Sports Park's Environmental Impact Report to Move Forward to City Council

Call it another hurdle jumped in the long race toward the completion of Lake Forest's sports park: The Planning Commission said OK to an environmental impact report and a land-use change related to the planned park at its Thursday meeting.

The city staff's environmental impact report assessed the proposed park's effects in areas including cultural resources, water quality and traffic. In instances where it was determined that the park would have impacts, the staff  recommended mitigation measures. In the areas of aesthetics, air quality, greenhouse-gas emissions and mineral resources, the staff determined that the project would have "significant and unavoidable" impacts, even with the incorporation of mitigation measures.

In addition to approving the report, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a "statement of overriding considerations" that would say the benefits of the project outweigh its environmental costs. The commission also approved a re-designation of a portion of the land the park would be built on to allow for more active recreation.

"I think staff did a great job tonight," Commissioner Jerry Verplancke said after the unanimous votes. "We're seeing finally this great progress being made. ... I think most people in the city are looking for this to take place, so I am too. I'm optimistic that this project will end up being one that retains as much as the natural habitat in the area as possible."

The park would be northwest of the intersection of El Toro Road and Portola Parkway and would be bordered on the north by Rancho Parkway, which would be extended to intersect with Portola Parkway.

Plans for the park remain conceptual and subject to change. But the City Council in 2009 authorized a master plan for the park that would include up to six basketball/softball fields, up to five soccer/multi-use fields, up to six hard courts that could be used for basketball or tennis, and up to two playgrounds with sand and play equipment.

A 30,000-square-foot recreation center with a gymnasium and attached amphitheater may also be built, along with restrooms, concession areas, security lighting, field lighting and parking lots with up to about 800 spaces.

In the report, the staff recommended that the conceptual master plan be altered to change where certain components of the plan would be placed—fields, parking and the like—to achieve greater efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. The and the are both attached to the photo gallery with this article.

Commissioner Terry Anderson pointed out that in comparing the conceptual maps for the original master plan and the proposed alternative, it appeared that the alternative left more open space on the property.

"You just took 10 gallons of milk and put it in an 8-gallon bucket," Anderson told staffers. "So what got taken out?"

Community Services Director Gary Magill told him that the maps of the two conceptual plans were imprecise and that each plan consisted of the exact same number and size of amenities.

Residents and government agencies were given a chance to comment on the draft version of the report, and city staffers responded in writing to each of the 15 comments they received. Comments included the city of Mission Viejo expressing concerns about the impact of the park on traffic on nearby roads, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District requesting an assessment of health risks posed by the park being built on a former mining site and across the street from El Toro Materials, which has an active mining permit but is not currently mining.

Planning Manager Cheryl Kuta told the commission that the health risk assessment had been completed, and it concluded that even if mining activities were to resume next to the park, there would not be significant health effects.

The votes on all matters were 4-0, with Commissioner David Carter absent.