmas, the city's Planning Commission voted unanimously to forward a recommendation of approval to the City Council. The City Council is charged with making the final decisions regarding the housing proposal.
The City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Hall, at 25550 Commercentre Drive in Lake Forest.
karen m
8:55 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Will one big developer be building out all of the lots, or will they be sold to smaller developers/contractors helping to put more general contractors back to work?
Sarah de Crescenzo
10:17 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Karen, it looks like it will all be developed by Lewis Operating Corp. I haven't seen any indication that lots would be sold to smaller developers or contractors.
Andy O'Connor
11:05 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Where is SVUSD in this process? Plans for additional schools?
Sarah de Crescenzo
11:14 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Andy, involving SVUSD in the development process has been mentioned at multiple meetings leading up to this one, but no plans have been announced for additional schools.
Cynthia
11:55 am on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
We already have issues with coyotes within the building site; what do you think will happen when the little land they have left is gone? I moved to this area for the wonderful Serrano Creek trail and its somewhat secluded feel, however once these homes are built the trail will be severely compromised. Lastly, why do we continue building homes when there are already so many vacant due to foreclosures?
Kel8856
12:41 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sarah, am I reading this correctly to understand the new civic center might be put on hold, from what I can assume is because of the loss of RDA funds?
Do you know if they intend to still build all the homes on Bake too? (Thanks in advance!)
Sarah de Crescenzo
12:48 pm on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Hi Kelly! Plans for the new civic center remain on track, as far as I know. However, the development agreement with IRWD does allow additional housing to be built on the property if—for whatever reason—the civic center doesn't come to fruition. At this point, that seems like unlikely. And yes, plans to build homes on Bake (that's the Shea Baker development) are still in the works.
Kel8856
12:47 pm on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Thanks so much!