New Housing Development On Council Agenda

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 .

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 , at 25550 Commercentre Drive in Lake Forest.